Can birds eat bread ?

Can birds eat bread

Some people take the time, in the park or elsewhere, to feed the birds. Ducks, geese, swans, many aquatic species are then found fed on bread. And that's a really bad idea. Here's why.

So can birds eat bread or not ? Of cours No.
Bread is not a natural diet
First, because the nutritional value of bread is low . Geese and ducks can eat it. Will eat it, by the way. However, the coveted dish will not provide them with what they need to be healthy. If you eat bread all your life, you may have problems. It's the same principle here. "Ducks naturally have a diet rich in nutrients, which can consist of larvae of insects and other aquatic invertebrates, small fish, amphibians, as well as seeds and aquatic plants ," notes the Canadian Federation. from wildlife. Bread and similar products have very little nutritional value ”.

Birds can't eat bread and Some argue that it is better to give bread to a hungry bird than to give them nothing at all. On paper, that's fair. But note that most of us don't have the knowledge to recognize a hungry bird. And a flock of birds rushing at you is not proof. These birds are not starving, they just know you are there to feed them.

Can birds eat bread : Giving bread to a bird also leads to other problems. Food, if not ingested, ends up decomposing in the water , causing algae to build up in their environment. This high level of nutrients in the water then promotes the appearance of a bacteria in the soil responsible for avian botulism . Thus, birds that feed on snails or worms in the mud become infected. A toxin is released, the birds are then paralyzed and eventually die.

The overcrowding is another problem. Feeding the birds brings the crowds together. In the end, we end up with many birds confined in small spaces. They haven't evolved that way. Ducks and geese naturally find habitats that provide them with sufficient food. And inevitably, the more there are, the less there is natural food for everyone. The competition often becomes fierce, and the environment stressful. In addition, adults find it difficult to teach ducklings how to obtain real food. The transmission of knowledge is broken.

In the end, it is therefore strongly recommended not to feed the birds any longer . For their own good. They can get by without us. And even if some would still like to continue to do so, it is then preferable to swap the bread with pieces of carrots, peas or leftover lettuce, for example.

Read : Bird Aggression And How To Deal With it 

A digestive system unsuitable for bread

Geese, swans and ducks are the first to be affected. On the one hand, because they are often present in public places with bodies of water and therefore constantly fed, on the other hand because they have a particularly poor tolerance for bread.

Their natural diet consists largely of plants, sometimes accompanied by worms, snails or seeds. Bread causes severe liver dysfunction in them, comparable to cirrhosis .

While waterfowl are the hardest hit, no bird has a digestive system suitable for bread. Thus, passerines, turtledoves and pigeons also pay the price.

can parrots eat bread

Can birds eat bread > No ! So Parrots also can't eat bread. Bird watchers say bread can be given to parrots. However, the portion that can be offered to the bird should be small and, moreover, such a treat can only be given occasionally in order to add variety to the animal's diet.

However, it should be remembered that the sugar, salt and yeast contained in bread are poorly digested in the body of the parrot, which negatively affects the balance of its microflora.

Although not all breads have the same composition, this means that they can affect the health of the parrot in different ways.

An ideal diet for the parrot must consist of :

Fruits : they can eat all types of fruits: apples, oranges, pears, apricots, melons, strawberries, mandarins, grapefousses and bananas, among others. Take into account that it is necessary to give it a mixture based on at least 3 different fruits daily so that it does not consume an excessive amount of a particular fruit, especially when it comes to very sweet fruits.

Vegetables : They must also be present on a daily basis in the parrot diet. You can give it spinach, broccoli, chard, endives, carrots, radish, tender stalk garlic, celery branches and peppers. As with fruits, it is very important to vary.

Granules : They are not essential, but very recommended to complete the parrot diet. For this purpose, you must take special granules for psittacids.

Seeds : Seed intake should not be as common as fruit and vegetable intake, but it is just as important. Choose dry and sprouted seeds.

