Fresh Foods 101?

Hello all, I'm Cory. See the new member forum for the intro...

I've done plenty of reading; through books and on the interweb, but I'm looking for personal opinions/strategies.
The Question is - How do you ensure your conure (or other) is getting a healthy and varied diet while minimizing prep time?

Look, I love to cook. If I had time I'd be happy to cook extravagant meals for Monty and Pico everyday. But that's not the case. I do and will continue to take the time I need to give proper care regardless of how long it takes, but that's not the point! lol. I know some people are preparing large quantities of veggies, etc then freezing them and thawing portions as needed. Is that what everybody is doing? or are their other techniques? I'm bringing these questions forward but I'm sure they're on other peoples minds too. Lets share some "best practice" here!

I'll take a stab at my own question before everybody chimes in with better (hopefully) techniques... Currently my wife and I raid our fridge once a day scouring for intentionally purchased "veggies for the birds" and leftover "veggies for the humans". Monty loves bananas and Picos favorite are peppers (though he likes the pepper seeds more than the fruit!). I put chunks of various sizes in dishes for each of them (separate cages) and for Monty, I hang fruit and veggies on a skewer (california birdnerds.com). I love the skewer, I want to get a smaller sized one for Pico

So what about you? How do you keep feeding simple yet nutritious?

My wife & I eat a lot of fruit & vegetables, and make extra of whatever we are eating for the birds. Some things they get right away, and some they get tomorrow. Then, it doesn't seem that we are doing anything extra for them. Though, we do, anyway. Just remove their portions before seasoning too much. But, they also like a little taste to their food, so, some seasoning is okay.

I attended 3 classes put on by Phoenix Landing about parrot nutrition. It is so involved and complex. They have simplified it some with their cookbook. I have this book and the first section reviews and teaches us what it necessary, what is not good and where you can get it from. It breaks it down well. No I do not work for them but I love this cookbook. It is well worth the money you spend.

Books

I do a lot of making batches of stuff and freezing. I bought a large assortment of fresh veggies, chopped them all up an froze them for thawing small portions. With cookable mixes and mashes I cook a batch and freeze individual portions wrapped in little squares of saran warp. Then I can just mic a portion at a time.

Great post Cory. Very helpful to get everyone's input on what they do. I do the same as Rio's Mom.

I used to eat a lot of veggies and fruit so it was easy then, just make a bit extra for my birds each day. Now I can't due to a digestive disease so I, too, must do a lot of freezing so things don't just keep going to waste. I also use more frozen vegetables than I used to because of it and steam them in the microwave. But, it does allow me to buy a good variety of things and put in a little of this and a little of that.

Frozen fruit was kind of a mistake though. It seems like it's really mushy when it thaws out and the only one of my birds who liked it was Rowdy. But, Rowdy will eat pretty much anything!

For starters, I feed pellets. Fresh fruits and veggies are fantastic, but they do not necessarily carry all the vitamins, minerals and oils that birds need. So I have a staple diet of pellets that Loki gets every day.

After that, just like BillsBirds, I just feed him whatever fresh fruit or veggie I have available. Such as tonight I'm cooking with fresh Asparagus. I'll take a single stalk, dice it up to a size of his liking, and give it to him at our dinner time. Earlier, I gave him some mango that I coated in seeds. Yesterday, I was slicing up some raw sweet potato for our bearded dragon and I kept some aside for Loki, microwaved it just a smidge (he'll eat it raw and room temp, but he does like this slightly warmed up) and gave it to him at dinner time. This morning, he had some of my yogurt and some of my daughter's oatmeal. I refer to the KISS method for everything in my life; Keep It Simple, Silly!!

We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, so now having a bird (soon to be 2), I find that even if I have cut something up for us (such as the mango) and placed it in a container in the fridge, it rarely goes bad. It's also a great way to get my daughter to try new fruits. I got her to eat Kiwi for the first time a few weeks ago because I picked up a couple for Loki (Plus I like them with my plain yogurt).

Since I feed a staple of pellets, I don't worry too terribly much about it overall. He gets fresh stuff daily and I'm always trying to get him to eat something new, but I also know what is a "staple" fresh fruit or veggie and make sure he gets those every couple of days as well.

