Kiwibird
Well-known member
- Jul 12, 2012
- 9,539
- 113
- Parrots
- 1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
I know that some people struggle to get enough fresh foods in their birds diet. It is time consuming to prep it every morning/evening, making large batches requires a large portion of the freezer for long term storage and no matter how well you make it, defrosted chop is just never quite as nice as fresh.
I am fortunate I do have the ability to get fresh in Kiwi's bowl every day, but I also like to supplement with chop to keep the variety of foods wide. Here is how I prep and store chop:
Step 1: Choose a WIDE variety of either fruit or veg (I personally do not like to mix them). My last batch included a bell pepper, beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, corn, tomatoes, sweet potato, jalapeños, zucchini, carrots + lemon and lime juice as a natural preservative so veggies can be dehydrated raw and without chemicals.
Step 2: I run my veggies or fruit through the Omega juicer with the blank disk in (it basically just grinds them up). I find using the juicer to be faster for large quantities, but a food processor works just as well for the task. Then I mix it all up in a huge bowl (I believe this is a 6 quart bowl).
Step 3: I spread the veggies onto silicone sheets on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 110 degrees (which preserves the enzymatic activity of the living, fresh foods) for about 18 hours (may be more or less depending on where you live, humidity ext..). Then I break up the dried mix and store in an airtight jar.
(Can you believe ALL those veggies dehydrated down to THIS???)
To serve: You can serve the dehydrated veggies 2 ways. Dried, which will not spoil if left in the cage all day OR you can re-hydrate them by soaking a small amount in water or juice for 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately and pull from cage after about an hour or two if you soak them.
I am fortunate I do have the ability to get fresh in Kiwi's bowl every day, but I also like to supplement with chop to keep the variety of foods wide. Here is how I prep and store chop:
Step 1: Choose a WIDE variety of either fruit or veg (I personally do not like to mix them). My last batch included a bell pepper, beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, corn, tomatoes, sweet potato, jalapeños, zucchini, carrots + lemon and lime juice as a natural preservative so veggies can be dehydrated raw and without chemicals.
Step 2: I run my veggies or fruit through the Omega juicer with the blank disk in (it basically just grinds them up). I find using the juicer to be faster for large quantities, but a food processor works just as well for the task. Then I mix it all up in a huge bowl (I believe this is a 6 quart bowl).
Step 3: I spread the veggies onto silicone sheets on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 110 degrees (which preserves the enzymatic activity of the living, fresh foods) for about 18 hours (may be more or less depending on where you live, humidity ext..). Then I break up the dried mix and store in an airtight jar.
(Can you believe ALL those veggies dehydrated down to THIS???)
To serve: You can serve the dehydrated veggies 2 ways. Dried, which will not spoil if left in the cage all day OR you can re-hydrate them by soaking a small amount in water or juice for 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately and pull from cage after about an hour or two if you soak them.
I tried the pasta extruder on my Omega, but that didn't work so well. Now I have another idea I'm going to try soon. I'll be sure to share IF it works (I have actually been working on the pellet project for several months now:52: It's not as if pellet manufactures give away their secrets so I have to figure it out myself
