Nutrition-to eat or not to eat? u decide..

[devonanno]

First off id like 2 say if you r a picky Pete,or a nervous nelson or a paranoia Paula, u get the idea then u may want to click away now, this is meant to b interesting and fun for bird owners and people owned by their birds and at the risk of setting myself up 4 some negative as well as positive its here for the taking. =) i myself am not huge pellet fan but i do not frown upon any1 that uses them. its just not my 1st choice of food, i will use them, ive tried a few brands, i still keep one of my birds 5 feeding bowls w pellets just so they are there for the offering(1 of which is a foraging tube,really every1 should have one of these of some sort,but more on that mayb another time)

from a controversial pic(not controversial here but someplace else,those that read my first post on here will know who i m talking about ) i did ( as i always do ) some research just for grins and found some very interesting things that id like to share. now for this to make any sense i have to explain y on earth i compared ice cream to leading organic ( and non organic) pellets to begin with.lol in a nutshell,i was given the 3rd degree for giving my companion some ice cream. birds can have ice cream / dairy , now it has to b in moderation as they do have a little trouble digesting it but its not going to hurt them and i stress in some amounts , not every day, not a huge bowl etc etc,just use common sense and have fun sharing treats w your bird all species seem to have particular traits and Grey's seem to have an affinity for their humans coffee(mayb its the caffeine ,a questionable substance to give) moreso than macaws and amazons.

now on to the facts,these are the ingredients in an ice cream i happen to like and share w my companion on occasion-

good humor king cone-(ice cream)-nonfat milk,sugar, milkfat,corn syrup,whey,high fructose corn syrup,mono- and diglycerides,cellulose gum, guar gum,polysorbate 65 and 80,carrageenan,artificial and natural flavors,

(cone)-bleached wheat flour,chocolate flavored coating,sugar,coconut oil,cocoa,soy lecithin,natural flavor,sugar,molasses,salt,partially htdrogenated soybeanoil, soy lecithin,caramel color,artificial, flavor,

(choc topping) coconut oil,sugar,chocolate liquor,nonfat dry milk,whey,butterfat,milk,soy lecithin,artificial flavor.

while coconut oil and soy lecithin common in good pellets is actually not bad for birds and the cocoa plant indiginious to central america where it is consumed in the wild i noticed that while this did contain artificial flavours it did not however contain artificial colours like some pellets.( i am NOT saying to change a birds diet to good humor,lol )

here is another of my favourites that i share on occasion-

good humor ice cream sandwich-(ice cream)-nonfat milk sugar,milkfat,corn syrup,whey,high fructose,momo-anddiglycerides,cellulose gum,guar gum,polysorbate 65 and 80,carrageenan,artificial and natural flavors.

(wafer)bleached wheat flour,sugar,caramel colour,corn sugar,palm oil,corn flour,cocoa,high fructose corn syrup,corn syrup,modified corn startch,baking soda,salt,momo-and diglycerides,soy lecithin.

the sandwich has pretty much the same things w interestingly enough the addition of palm oil which is very good for birds(some people have a hard time getting their birds to take palm oil)i am not in any way trying to say that this is a good way for them to get it. but i did find it interesing that it contained it. =)

and a final favourite-

breyers vanilla-milk,cream,sugar,natural vanilla, natural tara gum.

 

now on to the pellets,,,,..(be sure to check out the links i included next to certain ingredients)

roudybush pellets- Ingredients: Ground Corn, Ground Wheat, Peanut Meal, Soy Oil,Soy Meal,

Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicat(http://jas.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/3/677), Yucca schidigen Extract(http://books.google.com/books?id=lbOxhvJ-VeoC&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=Yucca+schidigen+Extract&source=bl&ots=_-nlPLOral&sig=4CZhNCSKOwS8G3Nb5pbaYi43rbk&hl=en&ei=FhMFS9KwLMXXnged9qS8Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CBwQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Yucca%20schidigen%20Extract&f=false),

Salt,

Calcium Carbonate(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbonate),

L-Lysine,good for keeping avian papilloma under control,(http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lysine-000312.htm) ,

DL-Methionine (http://www.petfoodindustry.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=18526)

,Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Lecithin, Silicon Dioxide (carrier for liquid antioxidants), Sodium Selenite (on Calcium Carbonate), Niacin, Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate (Source of Vitamin E), Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Zinc Oxide, Riboflavin,

Pyridoxine Hydrochloride(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyridoxine),

Vit. A Acetate, Thiamine, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vit K), Cyanocobalamin (VitB12), Vit D3 Sup. Folic Acid,

Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylenediamine_dihydroiodide), Propionic Acid,

Ammonium Hydroxide(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_hydroxide), Acetic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Tartaric Acid, and natural apple flavoring.

 

zupreem fruitblend- Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Vegetable oil, Wheat germ meal, Sucrose, Dicalcium phosphate, Calcium carbonate, Ground fruit (bananas, oranges, apples and grapes), Iodized salt, DL-methionine, Choline chloride, Ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), Natural mixed tocopherols, Rosemary extract, Citric acid, Natural and artificial colors, Artificial flavors, Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Calcium iodate, Sodium selenite, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin K supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 supplement.

( i didnt link ingredients in the zupreem as they were for the most part similar w the exception of a few self explainitory ones )

 

i am not saying one is better or bad , or better or worse. or saying you should or shouldnt use one or the other. just that , i found some very good things in the least likely places and vice versa or is it visa versa,lol? i have personally used all the products that i have included in this post. i am not endorsing or saying to use them yourself and i am not saying you are right or wrong for using or not using things i mentioned. simply have fun with it,dig deeper into it,or find it interesting like i did. who says birds cant have a little dairy?

