The Bird Tricks Natural Feeding Program Reviews?

[Kiwibird]

I'm looking at ordering these. Yes, I *know* a lot of people just *hate* the bird tricks people and NO, I have nothing against them personally (and don't want to rehash all the reasons they're 'awful' and 'terrible'). All I want to know from those who own this set of books is:

-How many birds are the recipes geared towards, and would they be easy to reduce to make food for just 1 bird?

-Did you find the ingredients in most of the recipes to be readily available at a regular grocery store, or at least easy to find when in season?

-Did you find it to be time consuming/difficult to prepare the various 'meals'?

 

[KimKim]

I bought the electronic version. In fact, I just made up the Jan-Apr chop yesterday the only thing from that recipe I couldn't find was pea greens. With one bird, feeding one time a day, the recipe lasted like a month or two after April. But I'm sure you can make it smaller, like instead of 3 turnips, just get 2. Making the main chop does take a while, you have to cook the beans and grains, then chop everything up and bag it. Prob took me around 6 hours, but I kept getting interrupted my my daughter, birds and other chores I had to do around the house. They give you a ton of other fun recipes, but I have only tried a few.

 

[Kiwibird]

I bought the electronic version. In fact, I just made up the Jan-Apr chop yesterday the only thing from that recipe I couldn't find was pea greens. With one bird, feeding one time a day, the recipe lasted like a month or two after April. But I'm sure you can make it smaller, like instead of 3 turnips, just get 2. Making the main chop does take a while, you have to cook the beans and grains, then chop everything up and bag it. Prob took me around 6 hours, but I kept getting interrupted my my daughter, birds and other chores I had to do around the house. They give you a ton of other fun recipes, but I have only tried a few.

Thanks! That's kind of what I wanted to know Is it mostly chop mixes or are there some baked goods too? Have you tried any of the replacement 'junk foods'? I've tried 'experimenting' making "healthy junk foods" but most have not turned out well:54: Kiwi has been picking at his food lately too, not in a 'sick' way, more in a 'I'm tired of eating the same beans+grains mix every day for years' way. I just thought the idea of a different mix seasonally with different things a few times a week might nice for him Internet recipes are so hit or miss too (baked goods especially) and seem to focus more on not being outright toxic/junkfood than actually being healthy.

 

[KimKim]

The main diet is chop, but they have a ton of other stuff, including baked recipes. I've tried to make the parrot chips, but I don't think I baked them long enough lol. I can't remember the other ones I tried I keep meaning to make there version of nutriberries, but I just haven't yet. They give you a lot of Holliday recipes and even recipes you can make for yourself that the birds can share with you.

 

[nrooks]

I have bought and used the Bird Tricks cookbooks and find that they are amazing
The seasonal recipes make huge portions that are great for freezing and the rest of the recipes are fun for changing things up
I still use pellets and seed though - switching things up for more variety (fresh food two or three times a week) and sometimes I find that when I try one of the new recipes the birds don't enjoy it - I think my birds like things they are more familiar with so they tend to want to see it a couple of times before they work up the nerve to try it.
I would be happy to post a couple of the recipes for you so that you could try them out before making that investment if you would like - just let me know

 

[nrooks]

I'm looking at ordering these. Yes, I *know* a lot of people just *hate* the bird tricks people and NO, I have nothing against them personally (and don't want to rehash all the reasons they're 'awful' and 'terrible'). All I want to know from those who own this set of books is:

-How many birds are the recipes geared towards, and would they be easy to reduce to make food for just 1 bird?

-Did you find the ingredients in most of the recipes to be readily available at a regular grocery store, or at least easy to find when in season?

-Did you find it to be time consuming/difficult to prepare the various 'meals'?

K thought I would answer your questions a little bit for you
I have quite a few small birds and I find that one batch of the chop mix last about four months or so - I don't feed it to them everyday though and I occasionally make them something else in a smaller batch to add some variety

You can easily make the batch smaller by using half of the required amount but what I find great is that you can freeze them into whatever size portion you want and grab the bag from the freezer the night before so it has time to thaw. I have not had a batch get freezer burn or go bad yet

Finally it does take some time to put everything together, especially the first time! But once you get the hang of it ei: remember to start the beans the night before to soak, have all your ingredients bought in advance ect it takes about three hours to make it and get it divided into bags for the freezer

I hope this helps - I will also post below this the recipe for the fall chop so you can try it if you like

 

[nrooks]

K this is actually the January to April Chop that they recommend

Grains: 1 cup cooked couscous, 1 cup cooked oat groats, 1 cup raw quinoa
Legumes: 2 cups cooked mixed beans (made from 16 bean mix soup)
Pasta: 2 cups whole wheat pasta
Vegetables: 1 yellow squash, 5 carrots, 1.5 cups mung bean sprouts, 3-4 large kale leaves, 3 leaves swiss chard, 3 turnips, 2 cups fresh peas, 1.5 cups pea greens, 2 heads of broccoli with stalks