Dangerous foods for parrots

The foods you give your parrot must respect the characteristics of its digestive system, so it is important to ensure that it does not ingest dangerous foods that would be toxic to it and which could have several harmful and dangerous effects on it.  him.  If you want your parrot to be in optimal health, never give it the foods on the list below.  Here are all the dangerous foods for parrots :

Salt

Lawyer

Chocolate

Milk

Alcohol

Meat

Sodas

Soft drinks

Sugar in general

Coffee

Raw tubers

Parsley

Eggplant

Onion

Garlic

Apple or pear seeds

Fried

Foods Containing Colors

Foods containing artificial flavors

Preserves

Artificial juices

Spices

You should not give milk to your parrot, but you can still give it derived dairy products without salt, always in moderation.  Avoid high calorie foods like sunflower seeds or peanuts if you have an Amazon parrot, as they have a strong predisposition to obesity.

By taking this information into account and by monitoring your pet's diet well, you will provide him with optimal nutrition and ensure his good health.

Can I feed bread to the birds ?

We previously answered a question : can birds eat bread so you can't feed the bread for your birds In the interest of his health !
Did you know that feeding birds is bad for their health ? Since bread contains few vitamins and minerals (eg calcium), it does not allow their bones to develop normally. In young water birds, such as ducks, swans and geese, bread (especially white bread) is responsible for a deformity of the bones called "angel wing syndrome".

The tips of their wings are turned outward instead of being pressed against their body. The result: these birds cannot fly and become easy prey for their enemies. A bird only needs to eat white bread for a few days for it to suffer serious damage! Some bird specialists are successful in replacing the wings of the chicks with appropriate bandages and food. But the majority of birds are not rescued in time.

Is bread bad for other birds? “Yes,” answers Jo-Annie Gagnon, biologist at Refuge Le Nichoir. Young songbirds that eat bread are also at risk of developing a type of bone deformation that prevents them from flying. Bread is also contraindicated for adult birds: "It is not nutritious enough and, moreover, when wet, it swells and becomes sticky. This can block the bird's digestive system and kill it. "

If you want to feed the birds, give them foods that are suitable for each species: sunflower seeds, granules for waterfowl (in pet stores) or a mixture of small pieces of grapes, cabbage, lettuce and cereals (wheat, barley or oats).

What happens to birds when they eat bread ?

With summer comes the time for picnics and sandwiches while strolling in the city or in the shade in a public garden.

In Toulouse's parks as elsewhere, as you will have noticed, the fact of sitting on a bench with a sandwich in your hand quickly attracts the sympathy of our winged friends ... pigeons, house sparrows and also ducks in parks equipped with water points.

Who in this situation has not shared a few pieces of bread, assured of doing well, by the reaction of the birds rushing for the crumbs.

It is a very banal and widespread gesture to give bread to birds in this way, and in particular to ducks, but yet it is not doing them a favor.

Their digestive system is not adapted to digest bread: and even if they seem to feast on it, it can cause serious damage.

In swans and ducks, bread causes dysfunction of the liver causing a kind of cirrhosis.

This unsuitable food additionally increases the chances of developing a bone defect known as angel wings which prevents the bird from flying.

Affected birds have their last wing joint turned outward. As a result, the feathers cannot be kept flat against the body, and affected birds are unable to fly. What could be sadder for a bird ?

How to properly feed wild birds ?

It is best to provide them with grease-coated seeds , which you can buy at pet stores.

But be careful to give them only in winter, a season during which natural resources are not available due to low temperatures.

By feeding them outside this period, you risk upsetting the ecological balance by encouraging them to favor the resources made available by humans.

Can bread kill birds

House sparrows are also fond of bread and come easily begging for them too, and for birds in general, whether juvenile or adult, bread is contraindicated: when wet, it swells and becomes sticky. This can block disorders in their bird's digestive system and kill them.

Attention !!!!!

Bread is not poisonous, but it's still bad for birds
Before we get dark, let's start with a semi-positive note - bread is not toxic to birds. Many animals have very different dietary needs than humans, and food that is great for us is often poisonous or even fatal for them. For example, dogs simply cannot eat grapes and raisins, as this often results in catastrophic kidney damage, sometimes death.

This is not the case for birds. So that you can rest easy knowing that you are not poisoning them. Unfortunately, while not inherently harmful, eating too much bread can have significant long-term consequences. The next points will illustrate what can happen with eating bread.

