FowlBlog.com

Short answer - No, never.

A sign from Waneka Lake in Lafayette, CO

Long answer – You should never feed ducks bread, whether they are wild or domestic. It is very damaging to a flock, and potentially devastating to an overall ecosystem.

Here is the explanation of how feeding ducks bread is damaging, for both wild and domestic flocks

Wild – Wild ducks are not pet ducks.  They do not need to have human interference with their food sources.  Furthermore, they can easily become reliant on humans tossing them bread, and neglect their foraging skills to naturally acquire food.  This has to potential to knock an entire ecosystem out of balance, as the food chain will become altered by the introduction of a new food source.

Domestic – Obviously, your pet mallards are already reliant on you for their food.  While they may have foraging skills, they already depend on you for their sustenance.  Is bread okay then?  No, not at all.  The reasoning here is that bread is not an adequate source of nutrition for ducks.  It does not contain the protein levels and nutritional diversity that waterfowl need to thrive.

Furthermore, ducks have a trait which causes them to stop eating once they are full, they won’t overeat, regardless of how much actual nutrition they’ve acquired (perhaps it would be good if some humans developed this).  Thus, they’ll fill themselves up on bread, and ignore the other food available to them once they’re full.  This will yield an undernourished flock.

Now most of us grew up feeding ducks and other birds bread when we were kids.  It was an engaging and simple way to interact with wildlife.  However, as our conscious evolves to better understand our impact on the environment, it has become painfully apparant just how improper it is to feed wildlife.  We must ignore some of the fond memories that we’ve had with this practice, and learn to love and enjoy waterfowl and other animals through observation, not interaction.

Why would anyone choose to raise waterfowl?

A countless many enjoy participating in this endeavor for a wide variety of reasons including -

• Pets – Waterfowl make great pets as one watches their growth, behaviors, and playful antics.
• Shows – Raising waterfowl for shows and exhibitions is a highly engaging and competitive pursuit.
• Farms – Waterfowl provide excellent farming assistance as they are avid controllers of insects and grass in their environments.
• Food – Historically, waterfowl have been prominent food source. People consume the meat and eggs, yielding exquisite dishes.

Today, the typical reason people have waterfowl is to keep as pets. They provide countless hours of enjoyment through observation and interaction. If one raises a duck or goose from its infancy, they can grow to become excellent companions.

Ducklings are ridiculously cute

Also, Showing ducks and geese at fairs and poultry exhibitions provides fulfillment for the farm hobbyist. These events serves as venues for breeders and hatcheries to showcase their unique flocks and network with other enthusiasts.

On a farm, waterfowl can provide many benefits to the crops and environment. For example, ducks and geese can serve to weed and remove harmful insects from grasses, crops, and gardens through with their avid foraging. Furthermore, many environmentally conscious farmers utilize waterfowl to accomplish this task as it is a natural and organic alternate method as opposed to herbicides and insecticides.

Ducks patrol and maintain their grounds.

Finally, waterfowl are source of meat and other products which provide tremendous quality and functionality. Duck has always been a staple meat to many cultures. Furthermore, feathers offer soft and warm stuffing for pillows and coats. Even the fat can be used to make shortenings and hand cremes!

With such a wide range of uses, raising waterfowl can appeal to many tastes and functions. If you are interested in raising waterfowl, learn some breed-specific waterfowl information and order some ducklings to get started!