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Saturday Bird Breakfast - A pictoral adventure


zandische

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So here is a typical saturday morning bird breakfast. The birds love to eat on the counter, so usually I put their bowls next to the sink and give them stuff as I chop up their weekly bird salad (all fresh from the garden this week! Yay!) Sometimes they decide I need help...

 

We start with sprouts...mmm, yummy!

birdbreakfast3.jpg

 

mmm...there's a whole pile of chopped zuchini and peppers topped with grapes...you mean those are for USSSS?

birdbreakfast2.jpg

 

What are you looking at? The grapes are the best part!

birdbreakfast5.jpg

 

We thought you needed a Quality Control team for these apples. They've been properly certified now. YOU'RE WELCOME.

birdbreakfast1.jpg

 

Hey, it must be second breakfast. There are red palm oil-soaked veggies in my bowl!

birdbreakfast4.jpg

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Thanks everyone :) You're all welcome to come over for bird breakfast whenever you want!

 

Aw64 - my birds are 3 years old. When they are only 18 weeks they generally have a very limited view of what foods are really edible or "taste good" because they've only experienced what the breeder weaned them onto (hopefully veggies/fruits) and whatever you have begun feeding them. Most birds don't really develop a dislike of certain foods as much as they just don't realize what's in their bowl is food, and it can take time to teach them what foods are "good." Just be patient and keep offering an abundance of good foods. Also, a trick that has always worked for me is to let my birds see me eating the food first, then I offer it to them. I figure they consider me their poison tester so if I don't keel over from a blueberry, it must taste good and be good for them ;) You can also try putting some "bird salad" on your dinner plate and letting your bird "join" you for dinner. He'll eat other things on your plate too, but if he learns that bird salad is part of dinner, it helps reinforce that it's food and he should eat it. Also, I always include my birds in dinner prep too (unless it's potentially hazardous to their health) so they know that when the cutting board comes out there is usually going to be some tasty scrap they can scavenge off it. Most of the time they are good and stay on the far side of the counter where I give them tidbits from time to time to keep them occupied...but there is nothing funnier than watching your grey bird skitter along the counter toward the pile of veggies on your cutting board while they think your head is buried in the refrigerator and you aren't looking :D

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I love it! I can't believe your countertop is so clean. Weekend birdie breakfasts in my house are bedlam!

 

I'll try to get photos tomorrow and we can compare. :)

 

Haha, my countertop isn't clean...that's the curse/blessing of black granite...you can see ALL the dust and smudges but none of the dirt! LOL! I am constantly wiping that thing down and drying it...will never do black again, I swear!

 

Did you get your photos?! :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

I love the variety you give them. Is that a once a day meal? Do you prepare enough in advance to have some for a couple days? If so, how long does it stay good? And how much do you give them per meal? Sorry for all the questions. I just picked up my Virgil this last weekend (he's 25yrs old) and I get confused when it comes to the food. I'm trying to ween him off of seeds onto pellets and I want to give him all the fruits and veggies he needs. I just don't know how much food I should be giving him each day. I have read the percentages, but how much is the total amount? Can you do pellets say in the morning and the big meal with fruits, veggies, pasta, beans, ect. in the evening as dinner? I also have a fruit and nut mix that I mix in with his pellets. He still prefers his seeds though. Thanks in advance and again I'm sorry for all the questions. Teri

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TeriG... You have very important questions! We all do something different. I have three birds of different origins but prefer the same food. I give them their pellet mix, freezedryed fruits and veggies, all mixed together, in the morning. They also want 1/4 slice of toast, buttered. I have a "platter" of fresh fruits and veggies that they all share. Sunny, our sunconure is old, and losing weight. Now we are giving him fattening foods, but not crazy about mac and cheese, or spaghetti ( no sauce!) ( recommended.) He LOVES yougurt, eggs and bacon. Of course, I can't keep the other birds out of his fattening diet. I made a sauce free lazagna, which he loved!Who ever heard of a lazagna , with no sauce? As long as Sunny eats it, I'm good. Nancy

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:)http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190462-We-Feed-Our-Fid-s!!!-Update/page3

 

Nancy I'm sorry, No Bacon, never and instead of butter, use Red Palm Oil or Olive oil or Almond butter or peanut butter [low sodium organic] on a quarter slice of bread. Only a small piece of fruit a day. Leave the pellets and a 1/4 cup of good seeds in their cage 24/7, no peanuts in the shell and no sunflower seeds. You can give them 3 tbs a day of sunflower seeds a day as treats. Thanks Jayd

Edited by Jayd
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Jayd, whats wrong with bacon for Sunny? Of course, would never do it for my birds, just trying to fatten Sunny up.The only thing Sunny really likes, is Dannon yogurt, and spaghetti cut up. Any other thoughts?I have never provided a diet high with sunflower seeds, but giving them to Sunny. He's not ectastic. I need some great ideas to put some " meat", on Sunny's chest. Nancy

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Nancy, did your avian vet tell you thats a diet of humans foods you are using is good for your old sun conure? The reason I ask, is because a diet like this will kill him, if I understand this is what you feed him everyday, not just once in a blue moon. Bacon has a humongous amount salt and fat, which is detrimental to birds and people if eaten daily. If your vet advised this is ok, I would never go back there again. If your vet did not advise this, ask them what you could use as "Fattening" foods that are healthy as well.

 

Really though, a healthy diet is all they need. A bird will not starve themselves to death and eat when they feel like it. If your conure is old, it is not surprising weight would be a little lower due to less activity and muscle mass.

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My vet and trimmer recommended fattening foods like mac and cheese, pizza, to put some fat on him. The bacon, was just my own thought. Sunny hates the mac and cheese and pizza. He is use to a healthy diet. The adding of yogurt, is all he likes. I just want him to gain some weight.I'm not going to lose Sunny, because he is old... but active and appears happy and healthy. If he needs to gain weight... then thats what I will focus on. I do want to do it as healthy as possible. He is enjoying the extra attention! Nancy

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Thank you Nancy, Dan really summed it up really well, stick to a normal diet, hard cheese is ok on occasion. If I may, mac & cheese, salt and it's processed food, bacon, high cholesterol etc, bad fats, salt etc. Thanks Dan.....Jay

Edited by Jayd
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Nancy here is something to think about. Sunny might gain some weight with you having to close up with bird room while you go back to work. Don't feed him unhealthy foods just for weight gain. It will stress his other organs. Go easy on foods that encourage him to drink so he doesn't fill himself up with liquids instead of food.

Edited by Wingy
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I'm with you all! I was shocked to hear feed mac and cheese, pizza. I thought as we were being unhealthy, but trying fattening foods, I thought bacon was okay. How about oatmeal?I have always fed my birds a healthy diet, and they eat it. I provide minimal sunflower seeds, but am trying to sneak a few into Sunny. They are not his favorite. I need fattening food suggestions, but healthy. Nancy

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