Chicken or Meat for a Senegal ?

[StellaBlue]

Originally Posted by LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam

are these fresh or canned sardines? Canned are preserved with lots of salt, no? Packed in oil? I'm not a sardine eater myself, but this is what I remember....


Some things in moderation is fine, but things that are loaded/preserved with salt are probably not a good idea.....jmo

Yeah, they are canned sardines, and they are NOT a major dietary component for our birds. They are packed in olive oil, which is not a problem, but too salty for regular consumption. The packaging lists an entire tin (of perhaps 20 sardines) at 430mg, about the same as ordinary canned veggies or tomato sauce. Certainly too much salt if I let her eat the whole tin but not a problem for the perhaps 1/3 of a sardine she is permitted to eat. There are NO preservatives, just olive oil, fish, and salt. High in omega-3 oils, too.

That being said, Joey usually gets a little taste of everything we are eating that is not out-and-out toxic (NO chocolate, avocado, caffiene, etc..., of course). I'd wager that most people here (especially those with larger, more adventerous birds) share a bit of their people-food with their birds - and much of it is every bit as high in salt. Is there anyone whose birdies never get tastes of pizza, Chinese food, pasta in sauce (you haven't lived 'til you have seen a white 'too wrapped up in a plate of spaghetti and meatballs), chicken wings or fried chicken?

I don't think ANYONE is suggesting any of these items as a major dietary component. I think they are invaluable in terms of enrichment, dietary variety, bonding with your bird, and helping your bird to parse and accept a wide variety of food items. The bird that nibbles the occasional small bit of chow mein or snags the occasional passing tortilla chip with bean dip is probably also the bird that is getting a wide variety of fruits, veggies, and whole grain, as well as plenty of owner attention. Dinner is not typically shared with those poor cage-bound creatures living on a sunflower seed diet jMo...

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

like I said, I'm not a sardine eater, and what I did remember was that they contained alot of salt. Just asking a question...I appreciate you taking the time to clarify the information for me, and to any one else who wasn't aware of the 'ins and outs' of them! I don't eat canned veggies because of the amount of salt either, preferring to use fresh frozen. I don't see where birds living on sunflower seeds were discussed here, so I can't respond to that. You'll see a recipe here on Birdboard that I've been using for years with my birds, so I do understand what you are saying about the sharing of people food. I never would have considered sharing sardines with my birds, that's all. Thank you.

[StellaBlue]

Lissa,

Your base diet is very similar to mine (beans, rice, barley, assorted other grains depending on what is available,hot peppers, sometimes ginger). I serve the frozen mixed veggies seperately now rather than mixing them in, since I like different proportions for different birds -- my greenwing does better with more veggies, more seeds and nuts, and a smaller proportion of beans and brown rice than the other guys, so I mix his differently. They get whatever fruits and veggies are on hand, either seasonal fresh or frozen. They get all this stuff plus a good quality seed mix in the morning.

When I get home at night, any remaining fresh food is removed, water is changed again, and they all get little tastes of whatever we are having for dinner (this is where chicken, meat, or fish may show up). Basically, anything non-toxic goes here, but in limited quantities. This is more about love than food

Last thing at night, I check water again, replace it for the soupmakers , give the grays, the conure, and the mini-macaw a roasted peanut or an almond or two, and give the large macaws either a big bowl of mixed nuts, or whole grain bread with peanut butter (natural, low salt, unsweetened). Again, our greenwing needs a bit extra to keep him at a good weight and in top condition.

For treats I cook various birdie breads with veggies, egg and eggshell. The larger guys also get whole fruits maybe once a week to play with (usually right BEFORE I do major cage cleaning!) Other goodies occur more occasionally - scrambled eggs or little omelets or corn torillas wrapped around beans, corn, or potatos on weekends for breakfast once in a while, or an all-natural dog biscuit (either purchased or home-made) might be included with a few nuts in a foraging toy.

We have changed our diets off and on over the past 20 years. At one point we were feeding only pellets and home cooked food. We no longer feed pellets - the waste factor was high, the cost was high, we had concerns about dyes and preservatives. We've added seeds back into the mix on a daily diet, and seeds are now probably 20-30% of the diet on any given day. We've experimented, and this is what is working well right now, for our particular birds, in our particular situation. Our birds range in age from 2-20 years old, and we've had the 4 oldest for between 7-18 years, so we've had a good chance to observe what works well with them. As they age, I suspect we will need to adjust their diets again to meet changing nutritional needs.

Everyone feeds in the ways that work well for them and their birds. I think the key is variety, nutritional density, and paying attention to what works well for your animals.

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

I absolutely agree with you!

I too gave up the pellets about 6 yrs ago and went back to a good quality seed mix. I'd been using Kaytee, but have since gone to Volkman. I find them to be a wonderfully clean mix, and a great balance of seeds that all my fids can enjoy...pellets may have been the 'way of the future', but in my home, they've gone the way of the dinosaur!!

[Kevin]

Sardines? YUCK! I wouldn't feed anyone or anything sardines!

[2horse]

Rita,
You are absolutly right, sometimes different food is more about love than food. As long as it is not toxic anything is ok in small quantities, even tinned sardines.

[StellaBlue]

Originally Posted by keev

Sardines? YUCK! I wouldn't feed anyone or anything sardines!

Hey, Keev, sardines are tasty and *good* for you. My doctor recommends oily fish - sardines, tuna, salmon, mackrel - 3 times per week for its impact on cholesteral, especially triglycerides. So, at least once a week we get salmon for dinner, once a week we get tuna for lunch, and once a week we get a sardine appetizer - yummy with whole wheat crackers and a bit of cheese, a nice bottle of stout helps, too, and adds important B vitamins! (The birds do NOT share the stout, no matter how interested in B vitamins they may be!)