Rachel Forrest is a food and drink writer and cookbook author living in Oxmul Kah, Belize with her husband, Jim, three dogs, a cat and a parrot. She is the co-author of Maine Classics: 150 Delicious Recipes from Downeast and is a Content Strategist for Gannett and Contributing Editor at Eat Drink Lucky.
Quinoa is great for parrots because its high in calcium, protein and phosphorous. They can eat it raw, sprouted and cooked. We use corn and carrots but you can really use whatever veggies your parrot loves.
1. Boil 473 ml (2 cups) of water and add quinoa. Cook for 10 minutes, then add vegetables, dried fruit and cinnamon stick.
2. Cook another 5 minutes or until the quinoa is clearish and has a tiny tail sprouting from it. You may have to add a little more water if it gets too dry too quickly. Remove cinnamon stick, let cool and serve.
Rachel Forrest is a freelance features journalist living in Belize. She is co-author of Maine Classics: 150 Delicious Recipes from Downeast with James Beard Award winning chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier and Contributing Editor at Eat Drink Lucky. Check-in to www.rachel-forrest.com for updates and news about some exciting upcoming projects, including This Belizean Life, a compilation of stories, audio and video about the wonderful people living in or near Oxmul Kah.
Can Wild Birds, Garden Birds, and Baby Birds Take Quinoa?
Absolutely, quinoa is suitable for all kinds of birds, including backyard birds that visit your feeder and pets. But as was previously indicated, the quinoa must first be soaked.
For young birds, quinoa seeds may not be the best option because their digestive systems are still developing. For them, it works best if the quinoa is cooked for a while and then slightly mashed.
Most baby birds eat regurgitated food, so always avoid giving them hard grains. Heres a video showing budgies (parakeets) feeding on quinoa and giving it to their babies as well. https://youtu.be/P112SCjf76Q
How to Prepare Quinoa for Birds?
Quinoa can be prepared in several ways. You can feed it raw (after soaking it in cold water), cooked, or sprouted to your birds.
Cooking quinoa is one of the best options. It does not take much time and effort.
The first step should be to wash it thoroughly. Cooking quinoa in boiling water takes very little time, so we recommend doing so, especially if you plan to feed it to chicks.
Keep it in boiling water for 10-12 minutes. The grains will eventually become smaller and lose their hardness. After cooking, leave it open for a while to allow it to cool.
After that, you can mix in more seeds, corn, eggs, vegetables, and other nutrients to the quinoa.
Sprouting helps increase the nutritional level of quinoa. You need to start off by washing the quinoa and then putting them in a bowl full of cold water.
After letting them soak for about an hour, remove the water. Continue to lift the quinoa every few hours and allow it to rest for a full day. The sprouts should come out in that much time.
Quinoa flakes are available at supermarkets or other health food stores. These pressed grains are made without any processing and are made into flakes.
You can either serve them right away or give them a 10- to 12-minute boil in water to soften them a little.
What Type and Color of Quinoa Are Best for Birds?
Try looking around for quinoa in the market; you’ll find it in a variety of colors, such as orange, red, black, purple, and green.
Out of these, the maximum nutrition resides in the red variety of quinoa. Even though all varieties of quinoa have similar nutrition, red quinoa has more flavonoids, which we had explained earlier. However, almost any variety of quinoa has a lot of nutrition to offer.
FAQ
Will wild birds eat cooked quinoa?
How do you give quinoa to birds?
Can parrots eat cooked quinoa?
Can birds have white quinoa?