How safe is it to share your Thanksgiving feast with your bird?
Some birds really enjoy sharing a meal or favorite food with their human companion. Other times the human may need to demonstrate a food is awesome by example of pretending to eat before their bird will even consider taking a taste. We humans are part of a bird's flock and sharing is caring you know. However, not all food that we humans enjoy, is necessarily healthy or a good choice to share with our birds. During our Thanksgiving holiday feasting however there are quite a few healthy foods that can be shared with our feathered flock before the foods transform into a holiday dish for the humans.
Pumpkin is a great food for birds. Nutritional and yummy, but best served to your bird before it goes into that pumpkin pie with all the added sugar.
Sweet potatoes are an awesome food to share with your bird. Some birds like raw slices or small chunks of sweet potato and some prefer slightly cooked and softer. Although white potatoes should not be fed raw, you can feed sweet potatoes raw if your bird likes them that way. Again, give them to your bird before adding the extra sugar of most sweet potato casseroles.
Green beans are fun and good eating for your bird and are loaded with Vitamin A. Most of us use frozen green beans these days and that is just fine for your bird. Can beans, not so much, as they will need to be rinsed well and they usually spoil quickly so if that's all you have, make sure you remove them from your bird's menu within about an hour of feeding.
Cranberries are another great food to share with your bird, but not the canned cranberry jelled dish with sugar or sugar substitutes.
How about some pecans too? Pecans are full of nutrition but higher in calories than some other nuts, so feed sparingly as a treat, and before they go into the pecan pies.
Speaking of Nuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and so on, are usually available this time of year and are entertaining, nutritious, and fun to play with if you are a bird, so bring on the nuts.
I know some are wondering "What about some Turkey?" Well, your bird may like a very small taste, but it's not necessary and should only be given within safe time limits for all cooked meats. And no, your bird is not a cannibal. If you are a human and you like hamburgers, well what's the difference?
IMPORTANT REMINDER!
Teflon ( PTFE poisoning/toxicosis) kills birds silently and quickly. Do not use cookware that contains this non-stick coating, and remember if you need to clean your self-cleaning oven (almost all self-cleaning ovens contain PTFE) after the holiday, remove your bird from the home for at least 24 hours.
Even the gases from cooking bags, crock pot liners, non-stick aluminum foil, and some air fryers can also kill your bird within minutes if they contain Teflon, PTOA, or PTFE.
Holiday cooking can be a challenge to us humans to keep our birds safe, but we are up for the challenge! Have a wonderful safe Happy Thanksgiving!
