What To Feed the Ducks
Did you feed the ducks when you were little? So did I! It was a fun family tradition that I wanted to pass on to my little ones, but it turns out ducks need to be healthy too! Here’s what you should feed ducks!
I remember saving our stale bread and taking it to the park and feeding ducks while we had a picnic. Or sometimes while we waited for Dad to be done with school/work.
In the years since my childhood, we’ve learned that white bread I used to live on isn’t the best option and that whole grains are better for us. But it turns out that white bread, or even bread at all, isn’t the best diet for ducks either! Avoid the high-carb stuff for you and the ducks:
If you’re looking for options already at your house, here are some ideas:
Greens – Just like we need these veggies, they’re good for our waterfowl friends too! Rip them up as you toss them into small pieces. Save your vegetable peels and give them to the birds!
Nuts – as long as they don’t have salt or other extras
Grains – rice, oats, wheat, barley, etc. cooked or uncooked
Corn and Peas – Whether canned, fresh, or (defrosted) frozen.
Seeds – To be honest, I don’t use a lot of seeds in my kitchen, but I do keep a bird feeder stocked in my yard, and that seed also works!
Worms – Go dig in the yard for a bit and bring some earthworms for the birds
Another option, if you don’t want to hunt for food among your supplies, is to pick up so duck pellet food.
Other tips for feeding the ducks:
Beware of popular feeding sites. Too much food can bring too many birds and overcrowding can lead to disease. If you
Don’t keep feeding if it’s not being eaten. Excess food in the water can kill the ecosystem and feed algae blooms (which zap oxygen from the water).
Try not to feed them moldy and rotting things. They’re not any better for ducks than for you!
It’s okay to feed the ducks and continue those traditions, but try to do it in a way that helps the ducks and everyone else out!