Last week, we looked at how bread can be harmful or fatal to ducks and geese. Wild birdseed is a healthier option – but the best choice you can make for these birds is not to feed them at all.

“Feeding them changes their natural behavior and makes them more dependent on humans,” says Michael Kaufman, Farm and Wildlife Director of Green Chimneys in Brewster, New York, which provides animal-assisted therapy and activities for special needs children. This dependency causes multiple problems. The birds tend to lose their fear of people. This not only makes them more aggressive (geese especially), it makes them more vulnerable to hunters in open season.

Year-round feeding can stop migratory birds from migrating, says Kaufman, “radically changing their life cycle”. Mike Givlin, Vice President of Wildlife Management Programs for The Steritech Group, says that when this happens, the birds’ offspring will also be non-migratory. Other birds may keep migrating – but when they’re in the area, they’re drawn to the places where the non-migratory birds gather.

It all adds up to an artificially large waterfowl population, all seeking food in a few places. As large numbers of birds gather, their droppings accumulate. This is not only unpleasant, it can dangerous. “Goose feces can be linked to e-coli and salmonella. People can get these serious illnesses by being exposed to feces, either in drinking water or simply recreational swimming,” says Givlin.

What happens when people, the species that created the problem, get tired of dealing with it? “I’m often hired to remove these birds from municipalities and businesses,” says Givlin, whose company provides food safety, quality assurance and pest prevention services.

It’s uncomfortable to think of animals going hungry when we have plenty to share. But with waterfowl, the kindest thing we can do is let them go back to their own ancient, instinctive ways of feeding themselves.