Being a pet owner, especially a bird pet owner means thinking of your lovely little pet whenever you come across anything. Perhaps that should be written in the book ‘perks of being a pet parent’, considering such a book exists. Either way, we are sure that is what brought you to this read as well. The sheer curiosity and excitement of having to share something with your birdie are beyond incredible…but only if your food of choice is safe for them. In any circumstance other than that, it can be quite detrimental.
Having said that, let us see if chia seeds are included in the list of the many foods that are beneficial for your tiny bird’s best friend. All you need to do is stick around until the end to find answers to questions going around your head and a lot more.
What Is The Ideal Diet Of A Quail?
Quails aren’t picky eaters in the very least. They will eat almost anything that you feed them or they come across themselves, which might not always be a good thing. Trust us when we say, they aren’t even close to being the better judge for themselves as far as deciding what they should eat comes. And that is where you enter the story of your quail! You need to step up and make dietary decisions for it, instead. Every move that you take can be a source of discomfort or joy for the bird, we’re aware of the fragility of birds after all.
We know how arduous it can be to come up with a list of particular foods or figure out what is the most beneficial for your pet but fret not, we have prepared a quick overview for you to go through regarding the hungry little fellow’s ideal diet.
By nature, quails are omnivores. They enjoy and gain the most benefit from seeds, plant-based foods, and lastly, insects. Your bird will enjoy relishing insects the most and second to that, seeds. Fortunately, both of these are also a source of huge nourishment for the quail, and therefore, those are what its primary diet should be.
Ideally, a huge chunk of your diet should be made up of different varieties of seeds that your quail enjoys munching on. Commonly, they are the fondest of millet, cracked corn. Moreover, make sure that your birdie has a healthy intake of nuts, vegetables, and selective insects as well. Other than these, a healthy quail should also have access to healthful and nourishing treats, for example, birds enjoy eating fruits as snacks too. At the same time, be mindful of the fact that a baby quail should ideally not be fed treats, etc in excess. The best alternative is to strictly adhere to a basic quail diet. However, if you are parenting a grown quail, just ensure its health safety and benefits, if all is good, nothing is stopping you any longer!
Can Quails Eat Chia Seeds?
Can you feel the aura of good news surrounding you? We hope you can because we’re going to deliver you some. Yes! Your quail can eat chia seeds and there’s nothing that you need to worry about. As we mentioned above, a huge part of your bird’s diet is already supposed to be seeds and other vegetables, chia seeds are no exception. The bite-sized delight is considered to be quite wholesome for any sort of bird, with the inclusion of quails.
In addition to this, there are particularly two types of chia seeds; white and black, and as far as preference is concerned, black chia seeds are liked by birds comparatively more.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Chia Seeds For Birds?
Needless to say, chia seeds are a complete package of nutrients and supplements that your bird could ask for and need. To illustrate this picture better, let us get down to see what these benefits truly are.
First and foremost, chia seeds are highly rich in protein content, which is one of the many bodily requirements of a bird. A sufficient intake of the supplement will allow your bird to live every day up to its true potential along with its fellow birds and not have to compromise on any of its day-to-day activities because of deficiencies. In addition to this, proteins are also a necessity for the breakdown of essential amino acids and increasing the process of metabolism. Having put this out there, you know what to serve your bird the next time you think it is protein deficient.
As if that wasn’t already enough, chia seeds are high in fiber as well. And like humans, birds too credit a significant amount of healthy body working to fiber. Primarily, fiber is known for aiding the process of digestion and stimulating intestinal movement. But aside from this, to an extent, fiber ensures healthy heart function and plays an active role in cutting down inflammation.
Lastly, chia seeds also provide your beloved quail with the following;
- Healthy fats
- Antioxidants
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- manganese etc.
As you would’ve thought, chia seeds are just as qualified in the vitamins department as well. They contain vitamins such as;
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
- Thiamin
- Niacin
- B complex vitamins
Can Baby Quails Eat Chia Seeds?
As we discussed above, admitted that they are quite wholesome, chia seeds might still not be balanced for a quail that hasn’t yet grown and developed properly. In its developmental stage, it is preferred to only feed your birdie the diet that is most nutritious for it as well as basic. During this particular stage, pet parents are inclined towards feeding their quail’s specialized bird/quail food. Despite all of this, if you still want to let your bird feeder on a few chia seeds, make sure that you stick to only serving it 10%, as a treat.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as we enjoyed writing this. Don’t forget to share this with other quail pet parents you may know of.