What To Feed Birds From The Kitchen? 13 Items For Your Birds

Hey, I am David Rosas. Today I am talking about what to feed birds from the kitchen?

Several reasons may wonder you about what to feed birds. Perhaps you are running out of birdseed and have hungry robins and cardinals in your backyard. And you can’t go to the store right now.

Instead, you may have plenty of birdseed, but you want to offer the birds your kitchen scraps.

From eggshells to meat and hard cheese, your kitchen items will attract backyard birds to aid nature conservation.

Besides that, while seeds are beneficial for birds, kitchen leftovers are also useful to ensure extra energy and nutrition.

To know more about this matter, keep reading the entire article. In this article, we are now going to talk about what to feed birds from the kitchen. In the following, we’ve provided a list of some kitchen scraps, which can attract many backyard birds. Check out the kitchen items below.

• Apples
• Bananas
• Squash Seeds, Melon, and Pumpkin
• Raisins
• Bread and Cereals
• Various Nuts
• Cooked Pasta and Rice
• Eggs and Eggshells
• Cheese
• Peanut Butter
• Peas, Potatoes and Sweet Corn
• Pet Food
• Meat

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What to Feed Birds from the Kitchen

Many birds enjoy eating fruits and vegetables that are provided from the kitchen, such as apples, bananas, peas, sweet corn, potatoes, etc. These fruits can attract many backyard birds like orioles, mockingbirds, catbirds, and sapsuckers.

#Apples

Apples are in the list of items that you can feed birds from your kitchen.

Many birds are the biggest fans of apples, such as pine grosbeak, eastern bluebird, northern flicker, American robin, cedar waxwing, red-bellied woodpecker, and many more.

When you are serving apples to these birds, you need to slice them up and remove the seeds from the apples. Or you can chop them in half and remove the parts of the apples. Then, you again need to fill with sugar water.

#Bananas

When it comes to feeding birds some fruits from your kitchen, a banana can be an excellent option in this case.

Bananas are favorite to the birds like the northern cardinal, gray jay, gray catbird, and scarlet tanager. To serve the birds some bananas, you have to remove the peel and chop them in half lengthwise.

#Squash Seeds, Melon, and Pumpkin

Tufted titmouse, northern cardinal, evening grosbeak, and red-breasted nuthatch are the biggest fans of these unique foods.

When you are serving these items to the birds, you need to roast in the oven first. Toss outside or even better bake in the oven until dry and sprinkle on a platform feeder.

#Raisins

Northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, eastern bluebird, gray catbird, American robin, scarlet tanager, cedar waxwing, and red-headed woodpecker can eat raisins from the kitchen.

When you are willing to provide some raisins to the backyard birds, you need to soak them in warm water so that they can be soft and more comfortable to bite for birds.

#Bread and Cereals

Many birds enjoy plain cereals along with plain cheerios, bran flakes, corn flakes, and toasted oats with fruits and nuts.

To prepare a delicious meal from the kitchen for the backyard birds, you need to crush them with a rolling pin before feeding.

So, birds don’t have any problems swallowing large chunks.

Besides that, whole grain bread is preferable as it has more fiber than ordinary bread. If you give birds some bread, we recommend you not to provide them with more than their capabilities.

#Various Nuts

Peanuts, along with some other nuts like almonds, pecans, and walnuts, are tempting for many backyard birds.

You can offer the birds perfectly crushed nuts or whole nuts to the birds.

Don’t give the birds any nuts with spice flavorings or candy coatings.

Only offer the birds raw or roasted nuts without extra salt or seasonings. Remove spent hulls of nuts to give nuts to the birds at feeders.

#Cooked Pasta and Rice

Cooked pasta and rice are the significant sources of carbohydrates for birds. Some beautiful birds can eat them well, such as blue jay, tufted titmouse, brown thrasher, and red-bellied woodpecker.

