Heartbroken.

[Henriettamom919]

Not sure where to post this so I'm putting it here.

Went to see the yearly ducklings at the lake in my little town and there weren't any. There weren't all that many ducks, period. Those that did approach had oddly discolored and broken feathers, their beaks even seemed pale!

Hubby asked me about it and the gentleman next to us told us what was happening:

They remodeled the docks and grounds a few years back, made a small estuary and privacy area for young babies and nesting mommas. It's drawn more people. The people are all feeding the ducks bread and crackers so they're not foraging or eating the small stock fish they rely on for protein. They're so malnourished that all their eggs hatched dead chicks this year and is responsible for their general poorly appearance

I'm thinking of trying to get our local papers to do a story? It just broke my heart. Not ONE living duckling among several mated pairs! They're mostly mallards and most of the males emerald green heads have grey feathering around their face and heads, the green dull with no shine

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

That's just horrible. Bread (at least the cheap kind without nutritional value) is arguably not even good for people, let alone waterfowl.

Media coverage seems like a good place to start. Are there wildlife rescue organizations near you that might have an interest? Maybe your local chapter of the Audubon Society and/or your state Fish & Wildlife Dept. could also help from an awareness standpoint?

Thank you for caring about ducks and trying to help. Best of luck!!

 

[so lucky]

Could you get permission to post signs at the walkways to the estuaries? Something catchy like
"For Ducks' Sake! Please don't feed us!" and then a couple of explanatory lines below.
Good luck on your mission. It's very worthwhile.

 

[TwoShepherds]

One of our local parks has a pond with ducks. There’s a sign not to feed the ducks bread and a coin-operated machine with duck feed in it.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

What an awful shame! People are ignorant, or think “this little bit won’t matter.” Feeding the ducks makes them come closer.

A news story makes sense! And a good idea! I wonder if supplementation would be practical.

 

[Henriettamom919]

One of our local parks has a pond with ducks. There’s a sign not to feed the ducks bread and a coin-operated machine with duck feed in it.

There are don't feed signs but ideally I'd love to get interest in a fundraiser to get those types of machines installed!

Tomorrow I'm going to go back and get pictures on my cell phone so I have a visual reference to go with my emails!

The suggestion for the Audubon society is a great idea! There's also a wildlife refuge I volunteered at as a teenager that's huge but they're quite far away and always swamped and in need themselves! I think I'll start with the tip line at news stations, our local papers, the Audubon society and our city parks and rec department!

I'm so relieved I'm not the only person who found this incredibly sad! I felt like one of those crazy animal ladies for a minute and even considered taking them some of my scratch and peck layer feed but quickly realized that's not any kind of long term solution.

 

[tpatricco]

Not sure where to post this so I'm putting it here.

Went to see the yearly ducklings at the lake in my little town and there weren't any. There weren't all that many ducks, period. Those that did approach had oddly discolored and broken feathers, their beaks even seemed pale!

Hubby asked me about it and the gentleman next to us told us what was happening:

They remodeled the docks and grounds a few years back, made a small estuary and privacy area for young babies and nesting mommas. It's drawn more people. The people are all feeding the ducks bread and crackers so they're not foraging or eating the small stock fish they rely on for protein. They're so malnourished that all their eggs hatched dead chicks this year and is responsible for their general poorly appearance

I'm thinking of trying to get our local papers to do a story? It just broke my heart. Not ONE living duckling among several mated pairs! They're mostly mallards and most of the males emerald green heads have grey feathering around their face and heads, the green dull with no shine

That's awful. Just awful. I agree with trying to add signs to educate and inform as much as possible. This sounds like an excellent Eagle Project for a local Boy Scout. And some local media coverage with same educational information would be a good multi-faceted effort toward educating people.

 

[Folly's place]

Your local humane society folks might be able to help too, and while publicity, etc is progressing, some 'real food' out there can't hurt!'
Good for you for noticing and caring!
Mary

 

[Henriettamom919]

Can anyone recommend a good but affordable all flock duck feed? Ideally it would float as I don't think most of them will come all the way up on the beach to eat

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Can anyone recommend a good but affordable all flock duck feed? Ideally it would float as I don't think most of them will come all the way up on the beach to eat

Is there a Southern States near you? I've fed their floating waterfowl feed and my ducks loved it (maybe too much). It doesn't look like it was included in the recent recall.