To think it's OK to feed bread to ducks/swans/geese

[GerdaLovesLili]

Our local parks have slowly been putting up signs that suggest that the wild fowl are actively harmed by feeding them bread.

It means that feeding them is no longer a cheap activity.

However the Swan Sanctuary have put out a statement to say this isn't true, and "We strongly disagree with the idea that the campaign will improve the health of swans and other waterfowl. In fact, we believe it could actually have a detrimental effect on the waterfowl. The Sanctuary has evidence that when people stop feeding bread, to the birds, they quite often stop completely rather than substitute the bread with an alternative."

The full statement can be read here: www.theswansanctuary.org.uk/cause/swan-sanctuary-statement-ban-bread-campaign/

@sonypony Sat 25-Aug-18 17:36:24
I've not managed to find anything at all they will eat other than bread. I've tried oats and all sorts of fruit and veg all on lists i've seen saying don't give them bread give these things instead. They won't eat any of it, it just all sinks to the bottom. So DS feeds them bread, which they love and eat all of it every time

How selfish of you. Just don't bloody give them anything then! They are perfectly capable of feeding themselves. Just because they won't eat your healthy options is not a reason to give them crap. Would you like it if people fed your child with Mcdonalds, Haribo and coke every day just for their own amusement?

When DD was little her preschool Teacher told her peas are their favourite, Since then it has been peas. I think once you know the bread is harmful it is cruel to do it. We had no idea before.

Animals are not here to be a source of convenient and cheap entertainment

If something is potentially harmful to them, just don’t do it. They have the right to live unharmed.

Makes a note - lettuce, peas, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes and oats.

It's a bit "we don't need no experts because we've always done .."

Animals aren't cheap amusement for children.

How about we all feed children bags of harribo and sugar because it's cheaper than having a Sunday roast?

Fuck sake of course yabvu

Your 'cheap activity' is harmful to wildlife.

Frozen peas or bags of duck/swan pellets are better alternatives. And they're actually quite reasonable and go a long way.

For example, a 5 LITRE pot of duck and swan food is £7 and lasts a good long time if you do it right: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DFWX1LB/ref=sxnav_sxwds-bovbp-p_lm_l_1?pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B07DFWX1LB&qid=1535230651&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=0072b939-78ce-4a08-8806-5b1827e9abb8&pd_rd_wg=APyYI&pf_rd_r=RRWCYQH3A4PENWW475KH&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-nav&pd_rd_w=U5SVl&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&pf_rd_i=duck+food&pd_rd_r=3a658293-5449-454a-9dfd-362aebb6fa9a&sr=1

I've not managed to find anything at all they will eat other than bread. I've tried oats and all sorts of fruit and veg all on lists i've seen saying don't give them bread give these things instead. They won't eat any of it, it just all sinks to the bottom. So DS feeds them bread, which they love and eat all of it every time.

Then don't fucking feed them! It's selfish and harmful.

Buy duck/swan pellets. My children happily toss these out and they get gobbled up, and they're not very expensive. Plus, a little goes a long way.

From IFL science!

Or just buy a huge tub of bird seed for £4 from Home & Bargain OP or a bag of frozen peas for 80p. Or are you always so tight?

B & M do a 12.55kg bag of bird seed for 3.99!!!!!!

Doesn't last long here as the greedy pecky pigeon bastards love it. We sometimes have a queue of pigeons and my husband has built an elaborate bamboo cane perch for them.

We have peanut and bird seed feeders dotted around the garden, so the tits have their own which are more hidden.

Never ever feed them bread and if I was going for a walk near a stretch of water where there were birds, I would take seed, peas, corn as mentioned upthread