Introduction
Just about everyone has been with ducks at a pond or lake and have fed them bread or some other snack. But, is that good for them?
In the past year or so on campus I became educated on the topic of feeding ducks bread. I never thought about it before someone brought it up to me. I just thought that if they ate it, they liked it. Since I am curious about why feeding bread is bad for them, I have done some research and compiled my findings into this blog to share with you.
Controversy
If you Google “is it bad to feed ducks bread” you will get a variety of responses. There are many people who say yes, and an equal amount that will say no. But again, don’t always believe everything you see on Google. Make sure you are looking at valid trustworthy sources.
“It’s Okay”
A confusing sign was posted near a pond in Buxton, United Kingdom stating “It’s okay to feed us (ducks) bread! It’s not the healthiest, but it will not kill us.” From this, the sign was taken down because people were getting more confused on duck diets. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-50081386
Also stated in this article is that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds believes it okay to feed bread to ducks, but in small amounts. This is for the same reason as mentioned above; It’s not very nutritional. It’s similar to us humans. If we fill up on bread, we can feel full but would not have gotten the nutrients our body actually needs.
“It’s Not Okay”
The BBC article referenced above also states that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds believes it’s okay to feed bread to ducks, but in small amounts. This is for the same reason as mentioned above; It’s not very nutritional. It’s similar to us humans. If we fill up on bread, we can feel full but would not have gotten the nutrients our body actually needs. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-50081386
The BBC article also says the following: “The Canal and River Trust has campaigned against feeding bread to ducks, and has claimed it is "bad for ducks" because uneaten soggy bread can cause a build-up of bad nutrients which can lead to greater algal growth, spread disease and encourage pests such as rats.” and "It [feeding bread] also creates excessive amounts of bird droppings which, along with being smelly and slippery underfoot, can reduce water quality and clog waterways with harmful algae." https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-50081386
In my opinion, I would say that yes this could be true, but I think it would depend on the amount of uneaten bread per unit area. I can’t imagine that uneaten bread in the water or nearby areas would cause such detrimental or even visible effects. But again, it depends on the amount of bread, area of water, and even duck and other bread-eating species populations.
Ducks and their Health
According to Le Nechoir (a non-profit for wild bird rehabilitation in Quebec, Canada)...
Not getting the correct nutrients from insects and vegetation can cause poor bone development and malformations, especially to ducklings. One common malformation they can get is called “angel wing”. This is a permanent condition that will cause that bird to not be able to fly. But again with the controversy, Christopher Perrins, a professor at the Department of Zoology at Oxford University told the Swan Sanctuary that "There is no evidence of a connection between feeding bread and angel-wing; at least some cygnets develop this condition without ever having seen any bread."
When bread gets wet and soggy, it can become harmful to ducks because it can get lodged in their digestive system and be fatal.
What Can You Do?
Ducks have a diverse diet and what they eat varies from season to season. In general, they eat: insects, vegetation, worms, snails, and crustaceans.
Instead of bread, try feeding ducks items like sweetcorn, oats, biscuits, peas, bird seed (https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/feeding-wildlife-can-it-do-more-harm-than-good/ ), and leafy greens (https://lenichoir.org/do-not-feed-bread-to-birds/)
Educate others on this topic! Explain why feeding bread can be harmful to ducks and other waterfowl. Even though it is controversial on whether it is good or bad, it’s better to stay on the safe side and protect them by avoiding bread.
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