You must be wondering what you can feed birds from your kitchen.
Offering food to wild birds in your backyard is a terrific method to draw them to watch, and I believe you’ll agree.
However, buying commercial seeds and grains to feed birds can be extremely expensive. Particularly as you draw more and more birds that swiftly consume your food supplies.
The secret is to add in some food from your own kitchen with your regular bird food handout.
And I won’t stop there…
7 Benefits of feeding birds’ kitchen scraps
In the USA, food waste is a serious issue.
The answer is easy…
You may help prevent personal food waste in your house by taking action.
A fantastic approach to lessen food waste is to feed leftovers to your backyard birds.
These advantages include:
- saving cash
- conserve water
- reduces emissions of greenhouse gases
- reduces garbage in landfills and dumpsters
- reduces carbon footprint
- minimizes the energy wasted when purchasing commercial feeds
- Birds eat a variety of foods.
Can I feed Birds anything from the kitchen?
Here’s a point on which we can all agree.
It’s a lot of fun and simple fun to feed your backyard birds as a means to combat a global issue like food waste.
There’s a catch, though:
Not all food scraps are beneficial to birds.
I now understand that you don’t want to feed your birds unhealthy food. You can thus read my advise on what not to feed wild birds as well.
You should feed your backyard birds tasty, healthy scraps for the time being.
Here are the top 14 foods you can feed birds from your kitchen.
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What Can You Feed Birds From Your Kitchen?
1. Cheese
Cheese is adored by wild birds. Given its abundance in fat, protein, and calcium, it provides excellent sustenance for birds.
Plain, mild, firm cheeses like American or cheddar are your best bets.
To make it simple to feed the birds in your feeders, grate the cheese into little pieces.
Cheese that is too soft or creamy should not be given to wild birds.
Additionally, you must refrain from serving rotten or expired cheese from birds. These might be contaminated with germs that endangers wild birds.
2. Fat Trimmings
You’ve probably seen suet balls used as bird food in your backyard.
However, did you know that animal fat trimmings are just as beneficial to them?
The best trimmings to scatter for your birds are those from beef. Trims contain a lot of saturated fat. This provides birds with a lot of energy, particularly throughout the winter.
Utilize beef fat trimmings that haven’t had the raw meat removed. Cooked beef trimmings may have seasonings like salt added during the cooking process, which is unhealthy for birds.
Only occasionally place little portions of beef trimming on your feeders. One food that can draw more aggressive birds or other animals to your feeders is this one.
3. Fruit
Fruit offered at feeders is a favorite treat for birds.
Birds receive nutrition from fruit, which is also rich in natural sugars that offer them a much-needed energy boost.
You can feed birds any kind of fruit, including:
- Fresh
- Dried
- Frozen
- Canned (not in syrup)
Fruits including citrus fruits, fresh apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, melons, and berries are frequently popular. However, take caution when removing any seeds because some fruit seeds might poison birds.
Good choices for dried fruit include raisins, apricots, currants, and cranberries.
Use frozen fruit in your feeders as long as it has been thawed first.
Fruit in a can frequently contains fruit juices that are high in sugar and should not be consumed by birds.
4. Potatoes
A great source of carbohydrates for birds to eat is potatoes.
You may provide potatoes to birds in a variety of methods, which is one of their best features.
Don’t give your birds uncooked potatoes, though.
Protease is present in raw potatoes. Because of this enzyme, it is challenging for birds to digest the nutrients in their meal.
In backyards, simple baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes are frequently popular.
Yams and sweet potatoes are two other excellent options to put in your feeders. These potatoes are excellent calcium sources for birds.
5. Vegetables
Another excellent food to give to wild birds is vegetables.
Vegetables are not naturally eaten by birds because they frequently cannot digest them when they are raw.
But giving your backyard birds cooked vegetables is a wonderful pleasure.
As most birds prefer bite-sized teats, peas and corn are particular favorites.
You can also give your backyard bird these other prepared vegetables:
- carrots
- cabbage sprouts
- parsnips
- broccoli
- zuccuini
- squash
- beets
6. Pastry
You should feed your backyard birds pastry.
You can give them cooked or uncooked versions of the food. Any leftover pie-making bits can be used in this recipe rather of being thrown away.
The best option for poultry is pastry, especially if it is made with true saturated fats.
7. Jelly
For your birdfeeders, jams, fruit spreads, and jellies work best.
Regular store jelly is acceptable to use, but try to choose a brand with few additives and no added sugars.
Be careful not to use diabetic or no sugar jelly brands.
why not Well, this particular jelly is sweetened with dangerous ingredients for birds.
I understand that you are now interested in flavor. Choose grape jelly if you wish to be well-liked by your bird population.
Berry flavors are certain to be popular in addition to grape jelly. Try varying your feeders’ contents by adding strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry jam. Why not try a citrusy jam instead?
The trick is to select a feeder with a shallow dish so that you can feed your backyard birds jelly with ease.
8. Peanuts
You should feed your backyard birds peanuts. They are packed with nutrition, protein, and lipids that will keep the birds healthy.
The best peanuts to feed birds are those that are roasted, unsalted, and without sugar.
You might be debating whether it’s preferable to serve them shelled or unshelled. What kind of bird you wish to draw in will determine this.
Although smaller birds can’t crack open a peanut shell, blue Jays and woodpeckers enjoy the task.
You should be aware that squirrels love shelled peanuts as well.
Birds can also be fed peanut butter. It is advised that you only use it during the colder winter months.