Finely chop, in several small batches, broccoli, carrots, turnips, kale, swiss chard and pea greens in a food processor. Remove to a mixing container (I use three large bowls and evenly divide among them). Add peas, sprouts, grains, legumes, and pasta to the containers and mix with the vegetables. Hand grate yellow squash and place in a strainer to allow to drain. When drained add to container and mix until well blended.
Portion out and freeze

 

[nrooks]

Here is their Pineapple Parrot Salsa - I just tried it last week and received mixed reactions from my flock ... maybe you will have better success

Ingredients: 1 can pineapple chunks (well drained), 1 handful of cilantro (chopped), 3 cherry tomatoes (chopped), 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1/4 cup frozen organic orange juice concentrate.

In a blender or food processor combine frozen juice, pineapple pieces and garlic. Blend for a few seconds - strain excess liquid - add chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Combine well and serve. You can add a finely chopped bell or jalapeno pepper for more authenticity. Can freeze for a summer time treat.

 

[Kiwibird]

Wow. Thanks nrooks for the information that was very nice of you! I did get a copy of the ebook and am excited to try some of the recipes My bird has been eating Volkmans soak n simmer for years along with chunks of fruit and veg. I think combining the grains/beans (which is all the soak and simmer is anyways) with chop and then little baked goodies will mix it up for him. We actually have a very small apartment sized fridge with a negligible freezer, though as a vegan who eats a high-raw diet myself, I typically have a 'humorous' amount of fruits and veggies on hand. It's not like I need to go out and buy them special and if I only use 1/4 of one or something, I'll just throw the rest in a smoothie for myself I was wondering about reducing because I'll likely only do enough to last a couple weeks at a time. I also just love the idea of all those adorable bird-friendly 'junk foods'. If he was allowed to be (which he is most certainly NOT), Kiwi would totally eat nothing but junk food. I think he will like faux fries and chips and veggie stuffed pasta shells.

 

[veimar]

It sounds really great, but will your BIRD appreciate it and think the same? I tried so many (and often expensive and/or time consuming) foods for my birds, and they want nothing else but seed! It's so upsetting! Do they have any tips how to teach your bird to eat good stuff?

 

[SilverSage]

I bought the package, and to be honest it is a gift I would give to any new parrot owner. there is a lot of good info about feeding birds in general. The info is not something you cant just find on the internet, but for a new bird owner I would recommend it since it has a lot of good info in one place and is easy to understand.

My main purpose was to get my birds on a healthy base diet. I found that many of the ingredients that they included in small amounts I was unable to find. Keep in mind though that I live on a tropical island, and we just have different plants available. I also felt like I was being restricted rather than inspired, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I love to feed 15+ ingredient chop. It is a nice resource, but I do not follow the recipes for the base diet. Eventually I would like to be able to make and sell the cute little holiday treats, but to be honest I dont currently have the time to bake just for the birds in addition to the chop and sprouts they already get. the book with recipes to share with your parrot is cool, but I dont do that because if I let my husband learn to feed the birds table food, they will all die

So:
-You make it in bulk and freeze it in whatever size packages you want, so there is no problem "sizing" it to your bird
-I was not able to find all the ingredients, but that may be due to where I am living. If you can't find it, just substitute.
-It was a bit more time consuming for me, because I was searching for items I couldnt find, instead of just getting whatever veggies I could get my hands on. Also, I have a "fresh is best" policy at my house, so I serve fresh and sprouted, so adding the cooked ingredients added hassle.

 

[nrooks]

Glad you guys enjoyed the couple of recipes I was able to post for you - If you would like to try some other ones just let me know and I will put them up for you.
Glad to help whatever way I can to get those birds eating healthy treats

 

[Boysmom]

nrooks, Do you have permission to repost their recipes ? I would think this is copyrighted material since it is a product of their business.

 

[veimar]

I don't think there is any problem with sharing a couple of recipes as an example. My birds wouldn't eat that for sure - I tried mixing stuff like that. I tried quinoa, amaranth, etc.. Tomatoes, kale, pineapple? forget it! So it was very good to know a few recipes before getting the whole thing.

