Ducks are one of the most adorable animals in the world. Their lovey Dovey appearance makes them an instant hit to the humans. Everyone loves watching the web-footed animal swimming in a pond or a lake. These animals are easy to find. Watching the animals play can be a huge stress buster for humans.
The natural parks usually consist of various types of these animals. Thousands of visitors come to see them and take pleasure from their cute mannerisms. However, humans often tend to reciprocate their love for the animals by providing them with food.
This is the same with ducks. These animals are given food by the visitors. The most commonly provided foods are bread. It has been found that the amount of bread given to the animals is huge. On average of 3.5million loaves of bread are fed to the little swimmers in a year. This is kind of a problem for these water animals. People often do not know what is right and what is wrong for the animals.
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Bread is not a very good choice of food when it comes to the Ducks. There are a number of risk factors associated with breads. Giving the animals bread is kind of free. They do not have to search for food. Easily available foods reduce the efficiency of these animals. They become kind of lethargic to work and earn their food.
These little animals keep expecting that someone would toss them with food sometimes. This proves deadly for them as they can go days without any food. This would lead to a serious case of malnutrition. On several occasions, deaths have also been reported. Another problem is that too much food would lead to contamination of the water.
The crumbs of leftover bread would decompose and compromise the quality of water. Let us get more educated on the topic in detail below.
Ducks Should Not Be Given Free Breads
There are varieties of ducks that can be found worldwide. Each variant is different from the other one. Thus, the diets of different species of birds also differ. Each individual species have separate nutritional requirements. Some derive their nutrition from the plants while others thrive on worms and insects.
Replacing them with bread might not be a wise choice. Bread is predominantly a good source of simple carbohydrates. Feeding a lot of bread to the birds would definitely make them full, but at what cost? The calories gained would mostly be from carbohydrates. This leaves the ducks deprived of all the vital nutrients required for proper nourishment.
Moreover, too much consumption of bread can lead to problems such as obesity and lethargy. Lack of proper nutrition can damage the body structures of newborns. Studies have revealed that a high-calorie diet may lead to deformities in ducklings.
A syndrome called “Angel Wing” is very much common in such scenarios. It is a condition where the wings grow outwards instead of being inwardly folded. This makes the ducks lose the ability to fly permanently.
Ducks: Be Careful With What You Are Feeding Them
Various other problems also accompany along. We humans are not aware of the natural habitat of animals. We start luring them with foods from any position we are convenient from. This can lead to the ducks leaving their natural habitat.
Abandoning one’s habitat can have significant adversities. They might migrate to areas where life would become hostile for them. A case of overcrowding is also a reason for concern. More and more birds would try to accommodate in a fixed space. This increases the risk of transmission of various diseases.
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Conditions become very much unhygienic when many ducks crowd in one fixed place. Thus, borderline is, we need to be careful with what we are giving. Not only to ducks, but this rule should also apply to the whole animal kingdom.
