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Can Birds Eat Chia Seeds? (And Should They?)

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Chia seeds are a nutritious and delicious treat for your backyard feathered friends–and this superfood is packed with antioxidants (even more than blueberries). Here’s everything you need to know about serving chia seeds to birds at your bird feeder, including which birds like chia seeds the most!

Can birds eat chia seeds--and should they?

What are Chia Seeds?

You may already be adding chia seeds to your own salads or smoothies because these unprocessed seeds have many health benefits for humans. Chia is the ancient Mayan word for “strength” so that’s a clue to the powerful punch these little seeds supply!

Or you may know chia from the unforgettable Chia Pet, a gift items sold everywhere (and just writing about this plants the seed of that “ch-ch-ch-chia” song in our minds!)

Chia seeds come from the Salvia hispanica plant grown in Mexico and now commercially in many other countries.

Are They Good for Birds?

Chia seeds are a type of superfood packed with protein for birds as well as omega-3 fatty acids. The nutritional analysis for chia seeds is very impressive – they are high in protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids. This makes them an excellent additive to bird seed you are already feeding.

One ounce or about two tablespoons contains:

  • 139 calories
  • 4 grams protein
  • 9 grams fat
  • 12 grams carbohydrates
  • 11 grams of fiber
  • other vitamins and minerals including calcium

Which Birds Like Chia Seeds?

Like many seeds, some birds like them and some will pass on them. As with introducing any new food, you can just add a bit to a birdseed mixture that your birds are already enjoying and see if they start to accept this new food.

A few of the birds that enjoy chia seeds include seed eaters:

  • Cardinals
  • Finchs
  • Chickadees
  • Grosbeaks
  • Mockingbirds
  • Towhees
  • Nuthatches
  • Woodpeckers

What’s the Best Way to Feed Chia Seed to Wild Birds?

Unlike raw pumpkin seeds, you don’t need to do anything to chia seeds to make them ready to feed the birds–they’re ready to serve!

You can:

  • Sprinkle them in with your bird seed mix
  • Add them to a homemade suet recipe

Chia seeds are cost-prohibitive to feed alone–and you wouldn’t want to do that anyway. Like most things, chia is best served in moderation.

Storing Chia Seeds

One thing to keep in mind is that chia seeds can go bad. They have a long shelf life over a couple of years, and you can even feed “expired” seeds to birds if you find some in your pantry. However, you’ll first want to check and make sure they haven’t gone bad.

How can you tell if chia seeds are bad? Chia seeds should have a mild nutty taste. If they don’t, they may be rancid and should not be fed to birds.

Give them the sniff test as well. If they have a chemical scent or smell vaguely of fingernail polish remover, they are rancid and should go to the trash.

Also look for any signs of mold or bug infestation that might indicate the seeds have gone bad and should be trashed.

Chia seeds are a great way to add some extra nutrition to your bird seed mixture and help the birds thrive. Bon appetit!

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Can Wild Birds Eat Chia Seeds?
Paris Permenter and John Bigley
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