Why Is Bread Bad for Ducks?

The short answer: bread fills ducks up with nothing they need. What they don’t eat turns to mush and rots in the water, and the leftovers draw rats. Wildlife groups like the Canal & River Trust have been asking people to swap the bread for better food for years.

Nobody tosses bread to hurt anyone. It’s what most of us grew up doing, and the ducks always seem happy to see it. Here’s what’s actually going on when the bread bag comes out.

It fills them up with nothing they need

Bread is full of carbohydrates and salt. Researchers at Utrecht University who compared what people feed park birds with what those birds need found bread short on amino acids, fatty acids and several vitamins and minerals.

The Canal & River Trust puts it simply: bread doesn’t have much nutritional value, and it fills a duck’s stomach.

It rots in the water

Bread falls apart once it’s wet, and what the ducks don’t eat sinks. The Canal & River Trust says uneaten soggy bread builds up nutrients in the water, which leads to more algae. Researchers at Utrecht University add that food piling up in a pond goes moldy and feeds bacteria that can use up the oxygen in the water.

And if the bread is already moldy, the Canal & River Trust notes it can make some birds ill.

It draws rats

Extra food draws rats. The Canal & River Trust says an excess of any food encourages them, and Utrecht researchers note that brown rats prey on waterfowl eggs and young ducklings.

It crowds the pond

A lot of bread in one spot pulls a lot of birds into one spot. Too many birds in one place can stress them and damage the places they live.

Bread is bad for ducks. Duck Feeder is made for them.

So what should you feed instead?

You don’t have to stop feeding ducks. Just change what’s in the bag. Floating duck pellets made for waterfowl are an easy swap, and a few kitchen foods work too: see what to feed ducks instead of bread.

Then keep it simple at the pond: toss a small handful, let it float, and zip the bag shut when they’re done.