Natural Yoghurt and Egg

Amadeo · Aug 28, 2018

I'm concidering offering my birds natural yoghurt occasionally, as a little treat, as I've heard it's safe and a source of calcium and a few other nutrients.
Has anyone else ever offered their birds yoghurt? And if you have what brand do you use?
Making a mix with some fresh food and yoghurt was suggested in a magazine I read.

Egg was also another food I see whilst reading though foods that are good as treats.
Boiled is easy enough to do, but how would you scramble an egg safely so your bird can enjoy it?

ChristaNL · Aug 28, 2018

I always understood that though parrots are lactoseintolerant- just like a lot of people (not all!) they can tolerate it if the milk is fermented -> so the natural yoghurts will be fine (lactobacillus sometingy etc.).
So I just let them have some of mine if they want it - I do not offer it as "parrotfood" per se.

Appie is completely crazy about the fresh-cheese variations (cottage cheese, curd etc.) and she is a female & grey .. why not?
She needs the calcium.

Now you can burst out laughing but...I have a jar of palm oil esp for parrot-use.
So if I decide to fry something for them -> that gets taken out of the fridge.
If I make something human-meant but there is a chance the parrots will get at it (lol about 99%) : cocos oil or just plain oliveoil.

A little bit of fatty stuf never hurt anyone (actually is usefull) - just do not overdo it.

bigfellasdad · Aug 28, 2018

Enzo loves natural yoghurt, sometimes with a little mashed fruit and sometimes not. She also likes yoghurt coated raisins as a treat but I stopped giving them just in case.

Amadeo · Aug 28, 2018

ChristaNL said:
I always understood that though parrots are lactoseintolerant- just like a lot of people (not all!) they can tolerate it if the milk is fermented -> so the natural yoghurts will be fine (lactobacillus sometingy etc.).
So I just let them have some of mine if they want it - I do not offer it as "parrotfood" per se.

Appie is completely crazy about the fresh-cheese variations (cottage cheese, curd etc.) and she is a female & grey .. why not?
She needs the calcium.

Now you can burst out laughing but...I have a jar of palm oil esp for parrot-use.
So if I decide to fry something for them -> that gets taken out of the fridge.
If I make something human-meant but there is a chance the parrots will get at it (lol about 99%) : cocos oil or just plain oliveoil.

A little bit of fatty stuf never hurt anyone (actually is usefull) - just do not overdo it.

Coconut oil or palm oil?
Well, I have that in my cupboard so I'll add that to my list of safe to use. I've heard of people putting palm oil on food, but not using it to cook so I'll try that out.
Thank you kindly for your input! ^^

Sent from my G3311 using Tapatalk

LeslieA · Aug 28, 2018

The use of these high protein/high calcium products should be a topic between you and your AV. These products can incite specific hormonal behaviors as well as liver damage.
All fermented products contain active yeast and/or bacteria that are known to cause liver damage.
Again, this is a controversial topic that only you and your AV can and should discuss.

LeslieA · Aug 28, 2018

In addition, some birds are able to tolerate various oils better than others as oil is a product made naturally by the bird already. While oil can control dust in SOME cockatiels it is only allowed in very small amounts. Some species such as conures do not tolerate generally the addition of oils.

noodles123 · Aug 28, 2018

My vet said plain unsweetened yogurt could be given in small amounts when I was looking for a way to hide meds in food.

Cottage cheese etc has lactose in it as far as I know. It is my understanding that harder cheeses (like Parmesan) have lower levels of lactose than things like mozzarella, but usually the sodium content is quite high. Parrots are definitely lactose-intolerant, and although it won't kill them, I wouldn't make it a habit of giving cheese or dairy in general (just my opinion), as it can disrupt their gut bacteria and weaken their immune systems. I am sure they love it---but it isn't great.

Also, keep in mind that the bacteria in bird digestive tracts is not the same as that found in humans.

Talk to your vet about oils----I wouldn't give anything like that without supervision, as it is high in fat and it can damage the liver (as stated above). High protein can also stress bird livers, especially if they have a liver issue (vet told me to avoid additional sources of protein---even eggs---when I first got my cockatoo and she had problems with hers). Her levels are now back to normal (yay)but protein in moderation is best, as it already is present in many of their pellet mixes etc.

