Feed the Ducks?

Loadsabob

Yes, I second that thanks!

I've emailed English Nature for advice, because on the website of the reserve I visit, there is absolutely NOTHING about feeding the birds / ducks!! And no way of emailing the website operators, either!! I am shocked, as I would have thought this may be quite a big problem. I think we may join a wildlife walk down there at the weekend, so I'll ask questions then if we end up going...

Thank you CQ for prompting me to investigate this thoroughly before I do any further damage!!

Edit: to say that English Nature referred me to the RSPB for their leaflet "Ducks and Ducklings", which is on its way to me. I'll come back here with any advice given in it. The guy at EN said that though it wasn't their area, he was confident that feral ducks would happily eat all the slugs I could give them! The phrase "...two birds with one stone" doesn't seem appropriate here, but you get what I mean!

Murtle

Galtizz wrote:

I thought these posts were important in their own right so I have split them off from the hydrogenated nasties discussion

Thanks Galtizz :T :T (I didn't realise it wasn't just me!), but for a moment there I thought I was going a little mad....I didn't remember starting a new post....so you've also brightened up my day and made me laugh....and question myself that I might be spending too much time on here....if I can't remember starting posts or not :rotfl: :rotfl:

Loadsabob

Got the RSPB leaflet. Haven't digested it yet, but it doesn't warn against feeding ducks bread, or feeding them anything. I'm a little puzzled, as I would have thought if there was even just a chance of direct ill-health to the ducks, the RSPB would be stressing it? (but I see there are warnings elsewhere on the internet against feeding them).

The dangers the RSPB point out with feeding ducks are that they may become less active if food is brought to them (this of course could cause harm to their health), the possible encouragement of rats and subsequently disease to the area (again, could lead to health problems for ducks) and possible over-population, as feeding by people will mean less of them dying off due to food shortage.

Anyway, all of those are good reasons NOT to feed them, I feel, but there is no mention of immediate ill-health due to bread or to humans providing food. It is the RSPB who say ducks adapt well to human food sources.

gingin_2

Sorry if this isn't in the right place...

We walk the dog every day and my 3 yr old loves to feed the ducks. We don't really end up with that much spare/old bread, it gets eaten or used up. I was wondering if there was any other leftovers we could give to the ducks?

I have some stale sponge cake and some unwanted corn crackers that will soften in the water but have no idea if these are acceptable or if anything else will do?

Thanks from us both

Skint_Catt

Not very OS but if my Mum took me and a few friends she would always buy a 'value' loaf! or safe the 'heels' of a few loaves of bread we'd had recently.

Catt xx

Debt_Free_Chick

Any of those suggestions, but in smallish quantities. Ducks are primarily vegetarians - eating mostly weeds, grass and some grain. Some starchy carbs will do little harm, but just a moderate amount which you may have to stretch out if your child likes to "be there for hours"

Chocmonster7

If they are like the ducks we used to keep then they will give anything a try. Ours ate cake as well as vegetable peelings and elderberries which would fall from the trees in their field!

Why not start an experiment? Make a simple wall chart and take a different kind of food each time and when you get home mark 'yes' or 'no' on it depending on if the ducks liked it. Could make a trip to the park even more educational for your child!

trying-very-trying

You could try asking your local baker if they have any stale bread for the ducks.

odds-n-sods

NOO NOOO Do not feed wild birds, ducks, swans etc any processed grains!

Buy wild bird food instead - bread swells in their stomachs, it has so little nutrition for them - esp., fat, they can starve to death while having a bread-filled stomach.

Pink.

Hi gingin,

There's an interesting older thread about feeding ducks:

Feed the Ducks?

I'll add this thread to that one later.

Pink