Bird feathers can get dirty from melted peanut butter. The problem with that is that it robs birds of their ability to be waterproof and insulating and exposes them to sickness.
9. Eggs and Eggshells
Offering eggs to birds at your feeder is a superfood.
Present eggs that have been boiled and crushed. This greatly boosts the protein intake of birds.
Eggs can also be given by baking and eggshell crushing.
For birds, eggshells are a fantastic supply of calcium. For nesting birds, who consume a lot more protein, which can prevent calcium absorption, this is a crucial nutrient.
Add crushed eggshells to the mealworms you are already giving your bird feeders. This counteracts the excess protein intake and maintains the health of your birds.
10. Pasta
For birds, pasta is a fantastic source of carbs.
Present them prepared and unadorned with any sauce or seasoning.
It doesn’t matter what brand of pasta you use while feeding birds. Use whichever pasta you have on hand, whether it be penne, tagliatelle, or macaroni.
What then is the issue?
Consider the size of the birds that visit your garden. To make the spaghetti easier for the birds to eat, make sure to chop it up into small pieces.
11. Rice
It’s okay for birds to consume rice.
But Hold On! Uncooked rice shouldn’t cause birds to swell and explode.
Not at all! It is entirely untrue and an urban legend.
Rice is a healthy food for birds and a rich source of protein and energy.
You can feed your backyard birds white rice, brown rice, or wild rice. Rice may be consumed by birds both cooked and raw without causing an explosion!
12. Coconut
A great, nutrient-rich snack to give your backyard birds is coconut.
Coconut’s high content of saturated fats, which is helpful for bird health, is one of its best qualities.
Offering a fresh, cracked half of a coconut with the milk washed out is the ideal method for feeding birds. Done!
However, in warmer weather, be cautious not to keep it out too long since it may get rancid.
Additionally, never fill your bird feeders with dried coconut flakes. These can lead to overeating in birds, which can lead to digestive problems or a false sense of fullness that can have a negative impact on their health.
13. Cereals
In their feeders, birds adore a cereal treat.
Use simple, sugar-free cereals such raisin bran, raw oats, cheerios, corn flakes, and mini-wheat since they are the healthiest options.
Avoid cereals like fruit pebbles or lucky charms that are heavy in sugar or artificial color or flavor.
Don’t forget to offer your bird the cereal you half-ate earlier. Serving it dry
What makes me say this?
Because they are lactose intolerant, birds get upset tummies when given milk.
14. Popcorn
You can provide birds in your garden with popcorn as a tasty treat. It is rich in energy-giving carbohydrates and fiber.
Offering popcorn rather than cookies or chips, which are heavy in salt and sugar, is far healthier.
You want to provide freshly popped popcorn that hasn’t been seasoned or topped with sugar.
Just let me stop you before you grab the popcorn from the microwave. As they are frequently coated with fat, salt, or sugar, refrain from feeding these to birds.
Unpopped kernels in your feeders are an excellent additional option to provide popcorn.
To help soften the hulls and make it simpler for small birds to eat, simply boil the kernels in plain water for 10 minutes.
5 Golden Rules for Feeding Birds From Your Kitchen
You now understand how easy it is to feed wild birds from your kitchen.
However, giving food leftovers to birds can have certain disadvantages. You should take a few factors into account.
Most of them can be avoided in your backyard if you adhere to these golden principles.
Let’s begin, then.
1. Offer it plain
Any kitchen waste must be offered as simply as possible.
This means that your snacks won’t have any seasonings, sugar, or salt added.
Why is this crucial?
Salt specifically harms birds’ neurological systems and makes them sick. Many birds are poisoned by basic seasonings like garlic and onions.
Always be straightforward and safe.
2. Make it a treat
Kitchen waste is a nice sporadic treat for the birds in your backyard. However, too much can leave them nutrient-deficient.
Your backyard birds may become ill and be more susceptible to disease if they eat poorly.
The best method for your birds to acquire a balanced, healthy diet is to occasionally give them kitchen food.
3. Don’t offer too much
Serving out an excessive amount of cooking waste will inevitably draw bugs to your yard.
The main offenders are rodents like raccoons, mice, and rats.
In fact, these creatures should be avoided near your bird feeders. The biggest danger is that they spread viruses that can easily infect the birds in your backyard.
4. Don’t serve spoils
Never give your bird spoiled or rotten food in an effort to get rid of it.
Never even attempt it.
First off, it’s possible that the birds won’t consume this food.
However, the second, and far more significant, problem is that by exposing the birds to bacterial growth, you run the chance of getting them unwell.
Don’t act in that way. Offer nothing to the birds that you wouldn’t eat first.
5. Keep it Clean
Kitchen waste that is left outside is likely to spoil soon.
You don’t want any food left in your feeders to rot and become nasty.
On rotting food, bacteria and mold flourish. These put your birds at risk of avian illness, which can be fatal.
Cleaning and washing your feeders on a regular basis is the final golden rule. If you’ve offered up perishable food, you might need to do this every day.
The most important thing is to protect the health of your backyard bird and not endanger it.
Final thoughts
The answer to your query, “What Can You Feed Birds From Your Kitchen,” will now be summarized.
You now understand the various advantages of giving leftover food scraps to your backyard birds.
– Salt. Just like us humans, too much salt is bad for birds. … Birds’ neurological systems are negatively impacted by salt, which is very detrimental for them. Numerous bird species are poisoned by common seasonings like garlic and onions.
Whenever possible, keep things simple and safe.
For a special treat, give your backyard birds some kitchen scraps. Inadequate nutrient intake, however, might result from too much.