What seed mix do you guys feed??

[Just5398]

Hi everyone, I was hoping I could get some suggestions on the type of bird seed you all feed your Grey's. I have been giving Merlin Nutriphase Gold. I like it beacuse it has a pretty good mix of stuff; Carrots, bananas, corn, pellets, safflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, split peas and some other things I can't remember right now. It also has a ton of little seeds that he doesn't eat so there is more waste than what he actually eats. I also offer him other foods in other dishes. He is a feather puller/destroyer. He's only been here for 3 weeks and I don't know how old he is since I adopted him from his second family.

Thanks so much!
Sally, Bailey, Olivia and Merlin

[bekfreak]

There's no seeds in Bella's diet other than pumpkin seeds in her food. I give her something from Birds Paradise called Ultimate Blend it has two different types of pellets and a bunch of other goodies...dehydrated fruit, veggies, and some nuts.

She also gets frozen veggies and fresh. Fruit. Some nutts and the occassional bit of chicken and salmon. :)

I would keep away from the seeds like the sunflower and salflower. They've got no nutritional value to them.

[Lisa B]

hi sally,
your gunna get lots of different opinions on the Seed Subject.
I do feed seed. Have for over 30 years. Its not thier main diet but it is offered. Its about a ratio of 30% ish. I use Higgins Safflower Gold mix. Have since the early 90's. I have brought a sample of the food dish contents to my vets to show them thier daily offerings. I have never heard a bad comment,from any of them. I had also had a bird hospitalized for weeks and I had to bring in food for him. Again, same mixture I use to this day, and the vets were very happy with the mix I brought.

[leighrivera161]

I also use the Bird paradise Ultimate Blend. Has over 50 ingredients, that besides the pellets are human grade. There is an on line store www.birdparadise.biz they ship! If you're not too far north or want to take the trip, the store is worth visiting and the knowledge of the employees there is hard to find. Now, the topic of seeds, I agree with Lisa B on this especially with greys. Safflower contains a beneficial oil that helps to keep the oil glands active. Here is something Ive researched. When birds preen its for other reasons besides grooming. Vitamin D is ingested from their feathers for 1. Next, their oil glands are stimulated by the action of preening. So if a bird has an underactive gland due to something missing in the diet, they will over preen to the point of plucking. In the wild, Greys eat Palm Nuts which is said to keep those oil glands healthy and active. This can still be added to their diet by adding Red Palm Oil to cooked food. Heres my proof. In July I adopted a Congo Grey who was a rescue found outside. He was in pretty good shape but he was over grooming 2 strips on his chest to the point of exposed down. Could have been nerves, a bad habit...coulda been anything! SO I give him a few safflower seeds as a treat and I also use something called Avian Trio. The 3 key ingredients are, Bee polin, Propolis, and Royal Jelly. All birds get this in the wild from flowers. I saw a near immediate improvement when I started using this and it also can be found at Bird Paradise. Recently I added the Red Palm Oil (bought at the same store)to his cooked food and his over groomed areas are almost completely grown back. But Sally, keep in mind, your grey is probably very stressed right now and that will only make the plucking worse. Encourage him to have showers for moisture on those areas. You will learn as you go and Birdboard is a great source of info! I sure hope this helps and please consider those 3 things in the diet!

[JoanneinNC]

Lisa,

Do you think that seed mix would be okay for Nemo (Pacific Parrotlet)? I was just thinking today that the seed mix I use isn't the greatest. It is Kaytee..and I know everyone on here hates that brand. lol. My vet recommended Harrisons seeds..but then checked out their website for me and found that the only seed they offer is for wild birds. Can you purchase the seed in the store or do you get it online? All I can find in the pet stores near me is the Kaytee..and something in a bin..but I don't think that is a good idea. Is it? I was just going to ask this question!

Joanne :0)

[cpryslek]

i also feed my fids a seed based feed. i also use higgins. i use their sunburst med size diet one. sassy and cuddles love it, it smells like oranges. they also get a varied diet. i would like to try out higgins mayan diet that just came out.

[greyburd]

Lisa B. and I pretty much feed the same diet to our birds. Although, I don't think the Safflower Gold makes up 30% of my guys' diet. I do feed it, though!!!

[CALVINS MOM]

Here comes the anti-seed big mouth (me) I don't feed any seed. Just a pelleted blend (Ultimate Blend) and tons of fresh/cooked stuff. There are a lot of differing opinions here regarding seed. I work at a bird store and hear horror stories almost weekly about birds who have died as a result of seed diets. So I choose not to feed them. Just heard another one on Saturday. A woman heard me talking to a man about a good diet for his Amazon. She said "I am sorry to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear what you were telling this gentleman. Listen to her. I just lost my Amazon of 21 years due to sunflower and safflower seed." She said the vet said he was full of fatty liver tumors and disease. I hear this too often for my comfort level.

[greyburd]

Kathie, I hear what you're saying. But was that person feeding anything else other than seed?

Compared to everything else Spencer and Tristan eat.... the seed is very minimal. I've actually cut back on the amount of seed that I feed once they really started digging in to the Ultimate Blend.

[CALVINS MOM]

She got upset and teary-eyed when she told me, so I merely said I was very sorry. I didn't want to ask, although I believe she said she also fed veggies. (It apparently only happened last week). I looked down and she had in her hand our Ultimate Blend. So, I assume she was staying away from the seed blend altogether for whatever other birds she has.