Poor nutrition is a serious problem in captive psittacine birds. Seed-based diets are known to contain excess fat, low calcium : phosphorus ratios, and other nutrient deficiencies
Poor nutrition is a serious problem in captive psittacine birds. Seed-based diets are known to contain excess fat, low calcium : phosphorus ratios, and other nutrient deficiencies, whereas many consider nutritionally superior, formulated diets to be monotonous. As a result, many bird owners feed a mixture of seed, produce, and formulated diet. However, the nutritional contents of such mixed diets have rarely been evaluated and most packages stay on shelves for months making the quality and nutrition of those seed mixtures questionable.
Birds consume a wide range of foods in the wild, including seeds, nuts, grasses, flowers, fruits, insects, and the list goes on. Different food varieties are introduced as the season's change, and birds eat what is available to them. Poor nutrition will cause a bird to shorten its life expectancy and make him more susceptible to bacterial, fungal, and viral illnesses. A healthy diet strengthens the bird's immune system and aids in disease prevention.
For those who don't know, "chop" is just another word for salad, or "mash," as some people prefer to call it. Typically, it includes vegetables (which make up the majority of the food), grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes. It's a method to provide a tasty, nutritious variety of ingredients to complement their diet.
Our Chop Recipe
I prepare the ingredients in a large bowl and use a food processor to make them very finely chopped. I have smaller species, and they prefer their chop finely chopped. This batch of chop typically would last me three months as I like to freeze my chop and thaw it out as needed.
Ingredients:
Kale
Pecans
Brussel sprouts
Spinach
Brussel sprouts
cauliflower
brocoli
bell pepper
red turnip
pumpkin seeds
cranberry
Rolled oats
petite peas
pear
chickpea
couscous
green lentils
chia seeds
Gentle Reminders:
- Cook grains and legumes as per label directions
- Healthy fats are a necessity in a birds diet as an "all vegetable" diet will cause them to lose weight but try to keep this portion of the chop as a low portion
- I find that processing in small batches and with low settings are best to avoid creating a soggy mess.
