Oats provide wild birds with an energy-packed source of sustenance. Oats should only ever be offered raw or cooked; serving dry will lead to hardened particles hardening around their beak and potentially becoming harmful to their health.
Porridge oats can be offered to wild birds as an individual feed item or mixed in with seeds and fat balls for fatball feedings, although as with all foods they should only account for a portion of their diet.
Contents
Benefits
Oats make an ideal food source for wild birds as they contain slow-releasing carbohydrates that provide them with energy for warmth during winter. Oats provide slow release carbs to give birds energy they need when using up fat reserves to stay warm.
Oatmeal can be fed directly to birds or mixed into a feeder with other seeds and grains for a complete diet of seeds and grains, including commercially available mixes. When giving oatmeal to birds it is essential that water be close at hand as this could dehydrate them quickly.
Oats can be fed to wild birds at any time of year as long as it is offered in moderation and part of a balanced diet. Feeding birds oats regularly will provide essential nutrition that will aid their nesting and migration processes, drawing more species into your garden through regular visits from birds hungry for sustenance.
Feeding tips
Oats provide an ideal source of nutrition for many species when left raw, including birds that primarily consume grains and seeds (granivorous birds), making them the ideal addition to a backyard bird feed mix. Oats may also benefit insectivorous and water/shorebird species as a supplement to their natural diet of aquatic organisms and insects.
Oats can be fed as either a standalone treat, or mixed in with other bird feed ingredients such as fruits, seeds and nuts. However, it should be remembered that cooked porridge oats may turn glutinous when heated too quickly in a microwave – which could prove hazardous for their wellbeing.
Limit the amount of oats you offer at once so birds do not overindulge in them, and ensure a steady source of water for birds to drink simultaneously with their food – this will prevent dehydration while encouraging more birds to come visit your feeder!
Preparation
Oats are an excellent food source for birds, offering fiber, fats, protein and vitamins in one complete package. But to provide raw oats as fed to wild birds in order to ensure they get all of the nutritional value available – cooked ones may harden over time and make it hard for birds to open their beaks; just think back on all those times you washed your porridge once it set… this can become especially problematic during colder winter months when energy reserves must be sustained to survive!
When offering oats to birds as part of your feeding station, it’s a good idea to mix it with various seeds and grains so they get an appropriate diet. Peanut butter provides additional energy-boosting power for small birds that work hard collecting the oats with their beaks.
Storage
Raw porridge oats provide healthy food options for wild birds whether placed directly onto the ground or placed into bird feeders. Just beware not to overcook the oats as doing so makes them glutinous and could clog up their beaks!
Serving oats on their own, mixed with other seeds or in fat balls provides birds with variety in their diet. Moldy oats should never be fed to birds as this may pose serious health concerns for their wellbeing.
An abundance of nutrition will ensure your backyard visitors remain strong and fit through winter. Porridge oats is especially helpful, particularly for small garden birds who may not have access to other sources in cold conditions. Furthermore, make sure there is water available so they do not dehydrate as this will protect their bodies against dehydration.
