Stuffing wild fowl with bread is bad for their health

Who would have thought that bread can kill? Like most people, we were happy to feed bread to ducks and swans and only recently discovered that bread is one of the worst things for wild birds.

Bread can kill

Bread is so yummy. In Cumbria, where local food supply and variety have improved year on year, the artisan bread looks so delicious. Why would you not want to share it with ducks and swans whose presence on the Lough promotes such mindfulness and tranquillity?

Well, guess what? You would be as horrified as us to discover that bread kills wild birds. It contains none of the nutrients that wildfowl need and fills them up. We became aware of this problem via Leah our dog, who started gaining weight. We put it down to the occasional guest treating her with goodies from their kitchens. Then purely by accident, we discovered that she was eating vast quantities of bread being put out for ducks and swans.

While most people know that bread is bad for dogs, it turns out that it’s also really bad for wildfowl. A Recent article on damage to birds’ health and pollution of waterways in the Guardian urges people to use alternatives such as oats and corn. I know that my mother used to feed rice to the birds, which Nick has told me off about. I shall have to show him this article.

Duckpots provide nourishment for wildlife

One of our guests told us about Ark Wildlife suppliers of Duckpots, a floating food for swans and wildfowl. We took a decision to enable our guests to buy use during their stay. This way our guests can enjoy interacting with the wildfowl on the lake, and Leah (who is now a much slimmer and trimmer version of former self) can avoid hoovering up leftover bread.  You can now buy duckpots for your stay.

Enjoying the wildfowl at the Tranquil Otter is one of the great joys of a stay at one of our lodges. We’re now much happier that the ducks and swans are getting the right kind of nutrition.

If you are still in doubt, the following are NOT safe for ducks:

• Bread
• Chips
• Crackers and biscuits
• Popcorn
• Sugary food – sweets, chocolate

More information can be found at Ark Wildlife