There is absolutely nothing I love more than sitting down to my roast on a Sunday (or Monday which is usually the case in our household!) and having those great big Yorkshire puddings staring at me and then all of a sudden I can feel two teeny eyes looking at me expecting me to share them.
I often wonder if I should be feeding my animals these things and what would happen if I just let them have a little try.
In my dog’s case, he will now only eat human food so that was a mistake!
When you’re feeding your parrot they are so naturally inquisitive that they want to try new foods and want to have the same as you… and when they’re staring at you with those beautiful beady eyes, how can you say no!?
So the real question is, can parrots eat Yorkshire puddings? Can you share your wonderful Sunday dinner satisfaction with your feathered friend? The answer is yes as long as it is in moderation, but it is not recommended.
There is no ‘yes or no’ answer to this I’m afraid as it’s more about the actual ingredients themselves.
It is not recommended that parrots eat Yorkshire puddings as they are very high in fat and this is not suitable for birds.
This being said, it is completely your choice if you give your parrot Yorkshire puddings.
How often should you feed Yorkshire puddings to your parrot?
When it comes to feeding your parrots Yorkshire puddings, it is much like us adults eating a treat.
It must always be done in moderation.
Whilst it is not recommended to give parrots Yorkshire puddings because of the amount of fat in them, that doesn’t mean that they can’t have a little bit from time to time.
As long as you aren’t giving them 5 Yorkshire puddings for every mealtime, a little treat every now and again won’t hurt them.
Ideally, you should only allow your parrot to have a whole Yorkshire once or twice a month as a treat.
If you wanted to spread this out over the month then it would be absolutely fine as this would be the same amount of Yorkshire pudding but spread across the month.
What effects do the ingredients of a Yorkshire Pudding have on your parrot?
Although you can use this as a treat food, you might want to be aware of the effects that the ingredients in Yorkshire puddings have on your birds.
Milk
Believe it or not, milk quite high in sugar and is also very fatty.
Unfortunately, both of these things are not recommended for parrots to consume.
When parrots are given milk it means that their bodies cannot necessarily cope with digesting the sugars within the milk.
Find more information on our website about giving milk to your parrots here – https://www.parrotwebsite.com/can-parrots-drink-milk/
Eggs
As weird as it sounds, parrots are allowed to eat eggs…. despite them being from another bird.
Eggs have a natural source of protein for your parrot and so using eggs in your Yorkshire pudding isn’t a problem.
Find more information on our website about feeding eggs to your parrots here- https://www.parrotwebsite.com/can-parrots-eat-eggs/
Dripping/fat
As it is not recommended that parrots consume high fat foods, you can probably already guess that parrots are unable to consume dripping or fat to cook the Yorkshire puddings in.
The reason it is not recommended they consume dripping is because dripping is made by cooking with meat.
The salts and juices from the fat will stay in the dripping and can cause feathers to become clogged. This will then leave the feathers ready as a bacteria playground which is extremely unhealthy.
Alternatively, if you parrot digests the dripping when it is high salt, this can lead to other health problems.
Flour
Using flour within your birds Yorkshire puddings can be done if the flour is low in salt and other added ingredients.
You are best off substituting this with a cornflour or oat flour instead because this does not contain as much salt or as many additives for your parrot to consume.
Alternative ingredients to use in your parrots Yorkshire Puddings
As I mentioned above, if you are looking to give your parrot Yorkshire puddings and want to be certain about it, you can replace some of the ingredients with ingredients that more suitable for your parrot. These can be things such as:
- Cornflour
- Whole wheat flour
- Water
- Porridge oats
- Dairy-free milk
- Soya milk
If you really want to jazz things up a bit, why not grind up some of your everyday pellets and add these to the batter mix.
You could even add different ingredients to your Yorkshire puddings to make them sweet Yorkshire puddings (such as banana or strawberries), but remember that parrots cannot have foods that are too high in sugar so try to keep these as a sweet treat as well.
What temperature should you feed Yorkshire Puddings to your parrot?
Whilst this is normally dependent on how your parrot likes their food, I would say that you should not feed your parrot Yorkshire puddings straight from the oven.
As much as we all love a hot pud, your parrot would not know this is hot and could swallow it whilst it is still burning. By all means, you can feed it to your parrot warm or cold as they may prefer this but it should never be burning hot.
Preparing your parrots Yorkshire Puddings
If you are feeding your parrots Yorkshire puddings for the first time, you should make sure that you offer your parrot smaller sections at a time so they can try it.
If your parrot has already tried Yorkshire puddings before, it is still good to keep the portion sizes small so your parrot is able to hold it while trying to eat it.
If you fancy a bit of a laugh then you can offer a whole Yorkshire pudding to your parrot to see them try and work out how to eat it but this is equally going to end up in a lot of mess!
What to do if your parrot reacts badly to Yorkshire Puddings
Even if your parrot has had all the individual ingredients to a Yorkshire pudding before, it is still a good idea to keep an eye out if they are trying Yorkshire puddings for the first time.
This is because the way it is cooked can change the elements of the ingredients and cause a chemical reaction. Your parrot could also react badly to this and become very ill.
If your parrot is ill and is showing signs of being unwell after eating a Yorkshire pudding, it is important to contact your local vets’ practice straight away.
They may tell you to offer your parrot water in the time being but will likely want to check them over to make sure they are ok. The important thing to remember is that if they do have a reaction, it is not your fault!
To summarise, it is absolutely ok to give your parrot Yorkshire puddings as long as they are given to them in moderation.
You do not need to include Yorkshire puddings as part of your parrots everyday diet. Look at a Yorkshire pudding as a treat for your parrot. Like the savory candy bar for them.
Whatever way you give your parrot their Yorkshires, I’m sure they’re going to love them!