QuackSnacks – responsible, convenient wild duck pellets.Oats, flapjacks and instant porridge oats.Sweetcorn, tinned, fresh or frozen (defrosted first).The Canal and River Trust recommend these foods for wild ducks: – If your local park doesn’t sell seed, what can ducks eat safely instead of bread? It turns out that there are lots of things that are much better for them. Read on to find out what to feed ducks instead of bread. Overfeeding can result in rotten bread creating bacteria and algae that pollute the water, poisoning birds and aquatic life.It may affect their behaviour, reducing natural foraging for the right food.It may make birds feel full when they haven’t actually eaten enough causing malnourishment.Bread, particularly white bread, offers unbalanced nutrition and insufficient calories in winter. ![]() Why is bread bad for ducks?īread offers poor nutrition to birds, it can reduce their natural behaviour and creates water pollution. Too much bread really is bad for ducks, geese, swans, watercourses and all wild birds. It seemed like a money-making ploy on behalf of the park but in fact proved to be a worthy conservation exercise. I first learnt that bread can be bad for ducks and geese in 2011 (Caroline was under two!) when ‘No Bread-Feeding’ signs appeared on the bank of a local lake and the visitor centre started selling wild bird seed in paper bags. Larger birds will even eat amphibians and crustaceans like crayfish! Is bread really bad for ducks? In the wild the natural diet of ducks and geese is pond weed and other aquatic vegetation as well as seeds, small insects and worms and small water snails. Now that you know, you can help by not feeding the ducks and by educating other duck lovers.The joy of duck feeding! Muscovys at Hackthorne, Lincolnshireĭid you know that bread can be bad for birds and the water they live in? (we’re feeding duck seed in these photos) What do wild ducks eat? Most people feed ducks with the best of intentions, not realizing the negative impact of their actions. Feeding areas are unsanitary and harbor diseases.Causes delayed migration patterns of waterfowl.Leads to increased pollution and pests.Causes a loss of natural behavior, some become more aggressive and some will not survive because they cannot compete.Too many ducks in one place promotes disease.Feeding attracts more ducks than the habitat can support.Bread is not a balanced diet for waterfowl and causes poor nutrition.Young ducks do not learn their own foraging skills.Causes duckling malnutrition, which can lead to deformities and early death.Other Reasons not to feed the ducks human food: Many ducks and geese that get used to humans will become aggressive towards humans and towards each other. These diseases spread quickly throughout populations due to the overcrowded situations that feeding waterfowl causes.ĭucks and geese, although acclimated to humans, are still wild animals and thus unpredictable. There are documented cases of waterfowl dying from enteritis, aspergillosis, and avian botulism, all due to excess food left floating in the water. Many avian diseases have been attributed to duck feeding. ![]() Excess feces cause water pollution, create an unsanitary environment for human recreation, and lead to the spread of disease in the bird population. Where birds are fed, more birds will come, usually leading to a crowded situation. ![]() Feeding wildlife causes many problems, for the ducks and for the environment as well. Nutrition is not the only reason we shouldn't feed wild ducks and geese. Birds without proper nutrition can quickly succumb to disease and death. But the human food has no nutritional value for waterfowl, it fills their stomachs up so that they do not eat the foods they need in order to remain healthy. Ducks like the bread or other food, and will clamor for it much like a child will ask for candy. ![]() Feeding bread, seed, crackers, chips, popcorn or even bird seed to ducks is the equivalent of feeding your child nothing but candy. It has been a pastime for generations,īut the more we learn about wild waterfowl, the more we realize how detrimental feeding them is.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |