African Red Palm Oil

[Miffy]

Who uses it?

 

What are the Pro's & Con's.

 

How much should you give?

 

Any differences in African compared to South American Red Palm oil?

 

How do people serve it to their flock?

 

I am thinking of starting my 5 month old CAG on some just as a prophylactic. 1/4 tea spoon twice weekly. Hopefully it will help with feather condition, colour and dry itchy skin, although currently he presents with none of these. As I said prophylactic, as I think plucking once started can become physical as well as psychological so would prefer to prevent it before it starts, as the psychological aspect will probably be harder to overcome.

[judygram]

A lot of us grey owners use the red palm oil and you can give it every day if you like, that 1/4 teaspoon is the amount to use and you can mix it in other foods or pour it over vegetables or other foods they eat. If you use the pour method you will have to heat it a little in the microwave to make it more liquid but it doesn't harm the quality of the product to do so. Some people live where they have easy access to the actual fruit so their greys can get the benefits directly.

As far as benefits, I know that the palm fruit is one of their daily staples in their natural environment and it has vitamins that they need and provides benefits to the feathers but Dave could provide more info than I can on this subject.

[Spock]

Hi, Maggie writing for Jay...Judy is 100% right. RPO is full of your Omega3 acids,, beta carotene, Vitamin A ETC.... I did a report a few months ago on African/Asian etc palm oil, there is a major difference, only buy African... Ask Dave007/Danmcq what brand and where to get it, as well as other members..... Thanks Jay and Maggie

Edited September 3, 2012 by Spock

[Dave007]

Who uses it?

 

What are the Pro's & Con's.

 

How much should you give?

 

Any differences in African compared to South American Red Palm oil?

 

How do people serve it to their flock?

 

I am thinking of starting my 5 month old CAG on some just as a prophylactic. 1/4 tea spoon twice weekly. Hopefully it will help with feather condition, colour and dry itchy skin, although currently he presents with none of these. As I said prophylactic, as I think plucking once started can become physical as well as psychological so would prefer to prevent it before it starts, as the psychological aspect will probably be harder to overcome.

 

 

Red Palm Oil. I've been using it for yearsas well as loads of other people. It provides a very large amount of VIT A and VIT E which are very important that a bird have an abundant supply of. It's an add on to whatever food is being fed. In the wild, palm oil and palm nuts are a staple in their diet.

It's a light oil which can be given in different ways depending upon how the bird likes it. Some put it on a piece of toast and the bird accepts it. Some put a little on a teaspoon and the bird will take it but that usually applies to birds which are still newly weaned chicks. An adult grey doesn't accept it so easily but there is another method I've always used which works because a bird can't avoid taking it in.

I take a handful of pellets and let the oil drip on the pellets. The pellets absorb the oil and the bird eats the pellets. I've always had to use this method because Smokey, Tee and Jazz won't accept it any other way.

I'll explain about it but I'll also include pictures. When the oil is purchased, it's bit thick in the container and has to be thinned out in order to use it. What I do is take an old small seasoning bottle,( like the type that oregano or parsley comes in )clean it thoroughly and then fill it with the oil. When opening the new container the oil has an orange color. The filled up seasoning bottle is put into the microwave for approx 25 seconds. After microwaving, the oil becomes very thin( thinner than olive oil) and the color of the oil is a rich red. I then take a wooden stick that's a little bit thicker than the ink tube in a ball point pen. I put the stick in the oil and let it drip on the pellets. Then I take the pellets and mix them in with their seed mixture. Some people put it in oatmeal or on scrambled eggs. They don't even know the oil is there. It can be used once or twice or 3x or 4x a week.

The original container and the seasoning bottle can be put away wherever because no refrigeration is necessary. The oil will return to it's orange, thick texture. The name of the company that I give you sells it for about $7.99 plus S/H per container. There are other companies that sell it but it's much more expensive. The product would have to be purchased online.No matter what company sells it, it's all the exact same thing. People who have serious digestive problems also use this product.

 

Type in SWANSONS VITAMIN OUTLET. All of their thousands of products are much less expensive than other places because they're a huge vitamin outlet. I've done business with them for years.

When their main page opens up, look for any area that allows you to type in the product. Type in Red Palm Oil.

You'll then see the product which is 16 ounces. It will be listed as Red Palm Oil or Virgin Palm Oil. Both are identical.

 

Because you only have one bird, that container should last you about 8 to 12 months.

If you decide to use this product, after microwaving, the seasoning glass container should be allowed to return to room temperature before giving to your bird. A trick is to put it in the fridge fopr a little bit.

Think about it. You'll be doing your bird a big favor health wise.

 

It's called Red Palm Oil. Leave the word african out.

 

PS----It can be used for other parrots too.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Color of Palm Oil before Microwaving

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/Palmoilbeforemicro.jpg

 

Color of Palm Oil after Microwaving

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/PalmOilaftermicro.jpg

Edited September 3, 2012 by Dave007

[Timbersmom]

I'm going to get some. I order stuff for myself from Swanson's all the time.

[Dave007]

I'm going to get some. I order stuff for myself from Swanson's all the time.

 

 

That's good because S/H will be the same for everything you buy there. When I get the oil from them, I usually get 3 bottles because I have many birds.

Many years ago, they charged $5.99 but just like everything else in the world, the price slowly got higher.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Dave007

[Timbersmom]

For anyone else is interested in ordering from Swanson, if you sign up for their email notifications you usually get a % off code, and they run free shipping and other stuff sometimes. Just sayin...

[Zoom]

I just tried to order it from them, and they say it's unavailable from the manufacturer. So I ordered it from iherb.com instead. If anybody else wants to order it from iherb, you'll get a discount if you use the code CUY611 when checking out. (It's $11.01 before the discount there, so Dave's place is cheaper when they have it.)

[zandische]

I only buy Jungle Products African Red Palm Oil. It is a bit more expensive at $12 for a 16 oz but it was readily available at my local Whole Foods for awhile and is really great quality. It really doesn't matter if you buy "african" or not as long as you are buying the palm fruit oil and not palm kernel oil. The fruit is what greys eat in the wild and this is the oil with the healthiest nutrients. Red Palm Oil has had some shortages in the world recently due to natural disaster, so it's slowly making its way back to the shelves. I bought two jars a year ago from iherb.com and they were the only ones stocking it besides a company purporting to be "all natural" who raised their price $30 on their remaining supply because of the shortage. I just opened my second jar and probably won't need to order again until at least Feb!

[Miffy]

I wasn't sure if some Red Palm oil may be blended with other oils and sold off as Red Palm oil. The Red Palm oil from south east asia is a major reason why the orangutan's are close to extinction due to habitat loss. So yes I will source mine from Africa.

[Spock]

Here's part of a post my husband did recently on where it's grown.[with references] sorry, I meant to post this yesterday.

 

"Elaeis guineensis" is the only true Red Palm Oil, There are many different kind of oil palms. There are a few small [smaller then most] plantations that still grow the Red Palm. Oil palms are grown in many different parts of the world, some even grow the Red Palm, but the quality is degraded due to the soil[?] It appears that the soil on these few small plantations differ the anywhere else in the world, they've tried everything with no luck to reproduce this specific Red Palm and Its quality. If you look at the chart you'll see the large amount of Omega 3, 6, and vitamin E. If you notice, all greys aren't privileged to enjoy this Greyt meal, Mana is the main diet of Greys, Red Palm Oil is the main diet of Hyacinthe parrots. This site is copyrighted so you'll have to visit it, it's both a human and commercial site buy the chemical analysis is correct...http://www.palmoiltruthfoundation.co...d=48&Itemid=78.

[Dave007]

You know, it's sometimes get so thrown out of proportion when the subject of palm oil comes up. People start breaking down the ingredients and chemical components, naming things that many others don't understand. And they do this to make themselves seem like experts. I'm no expert concerning RPO. I simply know that birds benefit from it cause they eat it in the wild so I made it a point to tell people about it. I learned about this info from Vets. Loads of different species of parrots can eat the oil. I hate the taste or smell of it but that's alright. I'm not a bird.

Hmmm--who knows, maybe the birds know something we don't.

 

Years ago, I went through the trouble to tell loads of people about palm oil. I made a sticky about it. It was appreciated. Hundreds walked away and were happy cause they never knew about it. Loads of people were happy for their birds and started buying it and became inventive when using it. Some started shopping around to see if there were other places to buy it and they found those places which was great. Price was never an issue.

 

But periodically when I read all the hoopla from people concerning the oil and it's chemical breakdown and it's additives and it's ingredients and which ones are better than others and people start believing that their bird is doing better with one brand as opposed to another it starts to sound funny because I realize that with all the so called heavy duty investigating, the one most important thing that people aren't aware of because of a lack of investigating, is this--------

 

All the information that people find and read concerning that product has to do with people who are or about to use it, not birds. So all the judgements and decisions you're making about the product should be aimed at yourself, not birds. That's why all that info is listed . That link above has to do with people, not birds. Birds aren't people. It's only for you to read the ingredients and make the decision to use it in your own body. Thousands of people use palm oil in their own bodies. That's why it's sold. That's what all the info on the bottle is for. You, not birds.

