Feeding bread crumbs to birds is not something new. Birds love to eat bread pieces, but there are a lot of reasons why you should avoid feeding bread to a bird.
How Bread is Actually Bad For Birds?
Oats, peas, frozen corn, birdseed offer the best value to them. But, that’s not the case with ducks. It offers zero nutrition.
The nutritional value is low. A goose or duck might eat a lot but stay unhealthy.
According to David Barber, swans have been eating bread for centuries. Bread is not the perfect dietary nourishment for swans but it has turned into a very important source of food for them.
Bread supplements their natural diet. It helps them manage the cold winter when food is scarce.
Side Effects of Feeding Bread to Birds
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Angel Wing Disorder
There is a disorder among geese, ducks, and birds, called Angel Wing. This condition causes a feathered creature to develop a malformed wing.
Although there is still a lot of confusion about whether eating bread is the main cause of this problem or not, experts call for more research in this area.
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Causes Confusion and Chaos
Birds are not developed to eat food at your feet. As one report suggests, competing over crumbs appears stressful.
Geese and ducks are equipped to find food. In cases of handouts, the competition is strong at artificial feeding locations.
While eating natural foods, birds are at privacy.
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Leftover bread is not a good option
Bread that does not get consumed by birds does not evaporate into thin air. The leftovers get deposited into the water, and there is no one to clean the waters.
This can lead to algae formation. Some reports suggest the creation of avian botulism.
When the birds consume worms and snails present in the mud, they get infected and eventually die. You are affecting their whole system.
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Bread is not a natural food
Most of us bird lovers are not really trained to identify a starving bird. When birds rush towards you, it does not mean they are starving. They are happy to get some additional food.
Ducks eat a rich diet. It consists of aquatic plants, seeds, amphibians, small fishes, and aquatic invertebrates.
Crackers, popcorn, donuts, and chips provide no or little nutritional value.
Is It Bad to Actually Feed Birds?
There are birds trained to expect food because of their lifestyle. Some people are so engrossed in feeding birds that they find it hard to give up.
If you are interested, buy water birds food, like duck pellets.
Try oats, whole corn kernels, defrosted peas, or carrots. If you have foods like lettuce, cut them into small pieces.
On the pretext of being generous, don’t overfeed them.
