Rice fed to Swans

[Amoeba]

I was passing the swans yesterday and someone had left out a big pile of rice for them to eat at the side of the canal. They were really enjoying it but my concern was that the water started to get very cloudy and a fatty-looking film had developed over the surface. Not only that but the bird's feathers started to look very wet, not just their necks but their bodies too. It was unusual. After a while they were vigorously attending to conditioning their feathers, I guess the film from the rice interfered with their usual waterproofing. Their feathers went all spiky.

Is it a bad idea to give water birds rice, either for this reason or for others? Or is it fine?

[valleyforge]

It is generally not a good idea to feed dried rice to any birds ... when it hydrates it of course swells considerably, and so can cause potentially fatal blockages in their crops, gullets and intestinal tracts.

Feeding cooked rice should otherwise be safe though, unless it was fried and had a high oil content, in which case it would be messy to feed to water birds.

Do you know whether the rice was dried or cooked in this case?

[Amoeba]

It was cooked, had little currants or sultanas in it too. Dyed unfortunately (shocking pink and highlighter green). I don't know if it was fried, but it did make the water look all fatty and it smelled strong so it might have been.

[valleyforge]

In that case, other than the fat content interfering with the natural feather oils, there shouldn't be any adverse effects.

[Tringa]

Unfortunately this is something that happens around here too.

Indian restaurants leave loads of cooked rice and nan, and some local grocers leave whole loaves of sliced bread near a local pond.

I am cynical enough to believe they know exactly what they are doing, but are hiding it under the idea they are feeding the ducks and geese. What they are really feeding are the rats that the local council have to deal with later.

[Amoeba]

That is sad.

The people round here though I imagine are uneducated. Frequently I see people chucking bread into the water, sometimes with no birds around - they just dump heaps of it because it's 'stale' and they reckon the birds will eat it, unknowing of the problems large amounts of rotting bread can (and does) cause at that part of the canal. I'm forever finding flattened rats that cyclists have run over too.

Also, a lot of people take bread to them. Nearly every time I see the swans they're being fed bread by someone. Sometimes I feel like saying something, but the people round here are sometimes quite rough and abusive so I never know if it's worth the risk of getting assaulted.

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by Tringa

I am cynical enough to believe they know exactly what they are doing, but are hiding it under the idea they are feeding the ducks and geese. What they are really feeding are the rats that the local council have to deal with later.

Perhaps that keeps the rates away from the Indian Take-away

[daffy66]

if its bright pink and green it could be that its been left by fishermen.tho ive never heard of rice being used as bait.

[AndrewB]

Originally Posted by Amoeba

That is sad.

The people round here though I imagine are uneducated. Frequently I see people chucking bread into the water, sometimes with no birds around - they just dump heaps of it because it's 'stale' and they reckon the birds will eat it, unknowing of the problems large amounts of rotting bread can (and does) cause at that part of the canal. I'm forever finding flattened rats that cyclists have run over too.

Also, a lot of people take bread to them. Nearly every time I see the swans they're being fed bread by someone. Sometimes I feel like saying something, but the people round here are sometimes quite rough and abusive so I never know if it's worth the risk of getting assaulted.

As a relatively new feeder I must say I occasionaly take pleasure in feeding bread to ducks and swans, who always seem happy to eat whatever is offered to them.

Are there potentialy problems associated with this?

[Pippa]

Originally Posted by AndrewB

As a relatively new feeder I must say I occasionaly take pleasure in feeding bread to ducks and swans, who always seem happy to eat whatever is offered to them.

Are there potentialy problems associated with this?

Hi Andrew.

Bread isn't a good food source for them at all.However,they like it and it fills them up so they don't really get to eat what keeps them healthy.Bit like us i suppose.

As you are on the net it should be easy to find out how to help them though.