Well-intentioned, but bad for animals and the environment

It is a popular habit for many people in Beckum to collect bread separately and feed it to the ducks at the Werse, the Hellbach pond or other local watering places, in the belief that the bread still serves a good purpose here. Not infrequently, the bread is simply thrown into the water without paying attention to whether the animals accept the food at all and can eat it in quantity.

Bread harms the ducks and the water
But the nutrients from every gram of bread remain in the water cycle in the long term. This excess of nutrients leads to a drastic deterioration of the animals' living conditions in and on the water. Therefore, ducks should not be fed under any circumstances. Furthermore, bread is not a species-appropriate food for these animals. Normally, water birds eat a much more varied diet: for example, plant parts, mussels and insects. The wrong diet can even lead to death. Many animals are attracted to the feeding sites, often too many for the limited water body area. The unnaturally high number of waterfowl at the feeding site is inevitably associated with increased droppings, which leads to over-fertilisation of the water and the adjacent green areas. Bread that is not ingested at all due to excessive feeding and sinks to the bottom pollutes the water body and its fauna and flora.

Tip:
If you don't want to throw away your old, dry bread, you can feed it to sheep, goats and horses after consulting with the owners. There is no risk of damage to the health of these animals. Otherwise, waste bread belongs in the organic waste bin.