Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Other animals

Wondering what to feed baby birds? Here are 5 things you should never offer them

Don't add these foods to your baby bird's meal plan

Rebekkah Adams
By

Even though baby birds look like little dinosaurs, they aren’t quite as tough. Since they’re not actually velociraptors, you can’t throw just anything down their gullets. Chicks have very specific food needs that will change as they age and also vary from species to species. While it can be tricky to manage your brand-new birdie’s diet, we’re here to tell you what to feed a baby bird. When choosing your avian’s menu, avoid these five foods that may harm the little critter.

Hatchlings in a nest begs for food
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What can you feed a baby bird?

In the wild, newborn birds eat basically what their mamas and papas do, only all chewed up. You probably shouldn’t go through the regurgitation process, but you’ll replicate this type of feeding in your home without the ick factor. The tiniest of birds eat formula when they live away from their parents. In addition to being their favorite food (well, actually their only food), this will help you bond with your pet.

Recommended Videos

Hand-raised birds grow up much tamer than their companions who were held less as infants. Eventually, they’ll graduate to solid food such as egg, fruit, or even cat and dog food. (Yup, you read that right.) That means the pets in your household might all eat the same thing, though for a bird, you’ll need to moisten the kibble and break it into smaller pieces.

Hand holds a fledgling baby bird in their hand
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What not to feed a baby bird

You should avoid feeding baby birds these five things:

Related

Water

Of course, your first instinct is to give your bird water, especially if he’s been in transit or struggling on his own. But don’t do it! You may actually harm a young bird as little chicks aspirate water. These animals have wide mouths, quite different from ours, that can accidentally suck in liquid. In fact, mind that the formula you feed him thickens to an oatmeal-like consistency, as thin food will have the same effect. Aspirating a small amount will lead to issues like pneumonia, and a large amount can actually cause your baby to suffocate.

Bread

Our go-to for throwing at ducklings actually doesn’t benefit them. A tiny bit of bread in an older bird won’t really hurt, but a baby doesn’t yet have the digestive system to break this down. Plus, bread doesn’t have much in the way of nutrients. Just like us, these warblers fill up on bread quickly without taking in any of the vitamins and minerals they need to survive. If you fed a bird only bread, even though he felt full, eventually he would starve. That’s because birds need proteins and fats just like we do, and bread provides scant amounts of those things (empty calories, we might call it).

Salt

We expect you weren’t reaching for the shaker to give your bird food a little seasoning, but you still need to pay close attention to his salt intake. Remember, this mineral exists basically everywhere, even in things you wouldn’t think of and on foods you probably do plan to give to your bird. If you get caught unawares and find yourself caring for a fledgling, stay away from those delicious sunflower seeds in your pantry or any salty snacks like chips or croutons. Our feathered friends, especially when they haven’t fully grown, are prone to dehydration, and these snacks can upend that balance.

Bird being cupped in hands
Image used with permission by copyright holder

People food

Don’t raid your kitchen for scraps to feed to your foundling. The foods you love will make your little birdie sick, and even ones that don’t (like bread) won’t help with actual dietary needs. A few foods even prove toxic to our winged companions, such as chocolate. Just like with dogs, you can’t give this desserty snack as a treat because it contains theobromine. Keep all these harmful edibles out of the bird zone (and keep in mind a high shelf won’t do it if he’s allowed out to fly).

Milk

Birds aren’t mammals. They were never designed to drink milk, and baby birds don’t get it naturally from their parents. Mom and Dad do feed their offspring something called crop milk. While it contains a lot of fat and protein, it’s not all that similar to the milk we get from a cow or a puppy gets from his mama. Also, only very young birds drink crop milk, so it may not be suitable even if you could find it.

Adopting or finding a baby bird means taking on the huge task of parenting. Young nestlings eat three to four times per hour for about half the day. That means you will need to be at the syringe 36 to 48 times in a 24-hour period. If you bring home a little pet, make sure he can safely leave his parents before agreeing to take him. In the wild, you should never remove a bird from a nest, even if you don’t see anyone caring for him. His mom has to feed him all day, too, and she’s probably out getting his next meal. Don’t believe the myth that birds shouldn’t be replaced into their homes — it’s fine to pop him back in if he’s fallen out. Take a little guy home only if you are certain that there are no other options, and call your local animal rescue for more info.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Rebekkah Adams
Rebekkah Adams
Contributor
Rebekkah’s been a writer and editor for more than 10 years, both in print and digital. In addition to writing about pets…
Determined to raise backyard chickens? 6 essential things to do before you set up your coop
Three chickens eat while outside in their backyard

Urban chicken coops are trendy and rightfully so. With a group of hens you get fun pets plus eggs — how often does the family dog contribute after all? But you can't dive in on every Instagram trend, and this one, in particular, requires a pretty big upfront commitment mixed with a reasonable amount of upkeep, especially for beginners who have never owned so much as a parakeet. Just because it seems like a lot to handle, that doesn't mean you aren't cut out for poultry farming; many find it fun and rewarding. Before jumping into backyard chickens, think through these six things and determine if a flock of birds is really the right fit for you.

