Bird Safe Fresh Foods & Toxic Food Lists + Sprouts

[Terry57]

Some vegetables, including among others, broccoli and kale, need to be steamed or cooked first.

I disagree about broccoli & kale needing to be cooked first. AFAIK, they are fine to be fed raw as long as they are washed properly.

Could you cite your sources for this?

 

[Meikasbirdhouse]

i also disagree that broccoli and kale need to be cooked...a lot of my birds prefer those raw. i cook things if i want to change it up a bit, but they dont HAVE to be cooked

 

[Tami2]

A couple of quick questions, Is Hulled Barley & Hull-less Barley the same?

Please explain the difference and if they are both okay or not.

I soaked some organic Hulled Barley overnight, but need to make sure it's okay.


Do you give your Fids probiotics and if so, which ones would you recommend?



Thanks in advance for your replies & comments.

Have a great weekend.

 

[WakaWaka]

A couple of quick questions, Is Hulled Barley & Hull-less Barley the same?

Please explain the difference and if they are both okay or not.

I soaked some organic Hulled Barley overnight, but need to make sure it's okay.


Do you give your Fids probiotics and if so, which ones would you recommend?



Thanks in advance for your replies & comments.

Have a great weekend.

Tami,


Unsure about the barley but we give Arika a small amount of probiotic twice a week.
Vet mentioned that it is even more important if they have a dose of antibiotics.


Here's what was recommended by her Vet:
https://www.amazon.com/Bene-Bac-Bird-Reptile-Powder-10oz/dp/B0002DGYIC

As always, check with your vet just to be sure.

 

[Tami2]

A couple of quick questions, Is Hulled Barley & Hull-less Barley the same?

Please explain the difference and if they are both okay or not.

I soaked some organic Hulled Barley overnight, but need to make sure it's okay.


Do you give your Fids probiotics and if so, which ones would you recommend?



Thanks in advance for your replies & comments.

Have a great weekend.

Tami,


Unsure about the barley but we give Arika a small amount of probiotic twice a week.
Vet mentioned that it is even more important if they have a dose of antibiotics.


Here's what was recommended by her Vet:
https://www.amazon.com/Bene-Bac-Bird-Reptile-Powder-10oz/dp/B0002DGYIC

As always, check with your vet just to be sure.

Thank you so much. Yes, actually she's the one who mentioned it. His gram stain came back w/ slightly elevated bad bacteria. So, we are going to repeat it and than if it's still elevated she said probiotics would help.
We've been taking them for years. But, I didn't know what brands are best for parrots.

 

[Flboy]

Hulled is hull-less! English!

 

[Tami2]

Hulled is ‘hull-less! English!

Thank You David

 

[RobynnLynne]

Anyone hear of Italian Farro? Farro is a food composed of the grains of certain wheat species, sold dried, and prepared by cooking in water until soft. People eat it plain and often use it as an ingredient in salads, soups, and other dishes.

I assume this would be safe to cook and use in chop?

I help out at our food bank when I can and got blessed with a bag of italian farro. Yeah, we get some interesting products in and nobody is interested, so I try them.

 

[Allee]

Anyone hear of Italian Farro? Farro is a food composed of the grains of certain wheat species, sold dried, and prepared by cooking in water until soft. People eat it plain and often use it as an ingredient in salads, soups, and other dishes.

I assume this would be safe to cook and use in chop?

I help out at our food bank when I can and got blessed with a bag of italian farro. Yeah, we get some interesting products in and nobody is interested, so I try them.

I had to look this one up. I’ve never cooked farro but from what I’ve read it should be a perfectly safe parrot food as long as it’s cooked before serving. Looks like a good source of vitamin E and protein. It sounds like a perfect addition to a bowl of chop.

Thank you for your volunteer work at the food bank.

 

[Tami2]

So, I've decided to make organic seed sprouts. So far so good! :smile049:

Broccoli Sprouts

Sunflower Sprouts

Wheatgrass

On day 4 w/ Broccoli & Sunflower sprouts & only just started w/ the Wheatgrass.
I made them for all of us & hoping Levi will like them as well. They are chock full of micronutrients. As always I'm trying to keep everyone happy & healthy.