Katherine What time is dinner tonight? I will be right over.

Spiritbird - In about 3 hours I'm making sauteed bay scallops with garlic and diced roma tomatos, with white rice and steamed asparagus. You still in? I like sharing, especially with birds who have good table manners (Loki is still learning, we'll see how Sugar does).

Also, CYCK, if you're eating something and as long as it's not on the "can die from" list (I'd say no-no list, but that can vary from person to person and Avian vet to Avian vet), if they're interested, let them have a taste. It's how we discovered Loki has a preference for junk food, as french fries is probably second to grapes as being a food he will absolutely devour. And Sun Chips, lol. He's also tasted chicken and seemed to like it, he's had nibbles of just about everything I make for dinner and breakfast for the last 4 months (we've had him 6 but the first 2 were really difficult). He's even had scrambled eggs! They're usually interested if you eat it as well. It's to the point with Loki that if he sees us eating something, he has to come and investigate and wants us to share it with him.

As a single person who hates cooking just for myself, after reading about your dinner tonight, Katharine, I'd have taken you up on that offer if you were close by

Max is currently eating frozen strawberries, which I put into a container he used for a bath a few minutes ago... Changed the water, put toys and the fruit in there, and he goes for both...

I only shop once a fortnight, so the birds gets an abundance of fruit and vegies, until they go off.... They do get sprouted seeds on a daily basis as well as seeds and pellets.

Sometimes I put the stuff on skewers, sometimes I grate it and put it in their bowls... When I have chicken for dinner, the birds get the bones... They love it... It's all quick and easy...

Well, Merlin ate some frozen blueberries yesterday. That was a victory of sorts because she's been extremely picky so far. Prior to this the only fruit I've gotten her to eat are Granny Smith apples.

roxynoodle said:

As a single person who hates cooking just for myself, after reading about your dinner tonight, Katharine, I'd have taken you up on that offer if you were close by

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And I'd have gladly shared! When Hubs was deployed (twice) and during Underways (He's USN), it was frustrating to try and cook for one and a half (the munchkin didn't eat as much as she does now). I tended to order deliver or eat out a lot, which isn't very healthy. It was even frustrating when he was on swing shifts and I was making dinner for one. We had a LOT of leftovers during that period!

I hope Scallops aren't bad (I haven't seen them on the no-no list), as Loki completely stole one - he had his own plate of cooked rice, raw tomato and a steamed asparagus stalk! - off of my plate and demolished it. Good thing I love to share

I buy a specialized diet that includes pellets,fruits, veggies, My sun loves rice,pasta,broccoli.
I bought this book which i haven't used yet. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/The-Healthy-Bird-Cookbook-Nutritional/dp/0793805384/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333559453&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: The Healthy Bird Cookbook: A Lifesaving Nutritional Guide and Recipe Collection (9780793805389): Robin Deutsch: Books[/ame]

KatherineI said:

roxynoodle said:

As a single person who hates cooking just for myself, after reading about your dinner tonight, Katharine, I'd have taken you up on that offer if you were close by

Click to expand...

And I'd have gladly shared! When Hubs was deployed (twice) and during Underways (He's USN), it was frustrating to try and cook for one and a half (the munchkin didn't eat as much as she does now). I tended to order deliver or eat out a lot, which isn't very healthy. It was even frustrating when he was on swing shifts and I was making dinner for one. We had a LOT of leftovers during that period!

I hope Scallops aren't bad (I haven't seen them on the no-no list), as Loki completely stole one - he had his own plate of cooked rice, raw tomato and a steamed asparagus stalk! - off of my plate and demolished it. Good thing I love to share

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Yes, what happens is I cook like twice a week. Then eat the same thing for 3-4 days in a row. However, my diet is very limited now due to my pancreas, so there isn't that much I can eat anyway, lol! It's not as bad since I've gotten sick as it was before that when I wanted variety.

Thanks for all the great responses! There are a lot of good suggestions here. Since I failed at responding to any of the posts at the time of entry I will do it all at once!