Edited September 6, 2012 by Dave007

[danmcq]

Thanks Dave! It is important for all our members to know that and that Red Palm Oil is a staple food of greys, has been for thousands of years, the greys frequent those red palm oil trees and eat the flesh of the fruit through out the day.In fact the red palm (African Palm) was only introduced to other countries in late 1800's.

 

Greys eating red palm fruit in the wild: http://www.arkive.org/african-grey-parrot/psittacus-erithacus/video-08.html

Edited September 6, 2012 by danmcq

[Wingy]

Can the red palm fruit cause watery poops like other fruit?

[Dave007]

Can the red palm fruit cause watery poops like other fruit?

 

No. Poop comes out the same. No color change, no change in consistancy. No change in shape. No diarhea. No constipation. Just good olf fashioned poopies

Edited September 6, 2012 by Dave007

[Wingy]

Once the fruits become available I'll give them a try.

[Miffy]

Can you buy the fruit? or just the oil?

[Dave007]

Can you buy the fruit? or just the oil?

 

Think about olive oil. That's the consistancy that palm oil looks like when it's hot. As it get cooler it gets an orange color. Where palm oil is concerned, the word fruit is just another word for the flesh that surrounds the nut. It's all one thing.

[zandische]

this is where i found my first info on red palm oil...

 

http://www.holisticbirds.com/pages/palmoiltrials0803.htm

 

And yes, the majority of info available is for humans, but so is the majority of info about broccoli, kale, sprouts, etc. Most birds don't eat these items in the wild either, but we all know they are good for the fids because of their nutrient content, which replicates a more natural diet. Point being, it is not difficult to draw a comparison between vitamin A deficiency,captivity, and lack of a natural diet., so while "hard" scientific evidence may be difficult to find on the role of specific foods in our birds' diet, understanding how these foods benefit humans is very helpful to understanding how they can benefit our birds. while it is very well known that red palm oil is a natural part of a grey's diet, high concentrations of vitamin A and E have been shown to be effective at treating skin problems and infections in humans; looking at a greys physiology, you have a powder down,ground foraging species that likely derives a species specific advantage from these vitamins. A vet could probably explain this all in far greater detail, but i don't think you have to be an "expert" to put the pieces together. Just use common sense! :-) I didn't know anything about food and it's benefits until parrots came into my life ; now my health has been severely compromised by disease and it has been my birds who've taught me how to help my body heal through food. People laugh when I tell them that but i'm living proof :-)

[CLB]

I agree...eating like a bird is good for your health. Even if you are human!

[danmcq]

Once the fruits become available I'll give them a try.

 

They will probably never be available here due to shipping time issues and only small quantities ordered. They go from ripe to spoiled fairly rapidly. Thus the reason we all purchase and use Red Palm Oil regularly in their diets.

[Dave007]

I really don't know why I forgot this info. Probably the age, probably the arthritis, probably a lack of love but anyway, one very simple fact about palm oil----

 

1--When buying red palm oil, it'll say red palm oil which is good for your birds. No other words are used except Virgin Red Palm Oil which is identical to Red Palm OIl. Some companies like to throw that word in.

2 What you need to avoid is another palm oil called Queen Palm Oil. It's a big no no for birds..

 

Here's a link about it. Comes with pics and info but if you look at the other sites concerning Queen Palm Oil, you'll see what I mean. Remember, a big no no.

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=queen+palm+oil&qpvt=queen+palm+oil&FORM=IGRE

Edited September 6, 2012 by Dave007

[Sarasota]

.....probably a lack of love but anyway...

 

Awwwww! We love you, Dave!!!

 

Speaking of Palm Oil, Palm nuts, etc. Has anyone tried the products from The Cozy Nestbox? They aren't shipping until October, but I've heard good things about them. My guys are so odd with their likes and dislikes, I'm not sure if they would go for it. http://www.thecozynestbox.com/The_Cozy_Nestbox/Welcome.html

Edited September 6, 2012 by Sarasota

[Dave007]

Palm nut are fantastic but sadly, they're hard to get and they're very expensive but if you have the money, go for it. Greys love that stuff. In another post here in this thread, Dan showed a video of a bunch of greys eating those things. Here's Dan's video-----

 

 

http://www.arkive.org/african-grey-p.../video-08.html

[Timbersmom]

That's a good video. Sara, interesting link! Let us know how it turns out if you order.