Dinner Time for Humans

[Nikki]

Please tell me how you people handle dinner with birds. It was not bad with one little green cheek, as my conure was happy with a treat or two on her rolling stand. However now that we have 2 birds & they are in the kitchen area, mealtime has become a problem. Even if I feed my timneh first she wants to come to the table. She clucks & sometimes flys off her the island countertop where I have her. If I give her her own dish she still wants me to feed her by hand or she wants to check out my plate. I really don't want to start bad habits here & meals are getting messy. Her big cage is nearby but neither one of them is happy to be caged while we are eating & I hate to hear the protests. I keep reading about eating meals with the flock & I know thats what they want to do...HELP!!!!

[Dave007]

1--your birds shouldn't be in a kitchen when you and or family is eating. That makes for very bad habits in the future.

 

2--even if you think it's quite adorable when they're in with you, they shouldn't be there.

 

3---the cage is the place to put them at dinnertime just like the table is the place that you sit and eat.

You don't jump into their cages to eat dinner and they shouldn't be in your dining area where you eat dinner.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/01/22 03:50

[judygram]

Aww come on Dave, you are spoiling all the fun of having the fids come in and enjoy dinnertime with the family, running their little talons thru the food on the plate, throwing what they don't like on the floor and flinging what sticks to the beak wherever it will land. Thats what is wrong with the world today, no one sets down to the family dinner table with all the family together.

[LisaM]

Here's what I do:

 

I feed them on their playstands first (something they love like cooked mash, oatmeal, fresh sprouts, etc.). Then if they fly off towards us while I'm cooking dinner or we're eating at the table, I immediately put them back on the playstand and tell them to stay put. If they fly off again, I then put them in their cage for the rest of the meal (and ignore the protests).

 

It took awhile but they almost always stay there now and it's very rare that I have to put them in their cage.

 

Our cages are in a room adjacent to the dining area, but they can't see us (they can clearly hear us though).

 

The main reason we do this is because sometimes we're eating something that would not be good for them if they happened to get some and sometimes they move pretty darn quickly!

[Jane08]

We pretty much do what Lisa does. Put them with their food on their perch and if they fly to us I immediately put them back. I also wait until they have been sitting on the perch for a couple of minutes and then get up praise them and give them a bit of what I am eating. If they fly to me 3 times then they are straight in the cage. They are pretty good at staying on the perch now.

[Nikki]

lol Judy thats funny (but true) I guess having a smaller young timneh I allow things that could not take place if I had a large grey. The image of that really makes me laugh & I can see how ridiculous it could be! I'm going have to be a tougher bird mom. We're going to have to eat in peace or my hubby will not be happy about this at all. He's already upset about the poop rag in the kitchen sink....

[judygram]

You haven't lived until your grey romps thru the plate of mashed potatoes oozing them over the sides and flinging the rest all over wherever it happens to land. :blink: :laugh: :unsure: :woohoo: :whistle:

[Nikki]

Reminds me of this:

 

How To Stuff Your Parrot For The Holidays

Ingredients:

• One turkey

• Corn pudding

• Green beans

• Stuffing

• Sweet potatoes

• Mashed potatoes with gravy

• Cranberry sauce

• Hot rolls

• Relish tray

• Pumpkin pie

• Whipped cream

• Hot coffee

Get up early in the morning & have a cup of coffee. It's going to be a long day, so place your Parrot on a perch nearby to keep you company while you prepare the meal. Remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch.

 

Prepare stuffing, and remove Parrot from edge of stuffing bowl and return him to perch. Stuff turkey & place it in the roasting pan, and remove Parrot from edge of pan and return him to perch. Have another cup of coffee to steady your nerves.

Remove Parrot's head from turkey cavity, return him to perch, and restuff the turkey.

 

Prepare relish tray, and remember to make twice as much so that you'll have a regular size serving after the Parrot has eaten his fill. Remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch. Prepare cranberry sauce, discard berries accidentally flung to the floor by Parrot.

 

Peel potatoes, remove Parrot from edge of potato bowl and return him to perch. Arrange sweet potatoes in a pan & cover with brown sugar & mini-marshmallows. Remove Parrot from edge of pan and return him to perch. Replace missing marshmallows.

Brew another pot of coffee. While it is brewing, clean up the torn filter. Pry coffee bean from Parrot's beak. Have another cup of coffee, remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch.

 

When time to serve the meal:

- - Place roasted turkey on a large platter, and cover beak

     marks with strategically placed sprigs of parsley.

- - Put mashed potatoes into serving bowl, rewhip at last minute

     to conceal beak marks and claw prints.

- - Place pan of sweet potatoes on sideboard, forget your

     presentation as there's no way to hide the areas of missing

     marshmallows.

- - Put rolls in decorative basket, remove Parrot from side of

     basket and return him to perch.

- - Remove beaked rolls & serve what's left.

- - Set a stick of butter out on the counter to soften; think

     better and return it to the refrigerator.

- - Wipe down counter to remove mashed potato claw tracks.

     Remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch.

- - Cut the pie into serving slices. Wipe whipped cream off

     Parrot's beak and place large dollops of remaining whipped

     cream on pie slices.

- - Whole slices are then served to guests, beaked-out portions

     should be reserved for host & hostess. Place Parrot inside

     cage & lock the door.

 

Sit down to a nice relaxing dinner with your family, accompanied by plaintive cries of "WANT DINNER!" from the other room.

[Tigerlily]

if i don't want to share my food and eat in peace then Tigerlily HAS to be put in her cage, which i must say is rare.

 

i have her stand close to me and will only give her food if she's on it. if she climbs off i hold the food by the perch so she has to climb back up to eat it.

 

we're still in the trainning process with this one but mostly she knows if she stays put she'll get what she wants in the end

[Nikki]

I'm actually fine with sharing my meal with my birds, it's my hubby who is looking on who thinks things are getting out of hand. Last night we had a soup which had black eyed peas in it. I cannot believe how many she ate! I had fed her earlier & she still found room for more. I think it is the 2 birds together that make it feel to much. One would probably be much easier. I like your idea tho. That might work for lunch or breakfast. I'm thinking cage time may be the only way to go for dinner.