Why We Feed Our Birds Fresh Foods

Meet our flock, we have lovers, fighters, talkers and escape artist everyone has their own sweet personality though.

In 2004 we went to a bird shop in search of an African Gray, we were sad when we found out that there was no baby Gray's at that time. The shop owner said she had an Eclectus baby in the back we had no idea what an Eclectus but as soon as we saw Buddie we fall in love with him. Eclectus have the ability to learn that of which a three to a four year old could learn. Eclectus do not store vitamin A and beta carotene which can cause them to plug, and or toe tap. Eclectus are easily stressed and seems to be able to pick up stress from people. We also have a female who is two and half years old her name is CC, she loves to be held very close and loved.

Squeaky, our cocktail came home five months later, she was my Valentines gift! She is a little lover! Cocktail need calcium but it is best to let the calcium come from fresh foods then to do culterbones. Cocktails are prone to night fright, so she has her very own night light. Night fright can lead to a bird breaking pen feather, broken wings and even death if you do not hear them as they could bleed out from the broken pin feathers.

Merlin aka Mer Mer, because mer mer is funny to say for him, is our African Grey. He loves to escape whenever he gets a chance. Grey does can suffer from low blood calcium and should have a diet enrich with calcium.

Spiky, is our Quaker, well the only thing I can say about him is that he owns everything he can see. Spiky is our only bird that we have not hand raised. He loves to fight with anyone who will fight back with him.

Last but not least is our Pastel Pike Lovebirds, Tie Tie was first tiny baby that I had hand feed so young. He looks like in Easter egg that has been dipped into all the colors. Next is his son Tiny Tike aka bat boy for he hangs upside down more than he does anything else.

Because we do feed fresh food we feed Buddie, CC and Merlin three times a day place two snacks. Spike, Squeaky, Tie tie and Tine Tike gets feed two a day and one snack.

Around 6:00Am, everyone gets one of the following; this is so I can get my day started.
Salt free rice cake with apply sauce and cinnamon
1/4 piece of dried toast with fruit smashed up on it
For the three big birds half of an apply stuff with peanut butter for the four small birds a quarter of an apply stuffed with peanut butter.
For the three big birds 1/3 cup and for the four little birds two tablespoon of trail mix which has dried coconut, dehydrated apples, carrots, and peas, hemp seeds, cranberries, flex seed, millet, pumpkin seeds, cheerios, puffed wheat and puffed rice.

Breakfast is served warm and around 8 or 9 in the mornings:
Hot mesh which is a mix of corn meal mixed with brown rice, carrot juice, oatmeal, buck wheat, I use whatever fresh fruit I have to chop up or puree up to add to this.
Whole oatmeal cooked with plain yogurt, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, and dried coconuts
Brown rice with cinnamon, mango, berries, flex seed, wheat germ, and millet.

Lunch is any were from noon until 2:00pm I only give the three large birds lunch and it is only a 1/4 cup all I do is take three fruits, three vegetables or a mix of fruit and vegetables, chop them up in small pieces and give it to them. I always have one if not more dark orange fruit or vegetable for the vitamin A and then one dark green vegetable for the calcium.

Dinner is around 6:00pm I do sprouted seeds for dinner here is the list of the ones I pick from, I will use fresh juices to sprout them in for added flavor as well as chop up jalapeño and mix in with them.
Fennel Mustard Fenugreek Chick peas Caraway Adzuki beans Oats Alfalfa Amaranth Barley Garbanzo beans Millet Almonds Corn Peas Sesame Sunflower Quinoa Bishop's weed Rice Mung beans Clover Flax Psyllium Chia Kale Mucilaginous Pumpkin Radish Lentils Sunflower Pinto
Split peas

The bedtime snack is served around 9:00pm and is normal a slice of fresh fruit or vegetable.

I do not leave uneaten food in the bowls more than an hour so it will not go bad. I change water twice a day.