 

[Hawk]

Hi Everyone,

I have looked at his site and have to side with MonicaMc on this, I'm leary of things from birdtricks.....one thing that throws me off is that their web site has not been updated in a few years, that's a bit suspicious to me. Sure all the recipes sound good and sure it's worth the money, but research online is free. You can find every that is on that web site and in those recipe books, training, tricks, everything ....on line and it's free...just use common sense judgment. Heck I have a hoard of research on parrots, been to south America and seen wild parrots in their native habitat, been to England bird shows. Been to American bird shows as well, people swap recipes ideas and what not. I now have my own recipe book of hundreds of tasty stuff for birds that all came free.

 

[hacatta]

i just bought it,i love 2 out off the 3 books,1 is called sharing the table with your bird,and i
will not use it for the bird,they say it is recopies for both humans and birds to share when eating dinner.
But a lot off those contain onions,salt and sugar.
But the other 2 look really good.

 

[Kiwibird]

Hi Everyone,

I have looked at his site and have to side with MonicaMc on this, I'm leary of things from birdtricks.....one thing that throws me off is that their web site has not been updated in a few years, that's a bit suspicious to me. Sure all the recipes sound good and sure it's worth the money, but research online is free. You can find every that is on that web site and in those recipe books, training, tricks, everything ....on line and it's free...just use common sense judgment. Heck I have a hoard of research on parrots, been to south America and seen wild parrots in their native habitat, been to England bird shows. Been to American bird shows as well, people swap recipes ideas and what not. I now have my own recipe book of hundreds of tasty stuff for birds that all came free.

It's not that I couldn't have found this information for free, I just like having it all in a clear, concise format I can refer to easily. It works better for me. And with the amount of free online recipes (avian and human) I've tried, followed step-by-step, and had come out wrong in the past, I prefer a book with tested and verified recipes so I'm not wasting food or time. This diet was also reviewed and approved by an avian vet and has far less emphasis on pellets and a whole lot more emphasis on a variety of fresh foods and always changing things up.

Though I would definitely be interested in hearing your field notes about what wild South American parrots eat in nature, or more specifically, what species you observed at what time of year in what country(s). Theres very little information out there on their natural diet (besides they eat fruits nuts and seeds, duh) but what specific kinds and how does seasonal changes affect diet? If someone published a peer-reviewed paper or wrote a book backed up by facts on that subject, I would invest in it in a heartbeat! Always been curious what my guy would eat in nature (which I'm pretty sure aren't the "fruits of the pellet tree" as promoted by some of the more "well respected trainers").

 

[Hawk]

Hi Kiwi,

I had to spend 6 weeks (for company I worked with) in Brazil, Porto Alegre. The amount of parrots around will blow you away. The yellow or golden parakeet is very common as well as the yellow amazon, many different types of conures, there's a red headed conures which are common, yet never seen anyone in America with one. Have some very strange looking parrots as well, such as the colbalt parrot, the hawk head parrot and the vulture parrot ( quite an ugly parrot). Every once in a while you'll see an oranged cheek parrot, these are truly beautiful parrots both in plumage and their nature even as wild. ( would love to have one) Never yet seen any one that had one in America. Some species are prohibited from being sent out of country. And the list is getting increasingly bigger every year to the point no more exotic birds will be shipped out of country into America any more.

You asked about diets, their diets in the wild there are a far far cry from what we in America feed our parrots. Seeds and suppliments ( parrot food you find here in America) does not at all resemble anything in their natural habitat. The many varieties of pre packaged parrot food you find on shelves regardless of where you buy them, are: Washed, bleached, dyes added, coloring added, salt added, and etc...check the added ingredients. Many people will say this seed and that seed is not good for birds and will cause liver damage or what not.....B>>S>>...that's a misconception, it's not the seeds, it's the additives. And there's a lot.

In the Brazilian habitat, many have grains, berries, cactus, plant leaves, fish, rodents, bugs, flowers, that much of are found in nor can be imported to America. For hundreds of years we in American fed our parrots alternatives to there natural habitat foods. With the exception of some imported fruit from south America to America that makes up one fifth their diet. Many parrots down there I noticed tend to eat meat. Many shops ( out door markets) happen to always have parrots swoop in and eat fish, poultry and sometimes even red meat, cheeses, and that.

It tickles me pink and I shake my head at Avian vets that recommend this and that for parrots, or so called bird trainers that recommend certain foods. In all sense sure it's good for them, but neither of these are based on actual observance of their true habitat. It's based on common sense of what's available as food for them in America. Which is 90% processed food for them....really? I wouldn't live on process food. You don't think the mixture of bird seed isn't processed? I dare anyone to go observe how it's packaged. You'll never feed your bird parrot food again. some fields that grow bird seeds are sprayed with chemicals to ware off bugs and preditors, that's why it's washed and bleach. And can they guarantee there's no pesticides? I was Once quality Assurance for a food company, if I told you what goes on there, you would never eat another rothberry farms croutons ever again. Point is same goes on in manufacturing of bird seeds.

