Wildlife authorities have been telling people for years to not give bread to the ducks. It is unhealthy for them. Bread makes the ducks sick, keeps them from foraging, and can even cause their wings to become deformed, preventing them from being able to fly. Here are some better alternatives if you can not resist feeding the ducks.
Don’t Feed Ducks Bread! Feed Them This Instead
Bread has very little nutritional value for human or animal and just like people, birds will stuff themselves on bread. This doesn’t leave room for nutritional foods that the ducks should be eating. This also causes a reliance on junk food and it keeps young ducklings from learning how to forage and find their own food.
Also, uneaten bread and crumbs attract predators like rats, can grow mold, and create an unhealthy algae bloom.
Researchers also finding that this is preventing ducks from being able to fly. High carb, high protein diets from bread can cause the wings of the duck to deform. Angel wing or airplane wing causes the end feather to stick out sideways, unlike it should be which is flat against the body. This causes the birds to not be able to fly.
Since humans love to feed the ducks, here is a list of foods, in moderation, that are healthier choices for ducks:
- Rice – Rice can be cooked or uncooked.
- Corn- Any type of corn, fresh, frozen or canned is good.
- Frozen peas and pea shoots – Let the peas thaw but do not cook them.
- Lettuce or cabbage – Ducks love kale the most.
- Oats Rolled, steel-cut, or even instant
- Seeds- Ducks love bird seed
While all of these things are better choices, all of them should be given sparingly. Ducks should follow a natural diet such as algae, water plants, fruit, nuts, worms, snails, small fish, insects, and small amphibians.
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