Posted On Oct 13, 2022

Like in the human world, the bird world has a variety of opinions on what exactly is the best diet for our birds. While there is no crystal-clear formula on the exact amounts of the specific food needed for each bird, one thing we know for certain is that a healthy and delicious diet is the best diet! 

Some estimates suggest that 80-90% of avian health issues are due to improper nutrition. Their diet is absolutely critical to ensuring its health and longevity. Birds with a nutritious diet are less likely to suffer from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, as their immune system will be better prepared to fight off such infections. As we continue to learn more about the needs of birds, we continue to improve their diets. No longer are commercial dry seed alone diets adequate enough for their health. These diets often tend to be too fatty, and a clear line can be drawn from these diets to certain avian illnesses.

But we get it; our fids can be picky, fussy eaters! They like to stick to what they know. Commercial seed diets are to birds what junk food is for humans. It tends to taste really good but has little nutritional value and causes more problems in the long run. In many cases, especially when all a bird has ever known is a pure seed diet, it can be difficult to get them to eat what they should. 

If you've ever gone on a diet or tried to cut out junk food for a healthier lifestyle, you know exactly what we are talking about! The first few days aren't any fun when you are craving that delicious junk food, but once you stick it out a little while longer, the healthier options start to sound just as delicious, and the cravings for junk food are gone! So, if you want to get your bird on a healthier diet, it may be a little discouraging at first but don't give up! Eventually, your bird will prefer the healthy foods when given the option.

Chop Diets

Now that we've talked a little bit about the importance of a healthy diet for our feathered companions, what does a healthy diet actually look like? The main components are vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, and healthy seeds. There are a couple of great ways to prepare a diet like this for your birds. One is a DIY way of preparing your birds' meals, often called a chop diet. As the name suggests, a chop diet combines all of the components of a healthy diet together and chopped up! Chopping all the ingredients and mixing them together creates a delicious medley for your bird, with the added benefit of finely chopped and mixed ingredients, making it less likely that our birds will pick out only the things they like most!

 A chop diet is the bird equivalent of meal prepping like us humans like to do! If chopping up vegetables and fruits every night doesn't sound like your idea of fun, why not only do it once a week? Once a month? Once every three months even? Chop can be premade, sectioned into single serving sizes, and frozen; so long as it is properly packaged and doesn't suffer freezer burn, your homemade chop can last as long as 12 months! Then all you have to do is thaw out three days' worth or so and keep it in your fridge until it's feeding time! Longer than three days and the chop can lose its freshness and begin to spoil.

 There are a couple of ways to prepare your homemade bird chop. For little birds, you may prefer to use a food processor to finely grind up the ingredients into tiny bite-size pieces. For medium to large-sized birds, typically chopping all the ingredients with a chef's knife into small or medium chunky bite-sized pieces works just fine. The best part about DIY chop is that it can always be customized to fit your birds' preferences and taste palates. 

One of Cheeky Birb's favorite recipes:

Ingredients:

• 1 Carrot

• 1 Small Sweet Potato*

• 1 Bunch of Kale

• 1 Bunch of Swiss Chard

• 1 Bell Pepper (or colored mini peppers)

• 1 Zucchini

• 1 Bunch of Sprout

• 1 Cup Split Peas*

• 1 Cup Quinoa*

• 1 Cup Chia Seeds**

• 1 Cup Flax Seeds**

• 1/4 Cup Diced Apple

• 1/4 Cup Almond Slices

* Requires light cooking. Keeping the cooking time to a minimum, such as boiling Sweet Potato in a pot with a tight-fitting lid for 20 minutes, we can preserve up to 92 percent of the nutrients. 

** Can be given raw or sprouted 

Instructions:

Cook the ingredients that require it. Once you've gathered all of your ingredients, remove the tops and cores, chop away and combine! 

Feeding quantities:

It depends on your bird, but use the following as a rule of thumb: 

•1-2 teaspoons budgerigar

•1- 2 tablespoons Cockatiel/Conure/Ringneck

•2-4 tablespoons Eclectus/Galah/Cockatoo/Amazon

Tips and Tricks:

 Use small portions and freeze the remaining chop since it only keeps for three days in the refrigerator. You may do this in a frozen bag, a small Tupperware container, or an ice cube tray, depending on the size of your bird. Scooping the mixture into the cups of an empty cardboard egg carton and firmly pressing it in place is a practical and fun freezing option. To make an easy-to-use yet entertaining foraging food toy, simply rip the cups off when it's time to feed. 

Fresh Dried Produce Diets

 Aside from DIY chop diets, you can also find high-quality, freshly-made dried produce diets right here with Cheeky Birb! Our dried produce diet, BonForage™ Nutritious Fare for Natural Avian Enrichment and Health, works amazing for our birds and is so easy to prepare. All you have to do is rehydrate the mix. No cooking or chopping involved! Our BonForage™ mixes are made using a delicate and handcrafted dehydration process that safeguards a variety of organic and culinary fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, microgreens, sprouts, and botanicals while preserving up to 97 percent of their original and natural nutrients. These ingredients are all included in our carefully crafted dehydrated variety of mixes to make a convenient but, most importantly, healthy diet for our birds. 

Our mixes contain a variety of organic and fresh ingredients, including (but not limited to): 

• Zucchini
• Squash 
• Pumpkin 
• Bell Pepper 
• Okra 
• Peas 
• Carrots 
• Beets 
• Sweet Potato 
• Fennel 
• Squash Blossoms 
• Swiss Chard 
• Arugula 
• Cilantro 
• Dandelion 
• Mango 
• Papaya 
• Banana or Plantain 
• Kiwi 
• Dragon Fruit 
• Berries 
• Fruit Peels (Orange, Lemon, Lime) 
• Mung Beans 
• Pumpkin Seed 
• Dandelion Greens 
• Cilantro 
• Kale
• Walnut
• Cashew
• Almonds
• Macadamia
• Pecan
• Pine Nut

 Dried or dehydrated produce is just as nutritious as any other form of produce, whether frozen, canned, or fresh. The main difference between fresh produce and dried produce is that dried produce, having no water content, is more concentrated, meaning it doesn't take as much to equal what you would get nutrient-wise with fresh produce. Whichever way you prefer, homemade chop or dehydrated faire, your birds deserve the best! 

Original Post: The Importance of Daily Healthy Diets