There are a handful of parrot stores in America that sell organic bulk form. No additives, or salt and chemicals. Buy a food dehydrator for vegetables and fruit, (saves money).

I've studied birds and raptures (birds of prey) for 42 years now. I won't impose on people and tell them how to treat their bird, it's not my place to do so. But I'll always offer up advice and feedback on info concerning birds. I have had several owls, Hawks, trained and broken in 100's of parrots. Recently been asked to promote a new bird club in Michigan which is starting up here soon. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

[Kiwibird]

HEY! Another person out there who doesn't think pellets are the best thing since sliced bread lol! I know your new to the forum, so you probably don't know I'm one of the few (very few) anti-pelleted diet people on here. I did my research into several brands of pellets when we got Kiwi and the vet suggested we get him started on them right away. I ultimately decided they were not appropriate for him because they aren't remotely natural, full of ingredients I couldn't even begin to know what they were, and the fact they are dry and taste nasty (I tasted them, and then I understood why he didn't like them!). One brand even said their pellets were 'so nutritionally complete' fruits and veg should be fed sparingly! I use one of the "better" varieties in regards to ingredients/processing (Gold'n Obles, which are organic, non GMO and cold pressed) as foraging treats since they are shapes like beads, but they make up a negligible percentage of his overall diet. I am a health nut, so I don't eat heavily processed foods myself. I was a vegetarian for 15 years and have been on a vegan, mostly raw diet for almost 6 months. Very little 'junk' food ever made it's way into our house before, and it certainly doesn't come in now! With few exceptions (like avocados) virtually everything we eat is safe and probably healthy to feed Kiwi.

Kiwi has been on a diet of mixed grains with fresh fruits and veggies and some seed and nuts since about a year after we got him (took a while to convert him). He also gets healthy table food. I have always been very interested in feeding him as close to a natural diet as possible, though there seems to be little fact and lots of supposition on exactly what that is. All I can find is they eat a fruit heavy diet with nuts, seeds and a little bit of whatever else they can scavenge. It's not a very helpful set of guidelines I think you bring up a good point about parrots used to be fed a more natural diet in the past, and it's probably because they were fed off the table and people used to eat a more natural, healthy diet. Nowadays people eat fast food and TV dinners, and if that's "table food" then parrots absolutely shouldn't get any!

Kiwi is still a picky eater, despite my best efforts. He has learned that fruit is pretty tasty over the years, but still picks at his veggies. At least he doesn't behave as though they are radioactive anymore! What interested me in this diet plan specifically was it was reviewd by an avian vet and the fact it has a heavy emphasis on fresh foods. I have seen some very interesting, fun options in this meal plan I'm *hoping* will get him more interested in eating his veggies for the right reasons. Right now, I have to feed him the veggies first when he's most hungry before he gets the food he actually likes or he will skip them all together. It's a pain to do every day and I want him to like healthy foods, not begrudgingly eat them as I shamelessly bribe him into it

It's not so much the recipes (ingredient combinations) are new and special in the meal program (just a bunch of fruit, veg and grains mostly) it's the presentation that makes them more appealing to birds and resemble "junk" foods even though they are healthy and bird safe. Some of them actually fit right in with my raw diet and look so tasty, so I'll be eating them too! That will also probably make them more appealing to Kiwi, if he sees me eating them too I guess when we remove these animals from the wild, in certain ways they do become domesticated (such as shunning healthy food in favor of junk). Thanks for the info though on the wild diet. I call them "tree gulls" for a reason, and it looks like I'm even more justified to give them that label lololol!

 

[SilverSage]

Lol Kiwibird I didnt know you felt that way! I am a major "sprout pusher" and feed lots of plant food, be it that actual "fruits and veggies" or the leaves, sprouts, and stems! My grass birds like my cockatiels and budgies get some dry seed as well, and the difference in my birds when I switched from pellets was astonishing. I feed pellets as one of the options to my feeding parents and weaning chicks, but they get mostly fresh food. I look at it like this: Good pellets are better than an all dry seed diet just like a "health bar" or "weight loss bar" is healthier than an all bread diet. But a diet of natural food like fruit and veggies is better than even the best "health bar," just as fresh foods are better than pellets. Just because pellets are much better than the worst possible thing you can feed doesnt mean they are the best possible thing you can feed.

That said, I do teach all of my birds to eat pellets and I encourage others to do the same. Why? Well, what happens if you are in the hospital longer than your chop supply can handle, and the person caring for your bird cannot or will not chop or sprout for them? Or, heaven forbid, what happens if they need a new home for some horrible reason? I would rather have my birds in a new home eating pellets than eating just dry seed, and for that to happen I want to prepare them for the worst case