During my rambles, I have spotted many people feeding the ducks and swans. Bread seems to be the most popular food item being carried to the lakes but I have also spotted some signs indicating that bread isn’t good for the ducks. So what’s the real story?
What do wild ducks eat in nature?
Let’s start by looking at what ducks eat in the wild. Well their natural diet is actually pond weed, seeds, small insects, worms and small water snails. Do you remember doing a “duck dive” to the bottom of a swimmimg pool to pick up a brick? It gets its name from the feathered ducks who “duck dive” as they search for food on the bottom of a pond. Their natural diet sounds very different to a slice of Nutty Krust, doesn’t it?
What’s wrong with feeding bread to the ducks?
In a nutshell, bread is not a nutritious food for ducks and doesn’t give them sufficient calories. It makes the ducks feel full but they haven’t actually eaten enough and this can lead to malnourishment. A malnourished duck may end up with deformed wings which can impact on a duck’s ability to fly. Bread can actually reduce a duck’s ability to forage for the right foods in nature which could be devastating when people aren’t around to supply food. Giving mouldy bread to ducks should definitely be avoided as it can lead to illness in ducks and can even lead to lung disease.
Water pollution is another potential problem with bread as decomposing bread can end up rotting on the surface of the water. Rats are also attracted to leftover bread and they can spread disease too.
The bottom line is that we shouldn’t feed bread to the ducks along with chips, crackers, cereal or sweets.
Which foods are good for ducks?
Instead of bringing your old bread to the duck pond, the Canal and River Trust recommends these foods for the ducks:
- Sweetcorn is a favourite food with ducks, whether it is tinned, fresh or frozen (defrosted first)
- Lettuce or any type of salad leaves such as kale or rocket but make sure it ripped up.
- Frozen peas, defrosted
- Oats, flapjacks and instant porridge oats
- Seeds from the pet shop or supermarket – seeds don’t always float so it is best to scatter them on the ground or in shallow water.
- Rice, cooked or uncooked
Feeding ducks is a lovely family activity to do but the next time you plan an excursion to feed the ducks, please leave your bread at home and bring some sweetcorn, oats, rice or seeds instead.