I haven't found any info on the sunflower sprouts 'not' being safe for parrots. I'm sure the broccoli & wheatgrass are safe.
I welcome any articles to the contrary, so please feel free to pass along any info you may have. I will continue to research the sunflower sprouts prior to offering them to Levi.

Thanks is much!

 

[chris-md]

They look great, Tami! I've got some sprouts going myself at the moment, probably ready tonight or tomorrow morning. Next time throw some lentils in there

Sprouted sunflower seeds are really good for them

 

[Tami2]

They look great, Tami! I've got some sprouts going myself at the moment, probably ready tonight or tomorrow morning. Next time throw some lentils in there

Sprouted sunflower seeds are really good for them

Thanks Chris, appreciate that. I know that sunflower seeds are a no no (Junk Food) but I'm happy to hear that sunflower sprouts are okay. Like I said, I haven't found any info stating the opposite.
I'll definitely try lentils. Have you tried Chickpea sprouts? What are you sprouting?
I'm considering buying the sprouting jars as they look so much easier than the set up I have now.

 

[chris-md]

Lord what haven't I sprouted? Usually I get what I can from the bulk bins at Whole Foods: wheatberries, farro, oats, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, adzuki beans, spelt, mung beans, to name a few.

Right now, I'm not in a position to store all sorts of bulk produce, so I'm currnetly working with a mix I bought from www.sproutpeople.org which has some of what I mentioend above, plus some more rare stuff: radish, alfalfa, clover, to name a few more.

 

[Tami2]

Lord what haven't I sprouted? Usually I get what I can from the bulk bins at Whole Foods: wheatberries, farro, oats, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, adzuki beans, spelt, mung beans, to name a few.

Right now, I'm not in a position to store all sorts of bulk produce, so I'm currnetly working with a mix I bought from www.sproutpeople.org which has some of what I mentioend above, plus some more rare stuff: radish, alfalfa, clover, to name a few more.

Great link, thank you!

Okay so, here's where I'm at-

Broccoli Sprouts

Sunflower Sprouts

Wheatgrass

I think the broccoli sprouts are done & I added some to John Luke's shake this morning. I'm not sure about the Sunflower sprouts, just yet. I'm looking up images of sunflower sprouts to judge if they are ready.

I think I may have to put them in Levi's chop. Not sure he'll eat them otherwise. What say you?

Also, did you buy special containers to store in fridge? I washed a plastic blackberry container & I'll use that for now. But, I'm interested in how you store them properly. I plan on drying them well before storage.

Thanks, Chris!

OOOO I think I'm going to buy some of these.
https://sproutpeople.org/stainless-steel-tray-sprouter/

 

[chris-md]

I personally use just the mason jar method. Once the sprouting process is done, i leave them on a paper towel on the kitchen counter for about 12 hours to dry off a lot of the excess moisture to prolong shelf life (wet sprouts = mold/bacteria/spoilage in a matter of days). Then I just store in a typical cheap plastic ziploc plastic food container you can buy from the grocery store - I don't store them in anything special.

 

[chris-md]

This is so strange, I see your photos on my phone, but when i access the forum on a PC, i don't see them.

So, theres a different between "sprouts" and "microgreens". Sporuts is just a peak of root showing. Lettign them go to form the cotyledons (leaves) is what makes them microgreens. Looks like you might be trying to go for microgreens. Whether Levi would go for fresh sprouts or microgreens, only he can say, and I'm certain he'll make his opinion known

I'm hesitant to go straight to microgreens, as I'm fairly certain there are more nutrients in the sprouted seeds than in any leaf, which Parker gets plenty of in the form of his chop. Plus, microgreens are just going to be more work.

 

[Tami2]

Thank you, Chris.

I'm actually making the sprouts & Wheatgrass for all of us.
Thanks for the storage tips. Do you poke holes in the bags?

 

[chris-md]

They aren’t bags, they’re the plastic containers like Tupperware that ziploc makes.

 

[Tami2]

They aren’t bags, they’re the plastic containers like Tupperware that ziploc makes.

Oh DUH ... I did read that. OY

 

[Tami2]

I'm pleased to share that Levi approves even if it's not in his chop. While assessing my 'Levi' sprouts he decided to delve in ... haha
I ordered the special 'Big Bird' seeds from the Sprout People.

Thank you Chris so much for that website. :01: