Abstract
Diet is a very important part of the
management of any aviaries. What
we put in the food we feed our birds
is what we get out of them: good
health, happiness and good breeding.
We prefer to spend more on good
quality foods than risk sicknesses and
having to spend so much more in
treatments and eventually losing a
valuable bird.
But before I go any further, one
thing must be clear: whatever is written
in this article is what we do at the
Parrot Breeding Centre. It works well
for our parrots, but it does not mean
it is the only way of feeding these
birds. I just want to share with you
our experience.
Sprouting the Seeds
The reason why we sprout our
seeds is that we firmly believe the
closer we get to a natural diet the
better. Sprouted seeds are of great
nutritious value because the oil content
of the seed is lowered considerably.
As the sprout grows, it uses this
reserve of oil as does an embryo
absorbing the egg yolk to develop.
Second, in the process of germination,
the vitamins are brought to
activity for the growth of the sprout.
Live vitamins are irreplaceable, and
this is where the breeders giving only
cooked beans are facing big trouble.
Adding artificial vitamins is good as
long as the general diet provides live
ones.
But sprouting seeds takes time
unless one can train the staff to do it
the right way. It is crucial to do it
properly otherwise fungi or germs
can develop. Also, this food must be
discarded when the evening feed is
brought or, at the latest, the next
morning. Our staff cleans all the
dishes early in the morning and this
avoids the seeds going sour.
This is how we do it: the seeds are
soaked in a large bucket of water to
which has been added calcium propionate.
This is absolutely necessary to
avoid the development of germs or
fungi during the germination pro-
cess. We do not always know where
the seed bags have been stored nor in
what conditions, before they
reach us. If one does not have the
time or the means to do it the proper
way, the best is to stick to dry seeds.
Sunflower seeds are soaked for 24
hours with calcium propionate and
rinsed very carefully the next day,
then left in the same bucket but without
water. In winter, it may take
another day for the sprouts to be
apparent. Oats will have to soak for
48 hours in water with Safe Sprout
but this mixture will have to be
changed after the first 24 hours.
Then it will take another two to three
days. Wheat is soaked for 24 hours,
then rinsed and left without water for
three days.
All seeds will have to be rinsed
every day whether they are left to
soak or without water. Sometimes
we sprout Mung beans. Wheat is
reduced after the breeding season
and increased again just before. It
contains vitamin E which induces the
birds into breeding condition, provided
they are ready. Oat is quite
high in protein and sunflower is a
good, nutritious base. It contains
many vitamins and minerals.
Every morning, six large buckets
are prepared carefully with two parts
sunflower, one part oat, half part
wheat. This represents three-fifths of
the total amount of food given in the
morning. To this is added two to
three tablespoons of a calcium supplement
in the form of powder.
One tablespoon of Biorhem is also
added, it contains dried lactobacilli
which are friendly bacteria that help
reduce the pathogenic bacteria. Several
veterinarians, especially Dr. Kim
Joyner, are still studying the real
effects on psittacines. One tablespoon
of kelp is alternately added,
this seaweed powder is very high in
calcium and all vitamins and minerals,
with Beefee Powder.
The seeds are then well mixed
together with those powders. In the
mean time, fruits such as apples,
oranges and pawpaws are cut into
small pieces. These are fed daily. Yellow
fruits are very high in vitamin A
and consequently are excellent for
African Gray Parrots and especially
Eclectus Parrots.
Other fruits given in season: figs,
grapes, plums.
Grated vegetables offered daily
include carrots, beet roots with their
tops, sweet potatoes, turnips, and
fresh lucern. Fruits and vegetables
represent two-fifths of the total
amount of food given.
Dried corn cooked for three hours
(or 1-1/2 hours in a pressure cooker)
is added daily and soya beans, cooked
in the same way, are added once a
week.
All this is mixed together with the
sprouted seeds in the buckets, and
fed to the birds immediately.
We feed them ourselves because
the amount varies from species to
species and even from pair to pair.
For example, Spectacled Amazons
out of breeding season require more
fruits and vegetables than seeds,
otherwise they grow too fat. It also
allows us to check on every one of
the birds. A sick bird requires quick
action. Slices of corn on the cob are
given daily to the Palm Cockatoos
and to the Eclectus Parrots.
In the evenings, two to three times
a week, we give them Avi-Sup mixed
with warm water. We have found
that they will eat more readily if it is
offered warm and especially when
the weather is cold.
A vi-Sup is a South African product
which consists of pre-cooked, easily
digestable, human-grade quality
ingredients that have been blended
together in the correct balance of
proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibres,
vitamins and minerals.
At the start of the breeding season,
Avi-Sup is fed every evening to the
breeding birds. When the chicks
have hatched, we add scrambled
eggs, but they have to be well
cooked to avoid any eventual germs.
Available at all times in a second
dish are dry seeds containing a mixture
of canary, millet, sorghum,
linseed (in small quantities: it is quite
oily but helpful in preventing eggbinding
conditions). Every single
pair, from the smallest conure to the
largest macaw, gets it and they all
enjoy it. In winter and at the start of
the breeding season, the larger parrots
get pecan nuts regularly.
This diet works very well at our
Centre. It is essential to provide the
birds with top quality foods as well as
a diet correctly balanced in order to
prevent diseases, poor breeding,
poor hatchability, egg binding and all
problems related to any deficiencies.
What would be saved on food would
be spent ten times more in medicine
and veterinarian costs. It is essential
to work with an avian veterinarian or
dietician to make sure the diet is the
right one for the type of birds one
keeps.