Many people see ducks walking around zoos, parks, and picnic areas. The first thing that comes to mind for many people is to take out a loaf of bread and feed it to them. But this is dangerous and deadly to ducks, geese, swans, and many other birds.

Imagine living off chips, candy, and coke your whole life. You’d feel sick and fat. Giving birds carbohydrates repeatedly can cause them to feel this way, too. Then they’ll have trouble escaping predators and keeping the young ducklings safe.               

Also, this is bad for the ducklings. Just like you must potty-train kids when they’re young, the ducklings must know what food is right for them. If people just feed them bread, the ducklings won’t receive all the nutrients they need to live.            

In places with lots of bread, there are lots of ducks. They lay the eggs there. But if all the ducks in the area come to this one certain spot, there’s overcrowding. The ducks will become aggressive and territorial, and predators will see this as an opportunity to have a feast on duck. Imagine all the bird poop that would be stepped in and spread around!

Pollution could also be a big problem. How? If you feed ducks bread, not all will be eaten. This soggy, uneaten bread sinks to the bottom of the pond and will grow algae and create pungent odor. The bread can clog up water ways and kill the animals and plants that live in the pond, which eliminates even more of a duck’s nutrient filled diet.           

If ducks begin to rely on humans for their food, they may become aggressive to get more bread than what you have offered. They may also loose their natural fear of other things, like crossing bigger roads, and then again, humans.            

Though it is better to leave ducks to eat from the natural environment, you can still feed them healthier alternatives. Cut up grapes, corn, birdseed, thawed frozen peas, and duck feed pellets are healthy and provide nutrients for the ducks. There are better ways to use your stale and leftover bread like compost and to make croutons. But please, don’t feed the ducks!