While sharing food with your bird is a lot of fun and can be wonderful for your pet's emotional health, there are many common human foods that can be harmful or even fatal to your bird. These types of foods attract several types of pests including raccoons, opossums, deer and squirrels, to name a few. The black oil seeds (“oilers”) have very thin shells, easy for virtually all seed-eating birds to crack open, and the kernels within have a high fat content, extremely valuable for most winter birds. The seed that attracts the widest variety of birds, and so the mainstay for most backyard bird feeders, is sunflower. But now, enter the chia seed: packed with omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, antioxidants, calcium, and fiber, it remains the one of the most nutrient-dense particles our bodies can digest. Chia seeds can be fed to your birds in a myriad of ways. Striped sunflower seeds have a thicker shell, much harder for House Sparrows and blackbirds to … Lauren from Lauren Kelly Nutrition uses chia seeds in her gluten-free chicken nuggets. Backyard birds can get very sick from ingesting moldy or rancid food. Both onions and garlic can also be used as flavourings as can very sparing amounts of cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and sweet bay. You can feed them these items all year long as well, just never as a replacement for bird seed. Owners need to know which foods are fine for sharing and which pose a serious risk. It is a tantalizing high-energy wild bird treat that you can purchase in raw chunks or flavored cakes and plugs. Dry chia seeds can add a nutritious crunch to baked poultry or fish. Debunking The “Healthy Nutrients” In Chia Seeds. HA! Some drawbacks. Birdseed can go bad if it is improperly stored or allowed to rot in poor conditions, and the bugs, mold, and bacteria in spoiled seed can cause diseases among feeder birds. Always check to be sure seed is dry and fresh without strong or sharp odors, and change seed after feeders have gotten soaked to keep seed … Early into feeding the birds, we'd try cheerios and other things that people say the birds will eat. "I make a bunch of these at once and freeze them to take out and reheat for a quick weeknight meal," she shares on her blog. Cheap seed mixtures contain a lot of wheat. They are full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and other nutrients that are very good for chickens. Suet: Suet is rendered beef fat. Lentils, split peas and beans are also often added to bulk up seed mixtures. Now, chia seeds do contain omega-3 fatty acids which are probably part … Fourth, the following are some great non-seed additions to your wild bird feeder: 1. Fruit pits or seeds. Not these birds, they do not recognize people food as something edible. Bird seed mixtures. If you’re going to feed the birds in your garden fruits like apples, pears, apricots or peaches, make sure you fully remove the pits or seeds beforehand. This is often flung aside by the birds as they sort through for the tastier seeds. Most fruits are fine for birds to eat, but it’s important to avoid fruits that have seeds or pits in them. Watch them and you’ll see what I mean. Backyard birds eat mostly seeds but many are also fruit and/or insect eaters. Feedthebirds 1 Can Wild Birds Eat Chia Or Flax Seed. Feeding birds from the kitchen has its advantages and can be beneficial for birds but does have some drawbacks. The Starlings wouldn't even touch that. But just in case they are yawning at your feeder offerings, I've got a few suggestions to help you break out of the old feeder routine. I use flax seed after grinding for baking, but never used quinoa. 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