An Alliance for the Animals
  • Home
    • SiteMap
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
      • ACART >
        • Prepare
        • Volunteer
        • ACART Annual Banquet
        • ACART Wish List
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2014 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2015 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
        • Paws & Claws 2019
        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2015
        • Paws&Claws2017
        • Paws&Claws2018
        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
    • Support TCWC >
      • Giving >
        • Shop-Create
        • TCWC Wish List
        • Donate to TCWC >
          • DonateCarToTCWC
      • Volunteer at TCWC
      • TCWC Supporters
      • Sponsor a TCWC Critter
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
  • Paws News
    • PawsPartners Social Feed
    • Newsletters >
      • TCWC Newsletter
      • A-PAL Newsletter
      • ShelterPartnersNews
    • Blog
  • Gratitude
    • TCWC-Gratitude >
      • BusinessSupporters
      • Our Volunteers
      • InMemoriam >
        • Cockrill
        • Glenyce
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliations
    • Links >
      • ContentSubmissionForm
    • Critter Chronicles >
      • Watson
      • Don't Fawn!
      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
      • Mugsy-CommunityCat
      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
      • TheOddCouple
      • The Twins
      • WillToSurvive
      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
    • Kids
    • Shop >
      • Learn More >
        • Promote Our Store
        • Submit Art
      • Volunteer Gear
      • Shop These Stores
      • Shop PawsPartners
      • Shop TCWC
      • Shop A-PAL Humane Society
    • Site Credits

Bread is for Sandwiches

Picture
One of my favorite things to do as a nature-loving child was to go down to the local park and feed the ducks.  Like most folks, we fed them a lot of bread.  The ducks liked bread and we didn’t know that it was unhealthy for them.  

Why is bread bad for birds?  Bread has very little nutritional value for birds and feeding them can cause them to become dependent on human-provided food instead of natural, healthy foods.  Feeding them might even prevent ducklings from learning how to naturally forage for themselves.  Foods like bread can also cause a wing deformity called “angel wings” that causes the last joint in the wing to become distorted and stick out sideways.  Sometimes diets too rich in protein makes wings too heavy and they will twist the joint.  A bird with angel wings or related deformities cannot fly and can’t be cured in adults.  Lastly, human food can attract other animals, like predators, and pollute the water by encouraging mold, algae, and cyanobacteria growth.  
So, what can you feed to waterfowl?  The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) considers most ducks in park ponds to be feral domestics, hybrid, or “semi-domestic” and has no jurisdiction over them. That being said, the CDFW is concerned about managing them and preventing diseases.  They discourage feeding the birds because it can make them dependent on humans and lead to overpopulation.  Ducks are omnivores and would naturally eat a wide variety of things like algae, worms, snails, berries, frogs, and fish.  If you do want to feed the ducks, try lettuce and other leafy greens, cabbage, peas, beans, and small slices of other vegetables like cucumbers, beets, and squash.

LEARN MORE:

CDFW Guide for Public Park Ponds

Information on Feeding Ducks


site map

Search
  • Home
    • SiteMap
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
      • ACART >
        • Prepare
        • Volunteer
        • ACART Annual Banquet
        • ACART Wish List
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2014 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2015 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
        • Paws & Claws 2019
        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2015
        • Paws&Claws2017
        • Paws&Claws2018
        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
    • Support TCWC >
      • Giving >
        • Shop-Create
        • TCWC Wish List
        • Donate to TCWC >
          • DonateCarToTCWC
      • Volunteer at TCWC
      • TCWC Supporters
      • Sponsor a TCWC Critter
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
  • Paws News
    • PawsPartners Social Feed
    • Newsletters >
      • TCWC Newsletter
      • A-PAL Newsletter
      • ShelterPartnersNews
    • Blog
  • Gratitude
    • TCWC-Gratitude >
      • BusinessSupporters
      • Our Volunteers
      • InMemoriam >
        • Cockrill
        • Glenyce
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliations
    • Links >
      • ContentSubmissionForm
    • Critter Chronicles >
      • Watson
      • Don't Fawn!
      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
      • Mugsy-CommunityCat
      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
      • TheOddCouple
      • The Twins
      • WillToSurvive
      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
    • Kids
    • Shop >
      • Learn More >
        • Promote Our Store
        • Submit Art
      • Volunteer Gear
      • Shop These Stores
      • Shop PawsPartners
      • Shop TCWC
      • Shop A-PAL Humane Society
    • Site Credits