April 17, 2025, 11:54 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Especially children enjoy feeding ducks with bread. However, some adults also regularly visit city parks to “do something good” for the animals, even setting up makeshift feeding stations. The ducks are delighted. But bread can be not only unhealthy but also dangerous for ducks. PETBOOK explains why.
Hand on heart! Who hasn’t fed ducks with bread at some point? In the past, people thought they were doing the animals a favor and simultaneously preventing food from going to waste. A win-win situation, so to speak. Nowadays, we know that to feed bread to ducks is more harmful than helpful.
If ducks have the choice between laboriously searching for food at the bottom of the pond or having a tasty piece of bread thrown to them, they will choose the “fast food” option, just like humans. It’s quick, easy, and tastes good, but unfortunately, it’s indigestible and leads to malnutrition over time.
The reason is that bread contains a lot of carbohydrates and few valuable nutrients, as well as salt and sugar. It also swells in the ducks’ stomachs because they usually swallow it with a gulp of water, which can lead to digestive problems. If you want to support waterfowl with additional feeding during the winter months, you should opt for species-appropriate alternatives. However, it’s important to know that ducks are wild birds that find enough food even in winter. Only old and sick animals do not survive the harsh winter, which keeps their population healthy in the long run!
Reasons Not to Feed Ducks Bread
As mentioned earlier, the salt and sugar in bread are not healthy for waterfowl. Additionally, hard bread can cause problems in their throats or stomachs. There is even a risk that the animals could choke on it.
Bread leftovers sink to the bottom of the water and rot. These decomposition processes deplete the water of oxygen. At the same time, nutrients enter the water and accelerate algae growth. This can lead to an algae bloom, and the pond can turn into a muddy, oxygen-deprived mess.
What many also don’t know: Bread floating in the water that isn’t eaten can’t be collected and attracts rats.1
Is Feeding Bread to Ducks Deadly?
Bread and rolls can not only cause digestive problems for waterfowl. If the animals swallow dry bread, it can swell in the stomachs and throats of ducks, as well as swans and geese. In the worst case, the animals can die from it.
There is another reason why feeding bread to ducks can be deadly. Even the ducklings learn that begging pays off. The animals often lose all fear of humans and waddle onto picnic blankets in parks to grab a tasty bite. If they get too close to dogs, children, or vehicles and don’t move away quickly enough, they could be injured or killed.2
Species-Appropriate Food Suitable for Ducks
Ducks are omnivores. If given the choice between greens and a snail, ducks will usually opt for the protein snack. It’s no wonder people keep runner ducks for snail control. But they also don’t turn down earthworms or beetles. In nature, ducks also eat grass, roots, grains, seeds, and kernels.
If you want to give the animals some food for support on particularly cold days, here is an overview of foods suitable for ducks:3
- Oatmeal
- Bran
- Waterfowl or chicken feed
- Acorns
- Sunflower seeds
- Lettuce
- Canned corn (washed)
- Chopped fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, bananas, grapes, tomatoes
- Chopped, cooked potatoes
Making Duck Food Yourself
Or you can make your own feed mix from cornflakes, wheat flour, oat and barley groats, cooked vegetables and potatoes, and bean flour. Mix it all together with water or milk.
The food should be chopped so that the animals can easily eat it with their beaks and swallow it without problems.
Please never throw the food into the water; feed on land! Ducks also always need water to drink, which serves as a lubricant. Since waterfowl, including runner ducks, have no teeth, they cannot chew their food, and without water, there is a risk of choking.
Important: Always feed only small amounts and collect leftover food! Never feed rotten or moldy food or heavily seasoned items like bread, pizza, cookies, cake, chips, peanut flakes, etc.
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Experiences with Food from My Duck Pond
In my garden, there is not only a small pond but also a charming stream right by my property, where not only trout but also numerous ducks gather. Primarily, they are mandarin ducks, which are considered escapees from captivity.
My mandarin duck group likely comes from the nearby Hellabrunn Zoo. Last year, there were 15 ducks, and now about 30 of these beautiful waterfowl have arrived, as word seems to have spread that delicious sunflower seeds always fall from my birdhouse.
My heart beats not only for the young tits, which I support with food in summer and winter due to the decreasing number of insects. Naturally, as a responsible animal lover, I wanted to feed them species-appropriate food, so I bought 15 kilos of special waterfowl feed.
The enthusiasm was not only limited; it was completely rejected. However, a real hit, besides the sunflower seeds, is oatmeal mixed with sunflower oil. It’s the right fat boost in the cold, and there’s a regular loud and chattering spectacle when I show up with it twice a week. I’m already looking forward to spring and the numerous offspring of these colorful beauties.