Can birds eat eggs? Seems weird but I've seen it suggested
Saw a post in a Facebook group saying cooked eggs are a great protein source for parrots. This seems bizarre to me — am I wrong? Is it actually healthy to feed birds eggs?
Not weird at all — cooked egg is actually one of the most nutritionally complete foods you can offer a parrot! Here's the breakdown:
Safe ways to serve egg:
- Hard boiled (cool completely before offering)
- Scrambled with NO butter, salt, or seasoning
- You can include the cooked shell for calcium (crush it in)
Why it's great:
- Complete protein with all essential amino acids
- Healthy fats, Vitamin D, B12, riboflavin
- Great for moulting birds who need extra protein
How much: A small portion (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon depending on bird size) 2–3 times per week is plenty. It's rich, so don't overdo it.
Raw egg: Skip it — risk of Salmonella and biotin deficiency from raw egg white.
Your Facebook source was right! It's one of those things that sounds odd until you realize birds aren't actually vegetarians in the wild.
It sounds weird but yes, cooked egg is genuinely one of the best protein sources for parrots! Hard boiled, scrambled without butter or salt — totally fine and most birds love it.
Completely normal! In the wild, some parrots eat eggs opportunistically. Hard boiled egg with the shell crushed in (calcium!) is a staple in many rescue birds' diets.
This!! So much this. Saving this post to show my partner.
Totally agree with this! My sun conure is exactly the same way.
Love that you're taking this info home to share! It's definitely one of those facts that sounds wild at first, but makes total sense once you see a parrot enthusiastically dig
What worked for me was switching to stainless steel water bowls and changing water twice daily. Took about a week but my sun conure responded really well to it.
My Jasper read this post over my shoulder and started nodding. I'm only slightly concerned.