TiredOldMan · Aug 28, 2018

Mine get a little yogurt every now and then. Low fat banana and strawberry. They like to be hand fed with a spoon. (no they're not spoiled)

ChristaNL · Aug 28, 2018

As always: adjust the diet to your birdspecies!
Toos etc. are very sober birds, while the new-world-ones need a lot more fatty stuf (compared to the toos)

And there is frying an simple egg (one or two teaspoons of fatty stuf, depending on the amounts of egg) and french-fries-frying (drowning the foodstuffs in oil).
You can always put the food out of the pan on kitchenpaper to remove even more cling-on fat.

It just pays to keep a list of "forbidden fruits" your bird lusts after ... in case of meds or extreme bribery, you can grab the list and go from there.

lplummer52 · Aug 28, 2018

I give the dogs a spoonful of Fage non-fat yogurt in their food. Birdie sometimes swipes a bit before I put the bowls on the floor. She also likes the white of boiled eggs and always has a little scrambled egg with my husband most mornings, along with bacon and English muffin. She loves chicken bones and fish too. Birdie basically eats what we eat. We've stopped eating all the no-nos. We're actually eating healthier since Birdie joined us.

LeslieA · Aug 28, 2018

Conures in general thrive on the calcium of the regular boiled or scrambled without oil eggs. They also should be offered egg yolks. Avoid those sugary cereals though!

You'll find conures are drawn to higher protein foods. You should regularly allow them bones with the cartilage intact or cooked not processed beef. If you eat out, forget the conure bag though>. Beware of fat or sodium levels! Human food tends to contain bunches to entice you! Remember, it entices your bird, too!

WakaWaka · Aug 28, 2018

Kelly scrambles an egg in a ceramic pan with coconut oil.
Cool thoroughly, place in plastic zip lock bag and refrigerate.

We pull out just a "pinch" in the morning, warm it up and give it to Arika with her breakfast bowl. She loves it !!

We've also hear of chopping up a hard boiled egg with the shell for added calcium is good too. Haven't tried this yet. Has anyone else?

As always, everything in moderation.

Amadeo · Aug 31, 2018

Thanks for your input everyone!
I have spoken with my vet and she does suggest some supplements for my birds since, as I am currently trying to get them on a pellet-based diet, one is refusing to try them so a little extra nutrition in his diet helps.
Hearing that most people see it safe to offer tiny amounts of non-fat, or natural unsweetened yoghurt its something I might consider offering as a little treat or to make vegetables seem a little more fun. (Sherbert is a picky bird, refuses to try pellets and eat seeds mostly. It's worth a try to get some fresh foods in him.)

Amadeo · Aug 31, 2018

WakaWaka said:
Kelly scrambles an egg in a ceramic pan with coconut oil.
Cool thoroughly, place in plastic zip lock bag and refrigerate.

We pull out just a "pinch" in the morning, warm it up and give it to Arika with her breakfast bowl. She loves it !!

We've also hear of chopping up a hard boiled egg with the shell for added calcium is good too. Haven't tried this yet. Has anyone else?

As always, everything in moderation.

Thank you kindly!
I'd never attempt to feed them a whole egg, so it helps to store foods safely to avoid waste.
I've also read about offering eggs, chopped up, with the shell still on in various sources. (Offered with sprouts as well.)
I'd be worried about anything on the shell though, especially since I'm in the UK where eggs aren't washed.

ChristaNL · Aug 31, 2018

lol, they are also not sprayed with preservatives/wax/ etc., so you are way ahead.

I do almost never feed the parrots from something coocked-frozen-nuked again, if I eat egg, they eat egg -> fresly cooked.
(and of course I eat egg when I decide they might like some ...ugh parrots...)

LOL I gave the greys and macaw half a boiled one each just to seek out preferences:
Appie hovers up the yolk, Japie is disgusted with the whole enterprise, Sunny just gnawed of the shell ... but they all had fun

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