Briefly, yes, birds can eat oats, and they are a nutritious and safe food option for many bird species.
Before determining what to place in a feeder or spread on the ground, a wise pet bird owner will research what their types of pet birds eat. Oats are a good example of something people should learn more about before giving them to their birds. Can birds eat oats? Are these safe for birds to consume? Canvas Personalized compiled many types of oats and how to prepare them for your feathered friends. Keep reading if you want to find out more!
1. Can Birds Eat Oats?
Yes, they can. Several species of backyard birds find oats a tasty and healthy snack. It’s a favorite for many birds, especially finches, cardinals, grouse, pigeons, and blackbirds.
When given to birds in their uncooked form, oats provide a wealth of essential nutrients. In the section below, Canvas Personalized will do my best to address your concerns and provide all the information you need to feed oats to birds successfully.
2. Are Oats Beneficial For Your Birds?
Some birdwatchers may be only concerned with using any food item to attract birds to their backyard. True bird owners, however, will also be concerned about how these delicacies affect the birds’ well-being. Let’s take a brief look at the oat’s nutrition facts shown below:
| Nutrients | Quantity |
| Protein | 16.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 66.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10.6 g |
| Fat | 6.9 g |
| Magnesium, Mg | 177 mg |
| Iron, Fe | 5 mg |
| Manganese, Mn | 4.9 mg |
| Phosphorous, P | 523 mg |
| Potassium, K | 429 mg |
| Sodium, Na | 2 mg |
| Calcium, Ca | 54 mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 4 mg |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | 0.763 mg |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.139 mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.961 mg |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 1.349 mg |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.12 mcg |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 56 mcg |
| Energy | 389 kcal |
According to the table above, oats contain far too many beneficial components to harm your birds. You can get all the vitamins, minerals, and protein you need from them, so they make for a good all-around diet. If you want to learn how the oats’ nutritional benefits might help your birds, keep reading!
- The high fiber content of oats is well-known. Your feathered friends may also benefit from fibers because they improve digestion and intestinal health.
- Oats are also good if you don’t want your birds to get too fat because of their low-fat content.
- Because of their high-calorie content, oats are great for providing your pet with sustained energy throughout the day.
- Protein is a very important part of a bird’s diet. Protein is important for the health of their feathers and for the growth of their muscles. Luckily, oats have a lot of these vitamins and minerals.
- Oats have more lipids, vitamins, and minerals such as B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium than most other grains.
3. Types Of Oats For Feeding Them To Your Birds
Can birds eat steel cut oats?
Steel-cut oats, sometimes called “Irish oats” or “Scottish oats,” are the most processed. Like other types of oats, they are chock full of healthy nutrients. In contrast to rolled and quick oats, they have more fiber.
Your birds will like either raw or cooked steel-cut oats. Throwing it on the ground is a great method to get birds to keep eating the way they normally do. If that’s not enough, try putting some in their feeders. Many bird owners prepare oats for birds by soaking them the night before. You may do so if you enjoy steel-cut oats and would like to share some with your feathered friends.
Can Birds Eat Rolled Oats?
Due to their widespread consumption, rolled oats are called “Ancient oats.” These oats are highly processed versions of steel-cut oats. Steaming, flattening, rolling thin, and drying steel-cut oats results in rolled oats.
As a result, they take significantly less time to prepare than steel-cut oats. Even though both rolled and steel-cut oats are perfectly safe for your birds to consume, you may find that after they’ve tried one or the other, they’ll only eat steel-cut oats.
Can Birds Eat Porridge Oats?
Birds can get the same health benefits from eating porridge oats as humans. These oats include a lot of slow-release carbohydrates, which help them stay going even in the colder months. Yet, a bird may find breathing difficult if the soft, cooked oats stiffen and cake around its beak. As this is the case, you shouldn’t give your birds any cooked oats.
Alternative Bird Breakfast Cereals
Oats aren’t the only breakfast cereal you’d choose, right? This section answers the question of whether or not you can feed your birds a breakfast of something other than their preferred cereal. Cornflakes and bran flakes are two examples of bird-friendly breakfast cereals you may put out in your garden. But there are a few things to bear in mind before you start feeding these grains to your birds:
- You can smash these cereals into smaller, softer treats to make eating them easier for your birds.
- Avoid breakfast cereals that are too sweet or have chocolate. Too much sugar, especially refined sugar, can be bad for their health in the long run, and they shouldn’t eat chocolate because it has caffeine and theobromine in it.
- Don’t give your birds milk-soaked cereals because they can’t handle lactose and could get diarrhea if they eat them.
>> Another related post that you may be interested in:
- Can Cockatiels Eat Oranges? Comprehensive Pet Feeding Guide
- Healthy Pet Bird Diets: Can Parrots Eat Asparagus?
Can birds eat oats? Yes, oats are safe for birds and incredibly beneficial to their health. Providing birds in your yard with uncooked oats is safe if you remember to restrict the quantity. And don’t cook porridge oats because that makes them sticky and could cause them to harden around a bird’s beak.
Combining oatmeal with other bird foods like seeds, grains, and dried fruits can attract more birds to your yard and encourage them to return throughout the summer. Check out other posts on the Canvas Personalized blog to learn how to care for your pet properly!
