Can Geese Eat Bread?

A boy who is about to adopt a goose asked me if my geese eat bread? I have been known around the neighborhood for spoiling my beloved geese with numerous treats. Ever since I bought them from my friend, I have been looking for ways to please them. 

Geese are normally rude and aggressive towards humans and other fellow birds and animals so treating them very often may help in taming and training.

A majority of the world’s geese population is surviving on the grass and usually, the bird lovers dedicate a quarter of an acre of their lawns for geese to eat and roam around freely.

The pet and domestic geese get super choosy when it comes to food. I named my geese ”Alpha” and he is addicted to some treats.

And when giving treats is the only way to tame the rude overly aggressive geese than you constantly have to look for more appealing options.

I have seen many bird keepers feeding junk to tame and satisfy their geese’s taste buds. Is bread “junk” for geese? Is it safe? Let’s answer all these questions arising in your mind.

So, Can Geese Eat Bread?

can geese eat bread? They can eat bread but it doesn’t do any good to the geese it rather harms the poor bird. Feeding bread to the geese should be avoided even if the geese are begging for it.

Both white and brown bread, a big no-no!

Both white and brown bread are high carbohydrate food. Frequent feeding leads to a bird disease called the “angel wing” that takes away the geese’s ability to fly. It also makes the bird malnourished.

Moldy and expired bread is even more dangerous

No one feeds moldy and expired bread to their pets but they sometimes find it in the trash can or lying on the ground.

Watch out for moldy and expired bread if you are keeping geese in your yard. Moldy bread can become a reason for a lung infection called aspergillosis.

And this lung infection is a serious death threat to the poor geese’s life.

Besides carbohydrates, what makes the bread harmful?

It’s unhealthy because it has no nutritional value and like humans, it’s a high-calorie food for a goose as well.

When there are several healthy treat options available then what’s the point of feeding an unhealthy one anyway?

Healthier Alternatives of Bread for Geese

If you want your geese to have some nutritional treats then barley, oats, cracked corn, birdseed, vegetable peels, and chopped grapes are the healthier treat options.

If you still want to feed it anyway

If your goose is addicted to bread and you want to have it at any cost I recommend feeding once in one or two months and the quantity should be kept small. But remember! It’s not healthy and it can never be better than the food they naturally live on.

Let alone geese, it also pollutes the environment

Geese have a bad habit of leaving uneaten food on the ground. The uneaten bread gets moldy, releases noxious odors, and encourages the growth of algae. It, therefore, pollutes the environment.

It makes the geese full for healthy food

The bread immediately fills the tummy up and the geese feel full for healthier and high nutritional options. So, the geese’ are eating more junk than healthier foods.

The animal and bird protection societies are totally against feeding bread to the ducks and geese

Feeding bread to ducks and geese is a common practice not only in Europe but in Asian countries as well. To put an end to this increasing trend animal and bird protection societies have come forward to spread awareness among the people. Have a look at how they are reacting to this situation.

What the Humane Society of the United States says about it?

The humane society of the United States warns the bird keepers by a practical example. According to society’s statement feeding bread to the goose is similar to feeding chocolate and candies to your kids instead of dinner. It’s not “really” toxic but it’s not good either.

The City of Spokane and Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine also support this idea.

Spokanites and Washington state university college of veterinary medicine are also against feeding bread to ducks and geese. They have supported their theory with several valid reasons. Their officials say that it’s not only harmful to ducks and geese but humans as well.

The Royal Society for the protection of birds has presented it’s view this way:

The royal society for the protection of birds has presented it’s view this way, 

” White bread, in particular, has no real nutritional value, so while birds may find it tasty, the danger is that they will fill up on it instead of other foods that could be more beneficial to them”.

I am not an expert or researcher or anyone that can give an authentic reason to go against something but what I know for sure is that whenever I have fed my geese bread they are full of healthier foods. If it’s depriving geese of healthier food options then it’s not worth it.

Summary

Geese can eat bread but it’s not good for them. White and brown bread both have no nutritional value, it only fills the tummy with junk.

It contains a lot of carbohydrates that contribute towards a bird disease called “angel wing” and it takes away the bird’s ability to fly. A lot of animal and bird protection societies have warned the keepers about the possibility of a lung disease called aspergillosis from the frequent consumption of bread.

Even if feeding once in a while is not harmful then it’s not nutritional either so what’s the point of feeding it anyway? Oats, barley, cracked corn, birdseed, vegetable peels are some healthier treats for pet and domestic geese.