Look up local laws
Even if you see chickens roaming nearby, you'll want to thoroughly check up on the laws of your area, as well as any HOA regulations. You'd be surprised how many very specific rules might apply to setting up your little farm. Think about the coop itself, the rules for owning fowl, and the noise ordinances. Specifically, if you intend to have a rooster heading up your group as they can crow at decibels you wouldn't imagine and at hours you don't usually see.
Find your perfect spot
Next, scope out your yard and start planning. You need a large space for the coop itself (more on that in a minute) but that's not the whole picture. Since you started with a relatively small space to begin with (remember chickens often roam over many acres in a more rural habitat), you want both an indoor structure and an outdoor run. Altogether, you might need a sizable portion of the yard to accommodate them. If you plan to add other birds like ducks, you must calculate too where the pool will go and how they will access it.
Design your urban chicken coop
There are probably a few laws governing how big this can be, and you might need to apply for a permit, so you'll spend a decent amount of time in the design phase. Decide if you want to buy something pre-made or build a structure that perfectly fits into your yard. Either way, you should allocate about three square feet per chicken, so your building will get big quick, even if you want to start small. And that's just indoors. They need to be able to come out sometimes but still stay safely nearby.
Research breeds
Think all chickens are the same? Think again. Get ready to narrow it down from the 500 chicken breeds out there. The local climate will slim that as well as the available space, but you still have a bit of your own studying to do. And it's not just breed, you can impact what types of eggs you get based on what chicks you get (along with the food and environment).

Read more
Myth or fact: throwing uncooked rice will hurt birds (you might guess wrong)
Sparrows eat rice out of a man's hand

Everyone knows of a few things that pets can't eat: cats and lilies, dogs and chocolate, birds and rice. Or wait, is that actually a problem? Is rice bad for birds? While you may have been to a wedding where the classic tradition was replaced with a bag of Feathered Friend, that might in fact not be necessary. After all, our happy singers eat other seeds and grains with no problems all the time. So can birds eat rice and how would you feed it to them? Here's what you need to know about offering a snack to your little birds.

Can birds eat uncooked rice?
The myth goes that you can't feed birds uncooked rice because it will absorb all the water in their stomachs and kill them. Depending on who you heard it from, you may even get the version where it causes them to explode by cooking inside their stomachs. One minute, they're eating a grain of white rice and the next it has blown up to many times its size and taking the bird with it. It sounds a little out there, and it should give you pause cause it's not true. Remember that when you make rice on the stove you boil it at 212 degrees; if a bird's stomach was that hot, it would have much bigger problems. Plus, keep in mind that seeds and other grains like corn and grasses are all bird food. In the wild, many birds eat rice as well and they certainly don't blow up because of it. 
Can birds eat cooked rice?
Yup, just as with uncooked rice, cooked rice is also fine for our backyard visitors. Some species like pigeons and doves will enjoy it a lot and it works well for them in winter especially (when they want easy-access, filling food). It doesn't really matter what type you go for as birds won't notice the difference between short vs long grain. The one thing you need to consider closely is that the meal should be totally unseasoned. That means no salt or other spices, not even herbs. Lastly, don't give the birds warm food since you won't want them eating something fresh out of the pot, but otherwise, they'll certainly enjoy sharing your meal when you have stir fry for dinner. 

Read more
You caved and bought baby chicks. Now what?
Two chicks sit in the grass

Spring brings out the pet parent instinct in all of us — we see so many baby bunnies and chicks that it's natural to want to add one to the family. However, we recommend that potential pet parents think carefully before bringing home any new animal. Everyone in the household needs to be sure it's a good fit, including other creatures already living there. But if you truly couldn't help yourself and impulsively adopted a baby chicken or two, we're here to help you figure out how to care for them successfully.

How do I take care of chicks?
First, you need a pen and then a coop to keep the chicks in. You can buy a coop, or you can build one if you're handy. Make sure it's sturdy, warm (more on that in a minute), and protected from predators. We all know what happens when a fox gets into the chicken coop, and just the stress of dogs or cats could harm little chicks. Flooding when it rains can also cause problems, so you'll notice that most coops are elevated off the ground to keep out excess water as well as local predators.

Read more