People Are Harming Ducks at the Duck Pond, and Don’t Even Know it

Get our free mobile app

Many of us who grew up in Shreveport have memories of feeding the ducks at the Duck Pond on E. Kings Highway.  I remember our grandmother, "Granny" taking us to the Duck Pond with a loaf of good ol' fashioned Wonder bread to toss to the ducks.  It was very exciting to have the ducks come right up to you, but also a little scary when the geese would get aggressive!

But what we didn't know at the time, and what a lot of people still don't know today is, feeding bread to the ducks is actually very harmful.  According to a recent post by Flag Animal Farm:

Feeding bread causes permanent damage to ducks , birds and geese. A lack of correct minerals and vitamins in their diet can even cause the horrid problem called angel wings. They can not migrate or fly to avoid predators. PLEASE DO NOT FEED BREAD to ducks , birds and geese. Cracked corn, corn, peas, mealworms, romaine lettuce, watermelon, grapes CUT into pieces, cantaloupe……are a few good options!

Diet plays a vital role in every animal so please do your research and feed correctly

This is also confirmed by Maine Audubon:

This improper nutrition is especially harmful in young and developing ducks. A result is a syndrome commonly known as “angel wing,” when a duck’s (or other bird’s) wings grow improperly, typically presenting as a twist in the last joining of the wing, causing the remiges (wing feathers) to point outward from the body. This is caused by an unnaturally high calorie diet (high in proteins; low in vitamin D, vitamin E, and manganese) which causes most of the wing to grow faster than that last joint in the wing. In most cases this syndrome is incurable and typically fatal as it negatively affects the feather’s insulating properties, and can make a bird flightless.

So, if you do want to take your kids or grandkids to the Duck Pond to feed the ducks, just make sure you give them food that is similar to what they would find in the wild.  This includes grains, leafy vegetables, fruits, (not citrus), duck pellets, and even birdseed is acceptable.