In a quest to find inexpensive but nutritious meal options for birds, both wild or pets, a question commonly asked is can birds eat egg(s)? The answer to this is yes, birds can eat egg.
It may seem counter-intuitive to feed egg to a bird because birds lay eggs to give birth to their young, but it is not. Eggs can be a healthy addition to your bird’s diet.
Birds eat the eggs of other species. An egg-eating bird is completely natural. You can often observe birds eating eggs in the wild
This low-cost food option has no carbohydrates and no sugar. This means that your bird will be enjoying a snack that is high in protein.
How Do I Prepare Egg for Birds to Eat?
Eggs are easy to prepare for your bird to eat because birds can eat eggs raw. Birds will eat all 3 parts of the egg: the shell, the yolk and the whites.
This makes it an economical food option with little to no waste.
Eggshells are high in calcium so many bird owners like to see their birds consuming the shells. Did you know you can even purchase just the shells to feed to your bird? It’s true.
You can buy cleaned and crushed eggshells in a package.
In addition to eating eggs, raw birds can enjoy eggs that have been hard-boiled and scrambled. If your pet bird has never lived in the wild and has been completely domesticated you may want to consider introducing egg into their diet slowly.
If your bird has never eaten eggs before they may have trouble digesting them. It is recommended to hard boil an egg for a bird that has never tried them before. Hard boiling an egg helps soften an egg and makes it more compatible with the rest of your feathered friend’s familiar diet.
The boiling process breaks down the hard proteins that your bird’s body may have trouble processing.
Scrambled eggs are another option that birds can enjoy. They introduce a new texture to your bird’s diet while helping him/her get used to eating eggs. When preparing scrambled eggs for your bird to eat it is important that you do not cook them in oil.
While birds can consume a little bit of oil in their diet it is not something people recommend for birds to eat.
Is Egg Good For Birds?
The egg remains a very nutritious option for birds to eat. They are good for birds to eat in moderation. Birds need a varied diet and egg can be a part of that diet; however, it should not be the bulk of it.
Eggs are a good source of protein and other nutrients. Chicken eggs are typically fed to birds. The protein content of these eggs is 12%. Proteins distribute amino acids to the brain. Some of these amino acids are neurotransmitters.
These neurotransmitters relay messages quickly to the brain. In addition, to help make sure signals are transmitted to the brain protein helps improve other bodily function and aids in energy production.
Amino acids are not found naturally in a bird’s body. They receive amino acids through their food. That is why adding an egg to a bird’s diet can be very beneficial.
Present in egg yolks is choline. People call choline brain food. Choline works to speed up brain function. That is to say, choline makes the signals sent to your bird’s brain function faster.
Another function that choline influences are liver function. Choline helps distribute nutrients properly throughout your bird’s body. This serves to keep your bird healthy.
Calcium provides health benefits to birds. As previously mentioned eggshells contain high levels of calcium, This mineral helps maintain a bird’s skeletal system. This allows a bird’s muscular and nervous systems to work efficiently.
Moreover, birds need calcium to clot their blood. Without calcium, even a small injury will cause a bird to bleed out.
In the wild calcium is hard for birds to find. Female birds that wish to be mothers need calcium. Calcium will give strength to the shells of the eggs she lays.
So a female bird usually seeks out eggshells from other animals to make their own eggs strong.