Cockatoo food??

[MarciaLove]

Ok so what do you guys think is the best brand for your U2s I am getting a rescued U2 on Sunday hopefully if we are a good match I am meeting him and then if he's a good fit he will be coming home He is coming with his current food but its a seed blend so I need suggestions on the best pellets he is 5 years old now and no health problems he's been vet checked recently.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Harrison's pellets

 

[fishstick600]

Harrison's if you can get him to eat it. You'll prob have to wean him off his seed blend.. Try buying multiple different pellets. My U2 will only eat lafeabers or however you spell it I also give him a dry fruit and nut mix as well as making him food on occasion

 

[MarciaLove]

I read the ingredients and its mainly seeds with some vitamin supplements and nuts, why not just feed seeds/nuts and supplements (and of course the fresh fruit and veggies)?

 

[SandyBee]

Depends on the brand, often the vitamins on the seed are applied on the hull and the bird often doesn't get enough. Any pellet he will eat is better than none, maybe you can get some samples and see what he likes.Cockatoos ate known to be prone to fatty liver disease, so healthy and low fat foods preffered and as much exercise as you can get him to do.
Good luck and congrats.

 

[MikeyTN]

Just what Sandy says. What ever pellets you can get him to eat is better then no pellet. I think some people are still buying into the idea Harrisons is the best. None of you read the post awhile back?

Also feed fresh fruits and veggies of course. Plus the stuffs you can cook for them and nuts as treats. That's what I fed Java before. The couple who adopted Java says he's in really good shape. Good feather and all. I said I know but he wasn't like that when I first got him.

 

[kaybear]

I feed a combination of foods, I feed Harrison's which starts with a 6 months "convertion" of the high potency, which yes is quite high in fat, 15%, but this is only ever intended as a short course feed, for babies, unwell or under weight birds. once this 6 month period is up they intend for you to change to a low fat 5.5% maintenance diet.

I also researched into CHOP feeding, so I have that as well 3 months worth in the freezer, I feed it in the same dish as the harrisons's and it really helps my Galah eat everything.

on top of all that, I also offer extra fresh greens, occasionally some fruit, scrambled egg without milk, and a little of the shell crushed into it, safe flowers and anything else I can find that is safe and good for him, such a herbs and spices which would surprise a lot of people.

 

[MarciaLove]

I do give fresh fruits and veggies and flowers as well as making chop mix for my birds now and keep it in the freezer I never thought to mix it with their food though its always been in a separate container. What kind of herbs and spices?? I have tons of herbs and spices for myself cause im big on cooking homemade stuff as im a vegan.

 

[kaybear]

I do give fresh fruits and veggies and flowers as well as making chop mix for my birds now and keep it in the freezer I never thought to mix it with their food though its always been in a separate container. What kind of herbs and spices?? I have tons of herbs and spices for myself cause im big on cooking homemade stuff as im a vegan.

This is just list from the Galah group i'm a member of on FB, there are probably more.

Cinnamon- Good for digestion & Blood suger anti-fungal and anti bacterial properties
Chipotle Powder- Vit A
Ancho Chili Powder- Vit A
Cayenne Pepper- See above(Vegetables)
Nutmeg- antibacterial properties, aids in digestion (Health benefits of nutmeg - Complete Wellbeing: Meet yourself! | Complete Wellbeing: Meet yourself!)
Ground Cloves- high in vitamins B6, B9, C and K, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, calcium, natural fats, iron and potassium.
Ginger- Calms the stomach
Anise seed- antiseptic properties, good for digestion and many more uses
Cilantro- Vit A & C
Oregano- Vit A & C
Allspice- anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing), carminative and anti-flatulent properties
Parsley- See above(Vegetables)
Jalepeno Powder- See above(Vegetables)

 

[MarciaLove]

I have all those except Anise seed and Jalepeno Powder, thanks for the list

 

[fishstick600]

How do you make a chop mix? I'm intrigued now and wanna try it out. R you buying those things from the store or getting them from a garden?

 

[Nocturnal]

I'm feeding mine a mixture of harrisons and roudybush pellets, freeze dried veggies and dried frut and then a veggie, grain and bean chop mix daily. He seems to be doing well

He's still getting his avicalm and featherriffic every day though as he is a recent rescue and plucked a small patch on his leg from stress from being moved from the sanctuary he was at for 8 years.

 

[MarciaLove]

How do you make a chop mix? I'm intrigued now and wanna try it out. R you buying those things from the store or getting them from a garden?

Some from my garden some from the store, if from the store only buy organic so they are GMO and pesticide free. These were the ingredients I used last but I mix it up! Cook everything in it and then freeze the leftovers in small bags you can thaw out individually.

broccoli
red/green bell pepper
carrots with tops
zucchini
kale
squash
turnips
beets
red chili peppers
corn

quinoa
brown rice
barley

BEANS multi

spiral veggie whole grain pasta

 

[kaybear]

How do you make a chop mix? I'm intrigued now and wanna try it out. R you buying those things from the store or getting them from a garden?

here's a link to my YouTube channel and my chop video: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n__sc-zJKM]Parrot Chop Feed - YouTube[/ame]

the will be a blog post written to acconpany this video, but i'm still trying to find the time between juggling Kynuna, a kitten, study and work. i'll have it done asap though.

 

[fishstick600]

I'm gonna try my hand at a batch of chop tomorrow.. Bought all the ingredients and I'll post a picture of the finished product. Question if I feed sydney something like chop and a dried fruit/nut mix daily can I cut out pellets..?

 

[MarciaLove]

Good luck let us know how it turns out! I wouldn't cut out the pellets but I am so not an expert just think I would want to be absolutely certain he was getting all the vitamins and nutrients he needs and pellets help to get some of that.

 

[fishstick600]

Feeding him is becoming so expensive.. If he takes to the chop I'm gonna prob cut out the dried fruit/nut mix or at least cut it back.. Let's see pellets 25$ nut and fruit mix 30$ and I just spent 40$ for stuff to make chop lol.. He eats like a king compared to me haha

 

[Nocturnal]

I wouldn't cut back on pellets even if a bird gets a pefectly balanced diet of fresh foods --- if you are sick or life plain old happens and you aren't able to prepare and serve fresh foods for whatever reason, you can still rest assured your bird is going to get decent nutrition through the pellets.

 

[getwozzy]

How do you make a chop mix? I'm intrigued now and wanna try it out. R you buying those things from the store or getting them from a garden?

here's a link to my YouTube channel and my chop video: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n__sc-zJKM]Parrot Chop Feed - YouTube[/ame]

the will be a blog post written to acconpany this video, but i'm still trying to find the time between juggling Kynuna, a kitten, study and work. i'll have it done asap though.

Thanks for the video!! I don't have a cockatoo, but I'm going to make chop mix for my zon and budgie for the first time...it was really helpful being able to see the process

 

[fishstick600]

I wouldn't cut back on pellets even if a bird gets a pefectly balanced diet of fresh foods --- if you are sick or life plain old happens and you aren't able to prepare and serve fresh foods for whatever reason, you can still rest assured your bird is going to get decent nutrition through the pellets.

Ya ill agree with you there. I would really like to see him eating fresh fruits and veggies on a daily basis.. If this works out it would be perfect since I can just thaw out some every day. How long will this stuff keep frozen?