Day 1 of Food Management

[GreenWing]

sorry just wanted to add - although i wrote above that parrots "are not food managed in the wild" come to think of it one might interpret the ups and downs of seasonal food availability in the wild as a kind of "food management" - albeit conducted by mother nature . just a thought. my main point, however, is that they do not eat discrete meals in the wild, but nibble at leisure throughout the day, whenever food is available and whenever theyre hungry. and they always burn up the excess calories through activity.

I've worked with dogs all my life, did volunteer work with guide dogs in socializing them, and food management is best for dogs in particular. In theory this seems to be logical for other animals as well, such as parrots.

BUT Friend2parrots echoes what I was told by an Avian Vet. That's NOT to say I disagree with Michael; I'm a bit torn on the issue and I can see both sides of the spectrum. I think food management works but at the same time, the Avian Vet I visited with advocated free-feeding. A Senegal in the wild, when hungry, is going to seek and forage for food. With food management, they don't have that option. If the bird is being free-fed, and is able to get its exercise, I don't see why it's necessarily a bad thing.

The issue with Tiki in particular is that she's a baby bird and I don't think strict food management is something to yet establish; she needs the calories. When she gets older it is something I'll revisit. Meanwhile Michael is officially my mentor and I'll be consulting with him after studying the videos.

[Michael]

By 1 year old, I think up to 90% of the food management strategy can be safely implemented. That would include twice daily scheduling, dilution through veggies, and even somewhat moderated quantities (instead of 10% reduction, maybe 2-5%). The only important thing to remember is that this may not yet be the established baseline adult weight so the target weight may need to be reevaluated again. However, with mine I haven't noticed much of a difference past the first year.

Also, the food managed parrot DOES have ways to get food, that's training. If the bird were desperately hungry, which in our ways of management won't be the case, it would be doing everything it ever learned to try to get your attention to feed it. Food management without training might be tough, but if the bird has ways of getting your attention and earning food, it works great. Someone has yet to convince me a single health benefit to free feed. I know there are restrictions or potential problems when it comes to management, but I have not seen any evidence that a parrot on freefeed is healthier than one that is schedule fed or 10% leaner.

[GreenWing]

Also, the food managed parrot DOES have ways to get food, that's training. If the bird were desperately hungry, which in our ways of management won't be the case, it would be doing everything it ever learned to try to get your attention to feed it. Food management without training might be tough, but if the bird has ways of getting your attention and earning food, it works great. Someone has yet to convince me a single health benefit to free feed. I know there are restrictions or potential problems when it comes to management, but I have not seen any evidence that a parrot on freefeed is healthier than one that is schedule fed or 10% leaner.

That's a very good point.

Sorry to bring up dogs again as an example, but this is exactly how it is when training a dog to be a guide. It's motivated by praise and treats. I don't see how it would be different with a parrot.

So, yeah. Touche.

[marie83]

If the bird is being free-fed, and is able to get its exercise, I don't see why it's necessarily a bad thing.

I don't always see it as a bad thing but free fed birds can and do eat far more than they need. Harlie my 'tiel was actually more round with a tiny head stuck on top than bird shaped when we got her. She was at least over a 3rd of the weight she should have been when I got her, at that point I was still free feeding and she was only getting bigger.

I will on occasions revert back to free feeding for a short time, I have free fed the last few days as we have snow, the roads are horrendous because our country cant seem to cope like other countries do. Therefore worry about delays/accidents and my pets being stuck at home with no food. I can already physically see her putting on weight.

I feel there are much more drawbacks to free feeding than benefits. I think very young birds should be free fed though, I don't necessarily think that needs to be right up into sexual maturity but its not something I've researched tbh.

[Pralina]

I just wanted to let you know that I have been successfully food managing my birds since January first!! They are in great shape, both physically and mentally. All the pro's listed on this forum, including hormonal pro's, I can see in my birds now 66 days in. The cons well... as well.. they ARE very active, no more perch-potatoing!!!

I've started also training them.
Ok they are rescues, pluckers, they don't know what to do with themselves (Im talking about my alexandrine and my female timneh)... so I really have to start aaaaall over again from the basics: desensitizing them to the clicker (click, treat (sprouted seed), click, treat, click, treat).
Im trying a bit of beginners target training (target, touch, click, treat).
I also tried to introduce the notion of recall (fly on cue to my hand that is riiiight there at 1 foot from your perch) and this is reaaally not easy for them to understand. They like flying whenever wherever they want to....
So Im really starting from scratch here.
If I'd like to learn from you, Michael, and as your youtube channel and your blog are sooo vast, which video links me to the first baby steps of training ? Like when your birds didn't know anything yet? Im kinda lost... hehe

Oh, also I did share some of my daily experiments on the French forum : I got blasted, misunderstood, apparently I am starving my birds! Ok, so nevermind them!

So Ive decided that this weekend will be the big photoshoot weekend of their food bowls.
Id post them here.
Id like to show you guys what I feed, how much and when... and see what you guys think... cause it appears I can't portray it in writing properly. And you guys have experience in food management!