Empty carbohydrates cause malnutrition
Bread, in a nutshell, is made up of "empty carbohydrates." That is to say, it is very high in carbohydrates, but offers little else in the way of nutrition. This is problematic, because it fills the little bellies of wild birds very quickly - leaving them nice and full, but without the nutrients they actually need.

In other words, bread is basically junk food for birds.

What happens when we are full? You don't eat, of course. When birds eat too much bread, they are satisfied for a long time and they don't end up eating the things they need to grow healthy. It might not be a huge issue if their appetite does eventually come back and they have good, healthy food to munch on, but if they are in an environment where humans are always there to feed them, it can create a loop. of negative feedback that causes a continuous cycle of malnutrition, which could eventually be fatal.

Don't you believe us? Try to subsist only off chocolate bars for a week at a stretch. You will start to learn very quickly what it feels like to be malnourished - it is not fun for anyone, especially for our precious wild birds.

Babies suffer
Did you know that by feeding bird populations with bread, small babies are often the ones who suffer the most? Think of the children!

First of all, malnutrition applies to chicks and ducklings as much as to their parents, only the effect is amplified because baby birds are more dependent on good nutrition as it is necessary to fuel their growth. By feeding little birdies bread, you inhibit their growth and put them at a disadvantage.

In addition, young birds do not acquire the skills they need to feed themselves adequately on their own if they still rely on human services. Wild birds need to learn to feed for their own food, especially since most species are migratory and will not stay in one place all their lives. Either way, they will eventually need to find their own food. By giving them bread, you may be denying them the learning experience they need to survive.

It causes overpopulation
This will never be more obvious to you than when you feed a single seagull. It's like a clock - you are feeding a seagull, just a tiny little seagull, with apparently no others nearby for miles, and within minutes you have a flock of 150 of them as if out of nowhere.

Yeah, the word is quickly spreading around the birds, and they seem to have an unearthly talent in knowing when one of their buddies is eating something delicious.

It is for this reason that feeding bread can lead to overcrowding. Humans have a kick out of sharing their bread with birds, and if it's in a public space, there will always be people around to feed them.

Birds aren't dumb, and they're going to figure that out real quick - before you know it, they're going to have babies in this free food paradise, and you'll have a bird problem. This, of course, can have detrimental effects on the local ecosystem.

It spreads the disease
One final problem with bread - it's terribly effective in spreading disease among local wildlife. There are three different ways that feeding bread to birds can spread disease:

Large defecation: Birds that eat excessively bread will find themselves going potty over, and as it turns out, bird droppings have a lot of nasty bacteria that can potentially harbor a variety of illnesses. And because birds can fly, there isn't really anywhere that is off-limits for their droppings. Humans, animals and other birds can potentially reap the negative consequences.
Mussel: Ducks, geese, and gulls are the most common recipients of bread rebates, and they all tend to congregate in water-rich areas. Well, not all of the bread is eaten when the birds are fed, and much of it will get wet and soggy. It's a quick recipe for mold growth. Much of the bread that is not eaten goes badly, and when it is inevitably found later, whether by a bird or a rodent, the bad bread could cause infections.
Parasites: Non-ataten bread also attracts pests. If it's rotten, rodents and insects could come in and have their share and end up spreading the disease elsewhere. It's not like this will happen with every piece of rotten bread, but it is a threat nonetheless. Let's not forget that the Black Death was mainly spread by rats.

Never give

d’aliments salés
dry bread or rusks, pastry waste, dried out coconut, which swell and cause digestive disorders
of milk
fly larvae (maggots), very resistant and can puncture the stomach of birds
Linum usitatissimum or castor oil  seeds which are poisonous.

The bread

 Attention Bread is not suitable for all birds

- The digestive system of swans and ducks is not adapted to the ingestion of gluten present in bread. This food causes liver dysfunction leading to a kind of cirrhosis. These observations were made by ornithologists and by wildlife conservation centers. Each year, the latter collect many birds "sick of bread" from lakes and bodies of water. Be aware that swans and ducks find enough food in and around the pond. Think about their health, don't give them bread. They are herbivores! You will observe them eating grass on lawns, or scavenge for algae by dipping their necks into the water to catch them in shallow water.