Duck diet: Why bread should be off the table

Have a stale loaf of bread? What can you do with it? Some people make breadcrumbs or croutons, and others take that bread to the waterways to feed ducks.

Mallards feeding in shallow water. (Photo via Shutterstock)

The ducks will quickly flock around to nibble every crumb. But wait — did you know that you may be harming the ducks by doing this?  

Duck diet 

Animals require a balanced diet — wild ducks included. The mallard duck diet consists of plants, fish, insects and invertebrates like crayfish they find in the wild. Wood ducks eat mostly seeds — aquatic plant seeds, tree seeds, shrub seeds. They will also feed on insects and crayfish. Their favorite tree seeds are acorns. Northern pintail ducks eat aquatic plants, insects, worms, snails, and grains like rice, corn, and barley.  

Did you see bread listed in any of those duck diets? Nope!  

Snack substitutes

A mallard with a fish. (Photo via Shutterstock)

The best option for feeding wild ducks is to serve them nothing! Wild animals do not need humans to feed them to survive. Ducks will live longer, healthier lives if they don't get fed by humans.

But if you choose to feed them, there are healthier alternatives to bread. Fresh or dried cracked corn is a good option. Vegetable scraps, peels, tops and tails are happily eaten by wild ducks. They also enjoy eating fruits like grapes cut in half, berries, pieces of melon, apple scraps and banana.  

Why is bread such a big deal? 

Bread is a carb-heavy food, which is not part of the duck diet. Birds do find bread tasty, but it is unhealthy for them!

Do you enjoy eating unhealthy things like cake, candy and ice cream? Imagine if you ate dessert first. Would you go back and eat a healthy salad afterward? Not likely. The same goes for ducks. If they fill their tummies with bread, they will not forage for the food they need to survive.

Ducklings need nutrients to grow into healthy adult birds. Feeding them bread can make them malnourished and weak. Ducklings also need to learn how to forage at a young age so they can find food as adults. When humans toss them bread, they aren't learning the skills they need for survival.