by
Pamela Clark
I believe this diet has several advantages, not the least
of which is that I can feed fresh foods to over 40 birds on a daily basis, while
only chopping fruits and vegetables once a week. I'll try to explain this in a
step by step manner for clarity.
Once a week, I layer in plastic storage containers ( I use seven 2-gallon
containers since I'm feeding so many birds) the following:
Layer 1 (bottom layer) - chopped greens, which are varied each week. One
week, I'll use collard greens and parsley and mustard greens, and the next I
might use Swiss chard, kale and dandelion greens.
Layer 2 - chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes) green vegetables, including any of the
following: Brussels sprouts, zucchini and other summer squash, jicama, red or
green peppers, fresh hot peppers, chayote squash, green beans, fresh peas,
cucumber, celery, anise root, etc.
Layer 3 - chopped broccoli and shredded carrots
Layer 4 - dry, uncooked pasta. This will absorb some
of the moisture from the mix and soften nicely.
Layer 5 - cooked beans. I usually buy one of the 13 or 17 bean soup mixes,
which I soak overnight, rinse, and then bring to a boil and cook for about 25
minutes, then drain.
Layer 6 - a mixture of chopped apples, oranges and whole grapes
Layer 7 - frozen mixed vegetables.
The containers are then placed in the refrigerator (don't freeze).
Issues of freshness: This mix stays fresh in these tubs for up to seven
days for three reasons. First, layered salads stay fresher longer. Second,
the orange juice filters down and slightly acidifies that mix. The frozen mixed
vegetables placed on top super cool the mix immediately (cold air sinks/warm air
rises). I do also wash all the fruits, vegetables and greens with Oxyfresh
Cleansing Gele, which not only gets them clean but has some anti-bacterial
action.
Use: each morning, I empty out one container into a large mixing bowl. At
that point, I usually add other foods that might not either hold up, or stay
fresh in the layered mix, such as: soft fruits (blueberries, peaches,
plums, kiwi fruits, melon, etc), sprouts, or cooked grains (amaranth, quinoa,
brown rice, barley, etc). Sometimes, in order to generate a little
excitement, I'll sneak in a package of pine nuts or walnut pieces.
Usually, I feed nuts separately, but I like to use this mix to surprise the
parrots as well.
Once everything is completely mixed together, I put into another large bowl -
eight scoops of this fruit and veggie mix, one scoop of a very clean, high
quality seed mix and one scoop of pellets (either Foundation Formula or
Harrison's High Potency). This is then mixed together and fed to the
birds.
This recipe can be adapted for any number of birds with a little creativity, by
reducing either the number or size of the containers used or both. For
just one bird, you can create two small containers. One container will
keep for about three days, even after being opened and mixed up.
Advantages:
1.
There's no need to chop fresh foods every day.
2. Parrots are very visual creatures. If you stick a bird feeder outside, it will take the wild birds at least two weeks to start to feed from it. When fruits and vegetables are fed singly, or in large pieces, or in small combinations, and you add something new, it is likely to be rejected solely on the basis of the fact that it is visually unfamiliar. When you feed a mix like this, you can put anything into it and it will be accepted because the appearance of the mix hasn't changed overall.
3. This mix is exciting for the birds, and allows them a foraging experience. They never know what they're going to find in their food dishes and show considerable interest when I feed them. A huge amount of variety can be achieved. Greens and the types of vegetables used vary from week to week. The pasta shapes are varied (alphabet, whole wheat, elbow, etc.). You can use other types of citrus instead of oranges, including grapefruit, lemons, tangerines, etc. Instead of grapes, you can substitute fresh blueberries and pitted ripe cherries, or fresh cranberries. Instead of the 17-bean mix, you can use a soak and cook mix. Instead of grated carrots, you can use cooked and chopped sweet potato or winter squash. The possible variety is endless. I also vary the type of seed I use. I buy the Volkman's brand, since it is so clean, but will use Hookbill Super one day, and Parrot Super the next, or sometimes canary seed, or a combination of seeds from the health food store (sesame, pumpkin, etc).
4. Parrots that won't eat pellets, often will when they are combined into this mix as directed above because (1) they are part of an exciting mix, and (2) they will be slightly softened by absorbing some of the moisture from the mix.
5.
I leave this in the cages from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm, which you can't do
with mixes that have been frozen or cooked. Since the majority of the
foods are neither cooked nor frozen, they stay fresher longer. Bacterial
growth is increased by temperature, moisture, and the break down of cell walls.
This mix tends to be relatively dry, because the pasta and pellets absorb
the vast majority of the moisture. Further the cell walls in the fruits
and vegetables are largely intact because they have not been broken down by
either freezing or cooking. In hot weather, it tends to desiccate rather than
spoil.
And lastly,
6. Seed junkies can easily by converted to a fresh food diet using this mix and a methodical approach, which is outlined on the Nutrition Page.