When you are serving some cooked pasta or rice to these birds, you have to wash thoroughly to remove any oil or salt and cut it into small pieces.

Keep in mind that you should avoid offering pasta, which is mixed with healthy spices, heavy sauces, or thick cheeses.

#Eggs and Eggshells

Cooked eggs are an essential source of nutrition and can be a popular feeder food for birds.

Also, eggshells have plenty of calcium that female birds need when laying their eggs. It is a quick way for them to renew that calcium. You can save and crush your eggshells, then bake at 250 degrees F for 20 minutes.

It will sterilize them and make them brittle and easy to crumble.

#Cheese

While birds eat lactose, they may suffer stomach upset like a lactose-intolerant individual. But certain cheeses can be very low in lactose, so birds should be all right to have those.

Gray catbird, Carolina wren, and brown thrasher love cheese very much.

You only need to provide them hard cheese into little chunks and be sure there’s no mold, which might be harmful.

#Peanut Butter

Many birds, including white-breasted nuthatch, black-capped chickadee, brown creeper, wood thrush, wrens, and woodpeckers, are the biggest fans of peanut butter.

Cold months are the best to keep the peanut butter firm. In the warm months, it may become melted.

There are several ways to make peanut butter edible for birds. You can hang smaller jars as feeders for birds to have a delicious meal. You also need to smear the food on a tree, fence, or post

#Peas, Potatoes and Sweet Corn

Birds have difficulties digesting many vegetables, but they have skin-removed peas, sweet corn, and potatoes.

Frozen peas, leftover baked potatoes can be offered to backyard birds. You can mix some sunflower seeds with these vegetables for a perfect combination.

#Pet Food

Birds can consume most dog and cat kibble. Not all birds will enjoy these foods, but meat-eating birds like jays may find it very useful. It can also be a good source of nutrition for birds.

Dry dog and cat kibble is the option that makes sure to mix water beforehand. A small amount of pet food can go wrong. So, be careful.

If the pet food is dried, then crush or moisten the food before providing it to the birds.

#Meat

Giving some scrap meats like beef fat trimmings, beef grease drippings, meat bones, or marrow bones can help backyard birds to get necessary protein.

You can also provide the birds some leftover meat when you cannot find any insects.

In this case, you need to place the meat in a bird feeder away from other pets and wildlife.

Frequently Asked Questions

01. What’s the best food for birds in the cold months?

During cold weather, you can save the lives of birds, supplying the best food. Keep food and water regularly for the birds. In terrible weather, you can feed the birds twice a day, once in the morning, and, if possible, once in the early afternoon.

Cake and food bars are suitable for birds as these food items contain high-fat content. You can also offer them some peanuts. Again, you can provide them some birdseed mixed with a high amount of oil. Besides that, kitchen scraps can also be fed, such as fat and suet, cooked potatoes, dried fruits, etc.

02. Can I provide backyard birds some salted peanuts?

The answer is no. Most of the backyard birds cannot digest salt. They will even die if they overeat salt. So, you should avoid offering the backyard birds any food that contains plenty of salt, including salty bacon, salted peanuts, crisps, and chips.

03. During the breeding season, is it okay to feed the birds some peanuts?

Yes, it is okay. During the breeding season, you can put out peanuts for the birds in a mesh feeder. Birds cannot usually take total nuts to choke young birds. Besides that, you need not use nylon mesh bags. Otherwise, these bags can trap the feet of these birds.

Conclusion

When you are feeding your backyard birds, some kitchen scraps can have unique benefits.

Kitchen scraps such as fruits, vegetables, and cheeses are good for birds, especially in the winter months and during migration. These foods can also provide birds with essential nutrients and a more varied diet.

On the other hand, meat and fruits can quickly rot and become sour if they aren’t eaten quickly.

You will have to keep concentrate on these types of foods if you leave them out at the first signs of spoilage.

So, be aware of kitchen items before offering them to the backyard birds.