Skinny Bird

[heyholly]

Hi, my parrot Ollie had just finished her egg laying period and has come out the other side of it rather skinny. I hadn't really noticed until recently as this hormonal stage turns her in to a bit of a moody cow, so I don't really handle her during this time (she bites and bites hard).

I've never really had this problem with her before but I don't think she's sick. She's acting very normal, bright and alert, not fluffy and shivering or anything.

Her diet consists of a good quality seed mix, cuttlefish, hard boiled egg, a variety of different veggies, including peas, corn, sprouts, silver beet, kale, carrots ect.

Her weight had picked up a bit in the last week but any ideas on what I can give her to improve her condition and maintain it over the next egg laying season? Thanks

[Wolf]

I am still learning about avian nutrition, Pajarita is much more advanced in this than I am, but for what it is worth, I think that I would add some cooked whole grains and wild rice to her diet and shortly before her breeding cycle a quality avian vitamin/ mineral supplement. I would also cut the high protein foods such as egg and cuttlefish from her diet when she is not in breeding season.

[heyholly]

Ok Thanks, I'll give that a whirl. What sort of grains would you recommend?

[Wolf]

This is the hardest part of this for me as I have no idea what is available in Australia in regards to whole grains. Oh well, there is always the internet to find what may not be found locally.
Perhaps it might be easier for me to tell you what I feed my birds, and we can go from there.
For breakfast I feed a cooked soft food consisting of lentils and white beans ( fully cooked), this makes up 25% of the whole grain mix which is cooked al dente, these grains are usually steel cut oats, quinoa, barley, red wheat, white wheat, and wild rice. The bean and whole grain portion makes up 50% of the food and the remaining 50% is made up of a variety of mixed vegetables and depends on what is available at the time I go to the store.
I also supply one or two fresh raw veggies and a fruit at breakfast. All of this remains in their cage for them until dinnertime. Which is when I give them their seed mix. I do remove the seed mix after my birds go to sleep.
I alter the flavor by using different vegetables or by the use of a few things like chili powder or other spices, sometimes I use a touch of molasses or honey. These are used just as a top dressing at the time of serving the food.
This is what I use to feed my birds and they all eat the same thing from my parrotlet all the way to my amazon. You can use this as a guide and use the veggies and grains that are locally available where you live. I also give them cuttlebones for calcium.
I hope that this will help you provide the best possible diet for your birds.

[heyholly]

Ok. I should definitely be able to get a few of them at least. That's very helpful Thank you.

[liz]

I have been giving mine Faro. They call me in the morning until I bring it. I have 7 cockatiels in a combined two cages so I have to feed volume to make sure they all get it. I put a half cup of Faro in a thermal cup and add boiling water. After 15 minutes the seed pops open and is somewhat soft. I added barley and oats but they go for the Faro first. I want them to eat 3 kinds.
I give them a plate of warm grain, a plate of 3 fruit and veggie then a plate of 3 kinds of crushed nuts (about a tablespoon) with steel cut oats and cocoanut. I change the veggie variety every day.
They get seed in the evening but I only have 3 that still eat it.

[Pajarita]

Warm food puts them in condition so I serve my gloop at room temperature only. I use either hard red winter or soft white spring wheat, kamut, oat groats, hulled barley, black japonica and red Himalayan rices for grains - for pulses I use small white beans and black lentils - veggies mixed in are chopped broccoli, peas, carrots, corn, white hominy, blue kale, sweet potatoes, butternut cubes, chopped green beans and chopped artichoke hearts. I only feed them hard boiled egg about three times a year and only during the breeding season (and this is a huge exception for me as I don't believe in feeding animal protein to parrots -bad cholesterol!)

[heyholly]

Thanks Liz and pajarita. A few new things for me to try there. It's never occurred to me to cook grain for them which is funny because I cook barley for my horses as a weight gainer

[Wolf]

I never tried cooking barley for my horses, although I did soak it overnight for them sometimes.

[DanaandPod]

I think I am going to try this goop recipe again myself for Pod. Now he won't even touch green beans or butternut squash and I have tried ginger or kayan spice. So, I am going to blend it and see what happens... I am thinking to put more peas since that is the veggie he will eat....really the only one now... And, He won't even eat anything but the fruit pellets or fruit. His most favorite is blueberries. Then mango. sigh.