Grits are a well-loved breakfast meal, whether you like them sweet or savoury this breakfast dish is a fan favourite. This gritty textured food is rich in iron as well as b vitamins which will be a great benefit to your health. If you’re considering giving your birds grits or giving your bids uncooked grits then this article will help you figure out if that’s is a good idea.

Birds can definitely eat uncooked grits, this food is packed with various minerals and nutrients that will positively affect the bird’s health. This thick maize porridge can be served to birds uncooked or cooked as you would eat them

Can birds eat uncooked grits?

Birds do not have teeth like humans, so they swallow food without first crushing it. This can be a problem for herbivore and omnivore birds that eat a lot of seeds and nuts. Grits come in handy here as it helps them grind up difficult to digest food.

You might be wondering if your pet bird can eat uncooked grits. Well, the answer is yes. If you don’t have the time or patience to prepare the grits you purchased from a nearby pet store, you can offer them to your bird raw. In other words, uncooked or cooked, grits are safe for birds.

Grits offer the bird a number of vitamins and minerals which will boost their health. Grits deliver calcium, vitamin e, pantothenic acid, iron, potassium and b vitamins such as folate and thiamine. Your birds will get these vitamins and minerals whether you feed them cooked or uncooked gits.

Can birds eat cooked grits?

Yes, birds can eat cooked grits. To make this tasty meal for your feathered friend, you should:

• Pour the grits into boiling water. As soon as the water and grits start to boil, you can lower the stove’s heat
• You should then allow the grits to cook well in the boiling water for an hour tops.
• After an hour passes, turn off the stove and remove the cooked grits from the pot. Don’t serve it to your bird while it’s still hot. You should wait till it cools so it doesn’t hurt your feathered friend in the mouth or throat.

Note: don’t add milk, butter, or salt to cooked grits, as they could be very unhealthy for birds.

Can birds eat instant grits?

Yes, birds can eat instant grits. Instant grits are the pre-cooked grits you buy from stores. Unlike other kinds of grits, instant grits lack flavour which is great for birds. Feeding your bird grits that are cooked yet still have an unflavored taste is perfectly fine. If you’ve got no time to cook the grits you purchased, it’s ok to serve them to your feathered friend uncooked.

How to serve birds grits

You can serve birds grits in their cooked or raw form. Always remember that the cooked grits you intend to serve your pet bird should not contain milk, salt, or butter. If you feel like water alone would make the meal boring for your bird, you can spice it up with little amounts of olive oil.

When serving grits to your pet bird, it should not be placed on the floor of the bird’s cage, as it might get contaminated with droppings. Experts also advise that you offer this meal to birds in minimal quantities to prevent them from overfeeding on it.

What other grains can you feed birds?

Most birds eat a lot of grains. If you’d like to start feeding the birds that visit your garden, here’s a list of all the safe grains you can offer to them:

• Quinoa
• Wheat
• Spelt
• Groats
• Amaranth
• Barley
• Wholegrain rice
• Kamut
• Oats
• Teff
• Maize
• Brown rice

Conclusion

In conclusion, yes birds can eat uncooked gits, they can eat cooked grits as well. This food is packed with a number of vitamins and minerals which the bird will benefit from. Just make sure you don’t add any seasonings to the grits when feeding them to birds.

You can also feed the bird instant grits as these are simply dried cooked grits. If you need to, you can also feed your birds other grains such as oats, brown rice,  wholegrain rice and quinoa to name a few.

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: can birds see infrared, how to relocate a birds nest with babies, can birds eat grits, what to do with unhatched eggs,