Cockatiels and corn

[Lady Kakata]

Do any other 'tiel owners feed their birds corn?

I experimented with a corn-cob last night. I boiled it up, chopped it in half and put half of it in the cage using mini cable-ties (sterilising them by immersing them in boiling water first) to attatch it to the side of the cage. The other half I plucked all the corn off and added to their daily salad (which this week consisted of: brocolli, spinich, baby brussel sprouts and chilis)

Since I did this in the evening they didn't go to the corn immedietly, they never go to a new thing if it's put in in the evening, they do that in the morning or afternoon when they are far more active

So, I go downstairs in the morning, and they are at the corn! Specifically, Angel is eating the corn right off the cob, edges first. Bonnie, being the nosy and greedy flying weasel that she is, comes in and takes over the cob while Angel wanders over to the vegetable dish. She notices that I've put in some fresh veg, has a look and pulls out a piece of corn. I thought this was just a 'Ooo, more corn!' thing, but she actually picked out pieces of corn from the rest of the veg and ate them XD Clever birdie!

Clearly, I can count one girl in for liking corn

[WhiteRaven]

Hehe that's so cute! :D I feed a small amount of corn to my birdies.

[jenseits]

Corn tends to be very popular with birds. Not only is it tasty, but it's lots of fun to play with when it's on the cob.

It's not very nutritious though, very high in sugars, so ideally your birds aren't filling up on corn at the expense of healthier veggies.

I usually mix a bit of corn into a mash/mix if I have some though, because I know the birds like it.

[tielfan]

My tiels get some fresh corn kernels every day mixed with their sprouts. Grain and corn have incomplete proteins separately, but combined they make complete protein.

[chapala]

You also can feed a small piece of corn on the cob raw, no need to cook for the birds. The poster above is correct about not feeding too much corn. If you consider it as a treat and feed a small amount occasionally, fine, but it should not take the place of more nutritious foods in the diet as it will if offered more often. Most birds love corn!

[Lady Kakata]

I had tried corn before (tinned corn that I first offered as kernals, then as a puree) but they weren't keen. I've developed a rule of thumb with my two tiels; they will not like something new the first time they try it, it's always second/third/tenth time or when they are not offered but merely allowed to try it themselves out of their own curiosity

I bought a DRIED corn-cob parrot treat for them once (two full corn-cobs on clips that were sun-dried) as they were on special offer. They tried to eat them, but those kernals were insanely tough - yes, I tried biting/crushing one between my carnassels and it didn't even make a dent, and I have sharp teeth - and as such, Angel made it a game where she'd just strip the cobs of the kernals and let the kernals fall. For a while I wondered what the tacking noise was as the dry kernals bounced off the laminate wood floor! XD

I thought she'd be the first to try the cooked half-cob since she used to play with the dry cob treats, and I was right as far as I know. I don't want to get corn for them often as it stinks to me, but it's nice seeing Bonnie doing a corn-feast today instead of Angel, and Bonnie was rummaging around the veg today when she realised there were no more loose kernals in her salad (she has brocolli, spinich. brussel sprouts and chilies in the salad too, and I know that Angel loves brocolli)



EDIT: And note, Angel is usually better with her veg than Bonnie, Angel loves brocolli and carrot and now corn, while Bonnie eats carrots, brocolli, and maybe some others when she feels like it but being an older bird she isn't as into them as the younger (and more easily converted) Angel. At least I know that I can add corn to the list of veg that both birds will eat willingly and without any fuss or disguard for a more preferred veg

[Monica]

First and foremost. Don't feed canned veggies to birds. Full of sodium, preservatives, and other crud.

Second of all. Don't leave fresh/moist food in the cage overnight. Better yet, don't leave fresh or moist food in the cage for more than a few hours.

Third. Be careful of the foods you feed. And in large quantities. Foods that are high on oxalate content (oxalic acid) should be fed sparingly as compared to other foods. Fed too much, and you can literally poison your bird - by trying to "feed them right." Fed in small amounts and sparingly, these foods should not be an issue.
Oxalate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hence, feed a variety of foods in moderation. Much like a human wouldn't eat all carrots for veggies one day, and all corn the next, so should a parrot also be offered a variety of foods. The more variety, the better.

[Lady Kakata]

Monica:

1. Their food is not left in overnight. They are given fresh veg from a prepared salad (i.e. a 'birdie salad' I make for them from ingredients gathered) every morning as they are more active in the morning, and the contents of the salad differ on what is for sale in the supermarket and what I can try with them. Carrot and broccolli are staple items but they also recieve chilies (sliced, seeds and pith removed), bell peppers (ditto), watercress in small amounts as a treat for Bonnie as she adores it, lettice on rare occations as a treat as that was what persuaded them to try veg in the first place (they've gone off lettice now, hence it's a treat. The last time they had some was about a month ago, two months if I remember right), brussel sprouts, I've tried them with sweet potato but only Angel tried it and that was probably due to her mistaking it for carrot then looking at me bemused as she ate it, and of course this Saturday/Sunday's experiment with cooked corn, both kernal and on the cobb in case one tiel wanted one form and not the other

2. At the time I was told by numerous bird sites that tinned veg are alright but always strive for the fresh stuff whenever possible. Since I couldn't get corn-on-the-cobb at that point, I had to try tinned, and they weren't keen on the unfamiliar golden kernals

3. I am trying to give the best for the birds on an extremely limited budget. I am a very beginner bird keeper in that I've taken over 99% of the birds duties, and there are innumerable websites on the net offering advice, some of which conflicts others in their school of thought.

[chapala]

Sounds like you are making a lot of effort to feed your birds well! One little point is that you don't need to remove the seeds and membranes from chili or bell peppers. They love the seeds, and you can offer whole dry chili peppers as well from which they only will eat the seeds but have fun shredding (once they realize there are seeds inside!).

When you can't get fresh produce, look for frozen but still have to check for added salt. Canned vegetables are not good to feed, overprocessed and usually they have a very high sodium content.

[Monica]

My last post was only in part directed at you, but more so at others who may have read your post a bit differently. There are quite a few people who think that just about anything is fine to feed, because other people have fed it. Some people take things *TOO* literally, and it's not good... but you are right, there is a lot of conflicting info! There will always be!

Always try to go or fresh first. If you can't get all fresh, then go with frozen foods (and as Chapala has said, be careful of what you get). If some of that is not available, you can use some dried foods (but these, once again, you need to be careful of, due to higher content of sugars, preservatives, and other stuff). After that, then maybe, just *MAYBE*, canned/tinned goods... if you use any canned foods, be sure to rinse them well with water to try and clean as much junk off of the contents as possible. Otherwise, try to avoid canned stuff. Good for emergencies, or if you really can't get that item fresh or frozen. At least, that's how I feel.


I fully understand the limited budget! I spend about $60 per month (give or take, usually less if I already have grains and legumes available at home) on my birds fresh food, and make one big batch. With 9+ birds, this usually lasts about a month or a bit over that - with most of the food being frozen until needed.


It would be really great though if there was a bird club or a bird store nearby that perhaps once or twice a week (or as needed) would make up a big batch of fresh/cooked foods for the birds, and sold that to costumers/members. It probably wouldn't be cheaper than making your own, but would be easier for those members/costumers who have fewer birds.