Bird lovers often wonder what foods are safe to share with their feathered friends. Walnuts are also a food of concern.
The answer is yes; it is safe food for them. The method of feeding may vary from bird to bird. Birds with long and strong beaks can crack open walnuts by themselves, so you need not worry about them.
For small–beak birds, you need to be careful. We will mention the ways to feed them in this article.
Key Points
In this article, we will talk about the following:
1. Pros And Cons Of Feeding Walnut
2. Safe Ways To Feed
Here is the table of contents so you can jump directly to any part of the article you want to read:
Pros And Cons Of Feeding Walnut
It‘s not that walnuts are completely safe for birds, but they also have some harm. Following are its pros and cons:
Pros
Walnuts have many benefits for both humans and birds.
Energy Boost:
Walnuts are naturally filled with fat and calories. These fats provide birds with much–needed energy, especially during cold winters or during migration, when they need extra fuel for long journeys.
Fun:
Just like humans, birds also get tired. If your feathery friend has a long beak, the hard shell of walnuts can offer a fun and challenging way to extract the nut inside, providing them with mental stimulation.
Natural Diet:
As your feathery friend is willing to stay with you, walnuts mimic the natural food sources birds would find in the wild, like acorns and other nuts.
Adding walnuts to their diet can supply them with essential nutrients for their growth, as it is not recommended to feed them walnuts every day.
Variety:
Introducing new nuts and seeds to your feathery bird is no less than a treat for him. It will strengthen their immune system.
Cons
With that much benefits, Walnuts so have some drawbacks:
Hard Shell:
The hard shell of the walnuts is a challenge for your feathery friend. It can also affect their beaks because of the tough skin it have.
Chocking:
Walnuts are large and hard, which can pose a choking hazard to smaller bird species like Bourke‘s parrot. If ingested, these large pieces of walnuts can stop the parrot‘s air passage, leading to death.
Mold Growth:
The most important risk is the mold growth on the nut‘s surface. It happens especially when walnuts are damp or stored improperly. Moldy walnuts can contain toxins harmful to birds, leading to illness or even death if ingested.
The following are safe ways to feed walnuts to birds, which can reduce the risks.
Safe Ways To Feed
As the benefits of walnuts outweigh the damages, feeding them to birds is a good choice. The safety of our feathery friends is the first priority, so we should be careful while feeding walnuts to our feathery friends.
Crushing:
Breaking walnuts into smaller pieces is a good strategy to decrease the choking risk in smaller birds. It will also help birds by reducing their effort to force open it.
Mixing:
Mixing walnuts with other bird‘s daily base diets will help create a balanced diet. However, as walnuts contain many fats and nutrients, feeding them directly to your feathery friend is not a suggestion.
Response
Although this article provides safe methods for feeding your feathery friend, it is important to check their response.
If nothing happens, feed them walnuts occasionally, but if you notice unusual behavior, contact your veterinarian immediately.
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