mix recipe, and corn free pellets?

[TheHolisticNanny]

Does any one have a "mix" recipe?
Might look something like

{very generic}
1cup dried fruit
1cup dried vegg
1cup nuts
1 cup seeds

I get a nice mix from my local bird place, but i would like to improve on the quality, so a recipe is in order!!!

Also right now I'm using Laferber pellets, Mo likes them well enough but I'm not crazy about the ingredients, personally I don't think corn soy or wheat should be in the top ten of a pellet mix..... Any one have any recommendations?


Thanks, Danielle

[Monica]

Roudybush Rice Pellets, TOP's, or Harrisons. (soy flakes...)

I'd mention Foundation Formula as well but corn is within the top 2 ingredients... so I think you are stuck to a rather limited amount.....

[chapala]

You can make up your own good diet leaving out corn, soy or wheat if you like by making Shauna's Mash diet (Feeding Feathers Yahoo forum). It's a fresh, whole foods diet excellent for birds. I don't know why you'd want to leave out wheat or other gluten grains though unless there is an allergy problem with an individual bird.

The mix you describe sounds very high fat with 25% being nuts. Nuts range from about 44% to 78% fat. Seeds also are high in fat. I would suggest for a dry mix grains rather than seeds - barley, oats, kamut, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat, millet (I would include wheat berries too).

I prefer to feed fresh fruits rather than dried, because of the very high concentration of sugars in dried fruits. I also prefer to feed grains and seeds sprouted for better nutrition and less fat and calories. It does depend on which species you're feeding too. The large Macaws for example need more protein and fat in their diets than most other species.

I don't know what you are feeding your birds beyond this mix, or do you want a mix that is 100% of the diet?

[TheHolisticNanny]

no no, the "recipe", I had earlier was GENERIC, as in I'm looking for a recipe that tells me how much of each, , it wasn't an ACTUAL............

Personally I feel that corn soy and wheat are OVER used in pet foods because they are cheap fillers and this make up the bulk of most pet foods, I"m looking for something more "top shelf".........I'm not fond of harrisons, it's very restrictive in that you can't feed alot of certain things outside of this diet, spinach for example......

I DO feed fresh fruit regularly, I also do give warm oatmeal (even tho he isn't impressed) I'm feeding an older wild caught CAG.

[chapala]

Well, the best diet to my way of thinking is still Shauna's Mash. Fine to supplement at mid-day with a good, natural colored pellet and a few other ingredients as a dry mix, but Mash morning and afternoon/evening. Not just any haphazard "mash" recipe, but Shauna's Mash - it's excellent and birds on it do very well. Feeding Feathers Forum on Yahoo, in the files section - look for Shauna's Mash - Basic Outline.

[chapala]

Harrison's can be fed as about 20% of the diet with Shauna's Mash being the rest, or another pellet at the same percentage. Fresh vegetables are very important in parrot diets, with a little bit of fruit, only 5 to 10% of the diet in fruit.

Spinach and other high oxalate vegetables such as Swiss chard and beet greens can be fed, but I would recommend not feeding any of them daily. They are nutritious, but the high oxalates bind the Calcium in the food. Parsley is too high in oxalates to be included in diets at all. A variety of different whole grains, the more easily digested legumes (mung, lentil, dried pea, garbanzo, adzuki), assorted fresh vegetables, a little fruit, a little seed and nuts, plus some natural supplements and you have a good base for the diet. Grains and legumes are fed at two parts grains (dry measure) to one part legumes for complete protein.