Can Birds Eat Flax Seeds (Safe or Not?)

Birds usually love to eat seeds whenever they find them. But they do not get attracted to all the seeds. Even some seeds are toxic to the health of birds but can birds eat flax seeds?

The straightforward answer to this question is that birds can eat flax seeds without thinking twice. These seeds are full of healthy nutrition and read to know how you can properly feed flax seeds to your birds.

Table of Contents:

Are Flax Seeds Safe For Birds?

Flax seeds can be used to feed the birds without any worry and are completely safe for birds. Birds like eating healthy seeds and grains, and flax seeds are one of them.

can birds eat flax seeds

Nevertheless, flax seeds contain fats in large amounts, so you should not feed them too much. You find two types of flax seeds. One is golden, and the other is brown.

Still, apart from appearance, there is not much difference in the nutrition they carry, and parrots can eat both.

Every seed contains nutrients like omega-3, fiber, plant protein, vitamin B, and much more making these seeds an ideal snack.

Along with all these nutrients, these seeds are also packed with protective qualities that aid in regulating important fatty acids.

What Birds Eat Sunflower Seeds?

Do Birds Like Flax Seeds?

Yes, just like other seeds, birds also like eating flax seeds. They know very well what is good for them. In the birds’ favorite food list, flax seeds are on the top.

Birds like to eat these seeds because of their yummy flavor. These seeds are shiny brown and flat oval in appearance and are high in oil.

Flax seeds are very soft and also have a yummy taste. You can add them to their diet to give a variety of new flavors. Flax seeds also have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties.

These seeds are perfect for birds as they contain low saturated fats, dietary fiber, healthy polyunsaturated fats, plant protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

As these flax seeds are full of essential nutrients, they provide a high energy level to birds, mainly in the rainy and cold seasons. Can birds eat pumpkin seeds?

Do Wild Birds Eat Flax Seeds?

Flax seeds can be given to wild birds daily, just like humans, but the number of flax seeds should be moderate. Flex seeds carry health benefits for both humans and birds.

Flex seeds add a nutty flavor to the food, which wild birds enjoy a lot. Before feeding flex seeds to wild birds, you should ground them and provide them in small doses.

A bit of a sprinkle of grounded flax seeds on the daily meal of wild birds is considered ideal. Always try to use fresh seeds, and in case of storing them, store them in a non-metallic airtight container.

The addition of flex seeds in wild birds’ diets on a daily basis can ensure that the amounts of nutrients received by wild birds are ideal.

How To Serve Flax Seeds To Birds?

There are different methods that you can use for serving flax seeds to your birds. You can soak flax seeds in almond milk or water, and then you can add some fresh chopped fruits and nuts to it to give a new and good flavor.

The variety of fruit will attract a lot of birds. You can also make its pudding to serve your pet birds.

You have to grind these seeds first because they are covered with a hard shell. Due to this shell, birds face a lot of difficulties during digestion.

Some birds eat shelled flax seeds, but the nutritional value of flax seeds without shells is more than the shelled ones. Ground flax seeds are easy for every bird to digest so you can add grind flax seeds to their food.

Never buy ground flax seeds from the market as they may contain less essential nutrients, fats, and fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6.

That is why you should always grind them by yourself. You can sprinkle these ground flax seeds on your bird’s food and serve them once a day only.

You can also buy soak flax seeds and cook them for an hour. These seeds will become very soft, and birds will eat and digest them.

You can add these soft flax seeds to any of the wet diets of your birds, mix them well, and it is ready for them to eat. Flax seeds contain a high amount of fat, so never overfeed your birds.

If served in a high amount, your bird will start gaining weight, which is not good. So, use a small number of flax seeds either in soaked form or ground form.

Can Baby Birds Eat Flax Seeds?

Flex seeds contain fiber which ensures that the digestive system of your bird is on track.

You can add flax seeds in the form of grounded seeds or flax seeds oil to your baby bird’s diet from 7-8 months to 12 months to keep your parrot safe from choking hazards.

Omega-6 can cause heart disease and clotting in both humans and birds, which makes it harmful.

Benefits Of Feeding Flax seeds To Birds

The quality of flex seeds containing a large number of essential nutrients makes them good for the health of your birds. Flex seeds can be helpful in the treatment of feathers plucking the bird.

Your bird’s feather and skin condition improve, due to which your birds do not feel the urge to pluck their feathers anymore.

Flex seeds are highly recommended if you try to treat the imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Flax seeds are highly recommended to be used in birds’ diets and are liked by parrots too. They are rich in vitamin B and many other minerals.

But flax seeds are also rich in saturated fats, which can cause heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity in birds.

That is why it is suggested to feed a small number of flax seeds to your birds. Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seeds also help reduce cholesterol in birds, and due to this, the risk of heart attack and other heart diseases also decreases. 

Can Birds Eat Raw Flax Seeds?

It is highly recommended that you should never use raw flax seeds to feed your birds, as raw seeds may contain toxins and cause indigestion.

These are toxins and can be hazardous if taken in large quantities. To remove these toxins, you can toast, cook, or bake the flex seeds.

Final Words

As we know, birds do like to eat seeds of various kinds. You may have seen birds eating chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and other kinds of seeds. But many of the readers asked about can birds eat flax seeds or not.

Birds usually enjoy flax seeds, and we have discussed a brief post on how you can feed birds flax seeds properly that will help you feed your birds carefully.

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