Monday, October 15, 2007

Macaw Diets

PARROT CONSERVATION GROUP
A Division of Veterinary Resources Americas, Inc. P. O. Box 2200, Vero Beach, FL 32960

RECOMMENDED MACAW DIET

We believe its best to avoid pellets entirely but if that is not possible then keep them to less than 20% of the total diet. If you want to know why then try reading the ingredients on your last pellet package. Parrots don't need CHEMOSOUP!
Don't turn your parrots into pelletheads!!!!!
Text by Megan Mikita and Dr. Lee

MORNING: SproutsParrot-Deli Powder (2 tablespoons per 2 qts fresh sprouts or other foods),Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
(Adjust amounts to fit your specific needs.)

MIDDAY: Fresh Fruits & VegetablesWhen feeding fruits and vegetables, feed 10-12 different items per feeding, choose from:Corn, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, jalapeno peppers, sweet red peppers, beets, turnips, grape tomatoes, sweetpotatoes, apples, pears, plums, grapes, kiwi, melon, pineapple, oranges, papaya, star fruit, bananas, coconut.

EVENING: Dry Foods, leave in cage overnight (see note below regarding nuts):

California Greystripe SeedPumpkin Seeds,Pine Nuts,Higgins Boca NutsNo Shell (this is all shelled nuts and dried fruits)2 Brazil Nuts,2 Walnuts,2 Pecans, 3 Hazelnuts,1 Macadamia Nut,3-4 Almonds & a small handful of peanuts 1/4 slice of whole wheat bread & 1/2 millet spray.
Note on Feeding Nuts: Large Macaw Babies: Feed only almonds, soft shelled pecans and peanuts, until 6 months old, then add pre-cracked large nuts until 1-year-old; then stop pre-cracking. Mini-Macaws: Feed 1/2 of the same diet, but shell the large nuts for them; they do get whole almonds and peanuts. Mini-Babies: Feed only shelled nuts and peanuts, add the whole almonds at 6 months.
Additional Feedings/Foods:3 times a week: Frozen mixed vegetables. (Babies get this daily.)
3 times a week: Everyone gets 1/2 extra-crunchy peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread.
Sprouting Basics Sprouting is simply the process of causing a dormant seed to germinate.Sprouted seeds are loaded with enzymes and their vitamin content can be several hundred times higher than in their dry state. Because sprouts are so nutrient rich, they form the basis of a parrot's diet.

What to Sprout?

A wide variety of seeds, grains, and beans (legumes) can be sprouted. Other key points include: Seeds for sprouting should not be hulled, vitaminized, heat cleaned, roasted or salted.
Make sure the seeds are "human grade", meant for human consumption. Seeds and grains NOT meant for consumption are typically sprayed with pesticides and mold/fungus inhibitors which are highly toxic.

Examples of good sprouting material:

Grains: Winter wheat, Spring/Summer Wheat, Oats, Barley, Corn, Rye, Buckwheat, Millet, Amaranth, Milo, Triticale Seeds: Sunflower, Safflower, Peas, Broccoli, Clover, Alfalfa, Radish, Fennugreek, Mustard, dill, Dandelion, Canola, FennelBeans: Adzuki, Mung, Lentils.
Frontier Coop Sandwich Sprout Seed is also good for all parrots even lories
How Much to Sprout?
One cup of dry seeds/grains/beans will sprout into double the dry quantity 1 cup dry = 2 cups sprouted sometimes more.

Step-by-Step Sprouting:

14 Hour Soak: You want to soak your sprouting material for 14 hours BEFORE placing in a colander. Place your dry seeds/grains in a plastic or glass container large enough to hold the seed plus at least twice that amount of water. Fill with filtered water. Soak for 14 hours. Inhibit mold/bacteria: Drain and rinse the sprout material. Next, select a sanitizing agent which will inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. I use/recommend Bleach: 1 tablespoon for every quart (4 cups) of water. Add warm water, along with sanitizing agent to the sprouting mix. Soak sprouting material for another 4 minutes. Drain sprouting mix: Drain your sprouts into a colander, rinse with HOT water and allow them to drain. Rinse every few hours (or several times a day) with hot water.

Sprouts are at their peak, nutritionally, when the white root just begins to bud. This usually takes about a day or two. Have fresh sprouts available daily.

How to introduce your bird to sprouts?

A good way to introduce your bird to sprouts is to start by sprouting a favorite seed such as sunflower.It is highly recommended that you sprinkle the sprouts with a nutritious tasty additive, such as Parrot Deli.

Parrot Deli contains: Garlic, an edible protector against bacterial growth on the fresh sprouts, a kind of natural antibiotic. Alfalfa, which provides protein, calcium and many other nutrients as well as the all important tannins which protect against excessive iron absorbtion. Beet and Carrot, which are both highly nutritious forms of carotene as well as many other nutrients.

PARROT DELI
Parrot Deli Powder Mix
Developed by: Dr. M.L. Simmons

A "part" is going to depend on total volume you are making. I make up large amounts so to me a "part" is 1 pound. For just a few birds you could make a "part" be any number of ounces. Since you will have a total of 7 parts, you can work backwards and determine how much you want to store. I freeze extra in plastic freezer bags. - Dr. Lee

Frontier Natural Products (Google) also has excellent sandwich and other sprouts that work very well.

You can also buy the ingedients for PD (Parrot Deli) from Frontier Natural Products.

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