One thing that almost all of us will have in our fridge at home is cheese. It tastes great and is present in so many homes but can birds eat cheese and is it safe for them?
The answer is yes, birds can eat cheese! Unlike many human foods, cheese does not have a high sugar content which is harmful to birds making cheese completely safe for birds.
You can serve it to your pet birds or can even leave the leftover cheese from last night’s dinner and place it in the garden for wild birds to have.
Are all types of cheese safe for birds?
Birds can have most types of fermented dairy products as they have low lactose content. Fermentation can reduce the amount of lactose in dairy products.
Though lactose is not considered toxic it can cause digestion problems for birds. In severe cases, it might lead to vomiting and diarrhoea.
Most cheese varieties are free of lactose and if any, it is present in very limited quantity. This makes most types of cheese safe for birds to consume.
Like humans have a preference towards different types of cheese, birds also have their preferences when it comes to cheese. Mild cheese is what birds love the most.
Cheddar is the most popular variety of cheese that all birds love. You are assured to get a guaranteed bite when serving your bird with Cheddar Cheese.
You should generally avoid giving soft cheese as they are messy and might cause issues with their feathers. Also, do not give them spreadable cheese.
How Do I Give Cheese to Birds?
Harder cheese varieties are loved by birds over softer ones. Serving them with a big block of cheese would not be a great idea. You should ideally break it into smaller blocks.
Do not place the cheese on the hanging feeders as it might contaminate the cheese. Instead, place the cheese on a flat surface. You can use a small wooden bird table or throw it on the lawn.
The best way would be to grate the cheese and serve it to the birds. Grate it using the smallest holes in the grater. This will make it easy for the birds to eat the cheese when you feed them.
Which Birds Like Cheese the Most?
Birds like to store fat as it keeps them going throughout the day and even helps them in the night. Cheese has a high-fat content and this is the reason why most birds love cheese.
Many types of British bird love to have cheese like Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens and Sparrows. Most birds that visit your garden will more than likely eat cheese.
Cheddar cheese is the usual one that you should start with. However, you can try giving different varieties of cheese to check which one your bird likes the most.