Rio Mom - Have you ever tried freezing each portions in an ice cube tray? When you say "mixes and mashes", what are you referring to? Do you have any recipes to share with us? =)

Mozzie - Thanks for the thanks, lol. How about you, any favorite recipes?

roxynoodle - Are frozen veggies as popular with your flock as fresh veggies are? Should I be more concerned about pesticides/additives with fresh as opposed to frozen?

KatherineI - Good point about the pellets. I've been procrastinating for too too long - I need to convert my little pilots from seed to pellet..


All - The birds eating from your plate thing.... I want to get there, but I'm not yet, lol.. For somebody who has a small zoo, I'm surprisingly a bit of a clean freak. But to be honest I've been treating bird handling like reptile handling - wash hands after each handling and assume that your creature is positive for salmonella. If I even touch the bird cages I go wash my hands. Somebody, please tell me I'm being crazy and that birds aren't as "dirty" as reptiles/amphibians. Its like I've created two categories in my head to distinguish cleanliness of animals (1) cats + dogs and (2) other. I'm paranoid about everything in the "other" category.

What is everybody's feeling on "hookbill seed mixes" with dried fruit, nut, and dried peas? I think the general consensus is that pellets trump all else, but in the spirit of the question what is the opinion on the "goodies" mixed into the seed?


c -

They seem to like the frozen ones fine, and that way I'm not constantly wasting food. I get out a little of this and a little of that, put it in the microwave, let it cool a bit, and then give it to them.

CYCK22 said:

Thanks for all the great responses! There are a lot of good suggestions here. Since I failed at responding to any of the posts at the time of entry I will do it all at once!

roxynoodle - Are frozen veggies as popular with your flock as fresh veggies are? Should I be more concerned about pesticides/additives with fresh as opposed to frozen?

KatherineI - Good point about the pellets. I've been procrastinating for too too long - I need to convert my little pilots from seed to pellet..

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In reference to your question to Roxy - Go for Organic, even if it's previously frozen. ALWAYS. Organic means no pesticides or additives are allowed, and therefor they will be safe for your birds to consume. I buy organic for the whole family. Yes, it's expensive, but it's totally worth it as you won't have to worry about your bird becoming sick. I would think this same rule of thumb would apply for feeding fresh veggies (and in some cases fruit) to your reptiles. I feed my bearded dragon and russian tortoise fresh foods (my tortoise only gets leaf lettuce, escarole and tomatoes), but I'm not sure what type of reptiles you have.

All - The birds eating from your plate thing.... I want to get there, but I'm not yet, lol.. For somebody who has a small zoo, I'm surprisingly a bit of a clean freak. But to be honest I've been treating bird handling like reptile handling - wash hands after each handling and assume that your creature is positive for salmonella. If I even touch the bird cages I go wash my hands. Somebody, please tell me I'm being crazy and that birds aren't as "dirty" as reptiles/amphibians. Its like I've created two categories in my head to distinguish cleanliness of animals (1) cats + dogs and (2) other. I'm paranoid about everything in the "other" category.

What is everybody's feeling on "hookbill seed mixes" with dried fruit, nut, and dried peas? I think the general consensus is that pellets trump all else, but in the spirit of the question what is the opinion on the "goodies" mixed into the seed?


c -

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I personally think you're a little too paranoid, but that's my own opinion. I share food with my GCC, used to share with my Grey as well and have never gotten sick. And I mean I literally let him take a taste of what's on my spoon/fork and then I put it directly into my own mouth. I also would not consider myself a dirty person either (I have relatives that are hoarders, it's just sad).

Bird poop is different and you can get sick from handling their droppings, so always make sure to wash your hands after cleaning cages, and at least use sanitizer after cleaning up a mess. I don't think you have anything to worry about if you just open up a cage door or touch it in a place where the bird hasn't pooped. I have personally never had anyone I know in the "bird world" contract Salmonella and my Mom knows several from working in Rescue. If you're truly that concerned, talk to your Vet or do some research on what disease can be passed from birds to humans.

In regards to the last question - I personally say PELLETS! Yep, they trump all