Worried about a food - Higgins Intune Natural

Hi, I'm brand new here. Thanks in advance for any advice and conversation. I joined because I'm not a Facebook user, and don't have a community to discuss my bird.

After the tragedy at Birds And Beaks Rescue and Rehab earlier this month, I'm extra paranoid about foods. One of the pellets I've been feeding my green-cheek conure is Higgins Intune Natural Conure Cockatiel.

I've only used this brand for one other bag, which is almost empty. I had mixed that with Zupreem Natural, so it's not in its original state anymore.

I just opened a new bag of the Higgins, and it smells like broccoli. I seem to remember this food smelling fruity in the first bag, and I wonder if there's something wrong with it. I'm scared it's gone bad. I worry because there are fermented products in this food, and raw fermented products can turn toxic.

I'm probably just being paranoid because this isn't one of the foods that any birds who died were eating, but as I said I'm more paranoid than usual. What I'm wondering is if anyone has smelled this food lately, and if it smells fruity or not.

Since this is your first Thread as part of Parrot Forums, Welcome!


The Higgins product that you have, are in fact, dry pellets, Correct?

If that is true, how can this be: "I'm scared it's gone bad. I worry because there are fermented products in this food, and raw fermented products can turn toxic. "

Unless we are looking at totally different products; Dry Pellets would not have fresh (raw) Products in the bag.

Depending on the Process used, commonly fresh Veggies are 'freeze dried' or like process to remove the moisture. Once the moisture is removed 'fermenting' is not possible.

What any given bag has as a general aroma is a discussion that you should have with Higgins as it appears that there are several aromas that are mixed inside of any given bag.

As a general practice, we always keep dry product frozen in their original packaging for at least 30 days. At some point after that, we make-up mixed freezer bags of the combination that we are supplying in one week's use bags. At the first of the week, we pull-out that weeks bag and provide it, keeping the unused part in a 'cool' 36 to 40 degrees F. But that is just us!

Hello & welcome to the forum.

I'm not familiar with this specific food. However, I'd go with my gut.
If the smell is off check the expiration date first. Than maybe give the company a call and/or just return it to the store. Let them know your concerns & exchange it for another bag. Or just throw it away ..... I wouldn't risk it.

I give Levi Higgins InTune natural & it indeed smells fruity.

Sailboat - Thank you. Yes, it's dry food. Everything in it is freeze dried. I was drawing at straws to figure out what could cause the off smell.

Ingredients: Ground Yellow Corn, Brown Rice, Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Oatmeal, Cane Sugar, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols - a source of Vitamin E), Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate, Sea Salt, Cranberries, Apples, Blueberries, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Watercress, Brewer's Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Algae Meal, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Rosemary Extract, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Iron Oxide, L-Carnitine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl 2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C activity), Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Turmeric, Natural Annatto Coloring, Beet Juice, Natural Citrus Flavor, Natural Banana Flavor, Natural Pineapple Flavor, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, and Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product.

Tami2 - Thank you. Higgins said

At times, the green leaf shaped kibbles can cause a little more of an alfalfa/herbaceous scent (because of the natural color source) or we could have a simple issue that caused that bag to not have the natural fruit aroma applied properly by the atomizer. Regardless, without a physical sample it would be difficult to determine so why don't we get you out a new bag.

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I provided the requested info so they can look into the batch, and they're sending me a new bag. Even though an explanation was provided, I'm throwing this out because from my experience and from everyone else who feeds this that I have heard from, it's supposed to smell fruity.