Bird only does tricks for treats!

[Pajarita]

What brands do you two use? Or what would you consider a "high quality seed mix" (what makes it supiror to other mixes)?

Also the Internet is very contradicting.
It says garlic power, chilli flakes, kale, chickpeas, lentils and beans are food for birds but then other sites say so completely avoid them. Heeeelp!!

All these things are fine, it's only how much or which kind that makes the difference. Garlic powder is fine if used in small amounts (I use the garlic that comes chopped in a glass jar, instead of the powder). Chili powder or flakes are fine, same as anything that is hot and spicy (parrots love them). Kale is highly nutritious but you can't feed it every single day and it should always be organic. Chickpeas should be fed every now and then and not all the time because of their high levels of purines which affect uric acid. Lentils do too although not as much but I still use them in my gloop because of all the other 'good' stuff in them. Beans are fine but I only use the Small White Beans in my gloop because they are the lowest in the bad lectin all beans have (red kidney been the worst and that's why the toxin is usually called 'kidney bean toxin').

A high quality seed mix is one that has mostly good seeds in it (not too helpful, is it? ) Look for mixes that list more cereal grains (wheat, oat groats, millet, etc) than oil seeds (sunflower, safflower) and, if it has sunflowers, make sure it's not a lot and that they are mostly the grey striped kind and not the black oil ones. Don't buy very large quantities because unless it has a 'packaged date' on it, you don't know how long it has been on the shelf (I buy directly from the manufacturer to ensure freshness) and, although seeds can be consumed long after they were packaged, the longer they are out there, the more aflatoxin they will have (aflatoxin is a deadly toxin produced by the fungus aspergillus which is found EVERYWHERE but mostly on dry grains and seeds).

[Cresseliaaaa]

Possibly the most information-dense essay Ive read on this article.

His trial gloop (I haven't given to him yet until you guys approve) consists of:
Kale powder, garlic powder, chilli flakes, dil, parsley, carrot, corn, plant sprouts, lentils, broccoli, quinoa, pasta and brown rice. I started soaking chickpeas but I was very concerned it wasn't good for him so I haven't added it in yet. Thoughts? I won't be offended if it has to be thrown out.
I'm limited on ingredients as I'm stuck with my dad for a month and all he lives off is salad mix (step mum is away).
I was hoping to add cauliflower, more sprouts, peas, snap peas and sweet potato but I didn't have any.

[Pajarita]

It's fine for a first try and you can offer it to him but I would change the recipe for long term feeding. I would not use parsley at all, I would replace the garlic powder with a bit of fresh garlic (but I would not add it to the mix I would be freezing, I would add it at the last minute so he doesn't get garlic every single day -my birds get it once a week only), dill is fine but it also has quite a distinctive taste so I would also use it for flavoring and alternate its use, chickpeas only occasionally (my birds get it maybe three times a year, the last gloop batch had some because they do love them but they won't get any more for months) and they need to be cooked (pulses should always be cooked and thoroughly at that), pasta is fine but it needs to be whole grain (white flour not really been nutritious at all). I would also try to add more grains to it (see if you can find barley, it's in all supermarkets - steel cut oats, too -sometimes they call it Irish oatmeal). The trick to switching them is to start by offering more whole grains than anything else and slowly add veggies until you have a 50/50 mix.

[Cresseliaaaa]

He eats 90% of the things I give him. If mum eats it he will want it.
He likes his gloop. I might give it twice a week because of the parsley and garlic.

Do you have a recipe you could recommend ?

[Wolf]

I don't do it this way as I prefer to make it myself and am still improving it so my recipe is in a state of flux, but if you are looking for an easy basic recipe that you can build from.

1 box Kashi 7 grain pilaf
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 can white beans
Cook the grains from the pilaf al dente, you want them soft on outside hard inside
Thaw vegetables
Drain and rinse the white beans

For each cup of cooked grains add 1 cup of veggies and 1/3 cup white beans

There you have a good base for what ever flavors or whatever else you may want to add.
I hope that this helps.

[Pajarita]

Yes, but add chopped broccoli (frozen aisle of supermarket), baked sweet potatoes (I use the Potato Express bag for them) and a bit of flax seed to it, too.