 

Post edited by: devonanno, at: 2009/11/19 12:17

 

Post edited by: devonanno, at: 2009/11/19 12:24<br><br>Post edited by: devonanno, at: 2009/11/19 12:27

[JillyBeanz]

devonanno wrote:

who says birds cant have a little dairy?

 

Nobody! Just in extreme moderation. It's all to do with digestion and toleration - not chemicals and additives!!

 

Harvey has a bit cheese now and then - a little yoghurt, but that's about it!

[devonanno]

jillybeanz,have u ever given your bird acidophilus? u can see the differance in stool overnight. =)

[JillyBeanz]

There's nothing wrong with his poop! I couldn't give him all the supplements on the market - he'd be rattling/swooshing about!! He has a very healthy diet and has a couple of supplements for calcium and D3 - which are more essential in the UK (lack of beautiful sunshine!!!)

 

I don't believe in Actimel and all that for digestive problems in humans though - took them for absolutely ages and they made no difference - apart from to my bank balance!!!! :laugh:<br><br>Post edited by: JillyBeanz, at: 2009/11/19 13:58

[devonanno]

aww,no , i wasnt implying he had something wrong =(,,, i meant that even in a healthy bird u notice a difference overnight. =) its found in yogurt,but it doesnt do much cuz its kinda weak,u have to get it in pure form. im not much on snake oil,but it is the one thing that does work...:cheer:

[Talon]

Just for the record. I allow my birds a bite o two or three of ice cream. They take some sips of milk from my cereal, and have bites of cheese most days with me.

They will have yogurt as well.

Anything in moderation is okay, with the exceptions of the various foods that are without a doubt toxic to them.

B)

[ramsabi]

devonanno wrote:

.......... its found in yogurt,but it doesnt do much cuz its kinda weak,u have to get it in pure form. im not much on snake oil,but it is the one thing that does work...:cheer:

 

 

Work in relation to what?

[devonanno]

"Work in relation to what?"

im not sure i understand what you r asking.

if you r asking how i feel it works in relation to other things that are claimed to work and really dont do much on their claims(like vit drops in h2o and such)then its a no brainer.

if u r asking how it works in relation to what ailments it will actually benefit i would say pretty much anything g.i. related as it doesnt atack anything and only aids the body with an onslaught of some 20 billion live friendly organisms.

if u want to try it make u get the pure stuff,alot of companies have started to produce it and the fancier and yummier it gets the less efective it seems to be. much like when people used "mane n tail" conditioner on themselves just as much as their horses, it lost most of its potency when the manufacter changed it and made it "for people" and started to sell it at most stores, it was just a marketing campaign and didnt do much more than anything else on the market unless u got the original from a feed store. much the same the probiotic thing is in full swing and manufacturers are advertising it to sell diff things but it doesnt do much of anything once its been processed to that extent. in a shell, anything explosive ,icky, runny or watery will go away in a few hours in people or birds after consumtion.

as for dosage,adult humans take 2 tablepoons,if u reduce by weight the dosage to a bird it wuld pretty much b the tip of a pin and that wouldnt be enough,hehheh bout a 1/4 teaspoon is a good bird sized dose. alot of birds take it right from the spoon =)

ps-how is rishi doing?

Post edited by: devonanno, at: 2009/11/20 00:22<br><br>Post edited by: devonanno, at: 2009/11/20 00:25

[ramsabi]

Thanks Devon, Rishi is doing fine. But, the problem is that he has these scattered pink feathers all over the plumage which I understand in Greys could either be red factor or an indication of PBFD. So, I guess if it turns out to be PBFD, I will need a lot of advice and help from you.

[particle77]

Ramsabi, although I have no first hand experience with this, I've read that African Greys will sometimes temporarily end up with scattered red feathers if they were taking antibiotics at the time the feathers came in.

[ramsabi]

Thanks particle77, I too read that. It could be anaesthetic too. Rishi had both, but after the red feathers came out. The avian vet in Dubai said he "suspects" PBFD. If it is PBFD, I am sure we will know quite soon.

 

Also the vet asked us to give him Lactobacillus, that is why I was curious to know more about it.

[devonanno]

=( pbfd and pdd might as well be called "avian aids" my macaw,godzilla has pdd and im hoping that his being a hybrid(supposedly hydrids are more resistant to diseases) will help him fight and live longer.

i hope rishi does not have pbfd,=( it seems u have good vet working w you. =) the earlier u catch pbfd the better off you are. birds w pbfd tend to be prone to other ailments and the acidophilus/lactobacilus is definatly going to help rishi be it that he has (lets hope not) pdfd or just a reaction to some sort of antibiotic. he could have damaged feather follicles,("usually"caused by plucking),if its a reaction to an antibiotic its temporary and rishi "should" be back to normal with his next molt.(he may take a little longer or he may need a detox*) it would be nice if it was as simple as rishi being overlooked as a "king" grey

either way,give him the probiotic,if you dont already have it you can get it fairly easily. just make sure you get the probiotic acidphilus(it contains lactobacilus). hopefully rishi is just having a reaction. =) good luck till u hear more!

*21 days of nothing but distilled drinking water.<br><br>Post edited by: devonanno, at: 2009/11/20 07:30