For many people, their first interaction with ducks is feeding them at a pond or local park. Even though it is a common occurrence, feeding wild waterfowl has sparked much debate amongst bird lovers, duck experts, and city officials. One such cause of concern is what not to feed ducks.
Far too often, people jump into feeding ducks without first finding out what is safe and not safe for these birds to consume. This can lead to serious consequences, including unhealthy ducts and even polluted waterways. Thankfully, learning what not to feed ducks goes a long way to protecting these wild birds and keeping them healthy.
What Not To Feed Ducks
Feeding ducks is a fun pastime that can give you a chance to enjoy nature while helping out the ducks with a little food. Unfortunately, your good intentions could actually harm the ducks you are trying to help. That is why it is important to familiarize yourself with what not to feed ducks (or swans or geese).
1. Bread
People have long used bread as their go-to food for ducks. In recent years, however, we have learned just how bad bread is for these birds.
While bread won’t cause immediate harm to ducks, it doesn’t provide them with any nutritional value, and is equivalent to feeding a child nothing but candy. If they fill up on the empty calories of bread, they will be less likely to feel hungry enough to forage for wild food that contains the nutrients they need.
Over time, ducks will become malnourished and just generally unhealthy. When a duck isn’t healthy, it increases its susceptibility to diseases and health problems. Ducks and geese can also develop a condition referred to as “angel wing” which causes their wing to twist outward and lose feathers. Birds with this condition, that is caused by feeding them too much bread and crackers, are unable to fly and evade predators.
2. Crackers
Like bread, crackers can also cause a wide array of health problems in ducks. They do not offer the ducks any nutritional value and can even lead to deformities if consumed in abundance.
Furthermore, feeding the ducks crackers can attract rodents, such as mice and rats, to the area. Another potential problem caused by trying to feed ducks crackers is polluting the water with food waste. That is why it’s best to save the crackers for yourself and not feed them to the ducks.
3. Chips
Chips are another common food thrown out to ducks. Like bread products, chips don’t contain anything useful for ducks. Chips are also filled with salt, and, just like in humans, too much sodium can have a negative effect on the duck’s health.
Some people assume if they offer ducks chips that are not flavored or are not salted, that it would be the better option. This just isn’t the case, since chips still don’t offer any vitamins, minerals, or nutrients that waterfowl need for a healthy life.
4. Cereal
Dry cereal is an easy snack to take with you, since you can toss some in a Ziplock bag and head out the door. Because it is easy to transport, some people think it is the ideal treat to feed wild ducks they come across in the park.
Unfortunately, cereal is filled with ingredients that are not good for the overall health of ducks. In addition, cereal doesn’t contain any nutritional value for ducks and can have a negative effect on the duck’s growth.