BIRD FOOD

When selecting the appropriate food for your bird it is important to think about certain things and ask yourself several questions You should keep in mind the type of bird or birds you own and their size Do they need a seed and pelleted diet cats for sale,dogs for sale,aquarium fish,betta fish,bull dog,dog food,fish food,freshwater fish,gold fish,kittens for sale,love bird,lovebird for sale,pet care,pet food,puppies,puppy Do they like to eat food from their talon or out of their dish Does your bird make a large mess when eating Does your bird have any known health problems

Some foods can help certain problems like feather picking and vitamin deficiencies With so many different types of food on the market it can be difficult and confusing The most important thing to keep in mind is that you keep them on a wellbalanced diet

One common misconception is that birds need seeds in their diet and the truth is they do not Peanuts are very high in fat content and I recommend giving your bird no more than one per day Sunflower seeds which can be prevalent in some seed mixtures are also high in sodium and fat It is ok to give your bird a few seeds but if your bird is eating them anymore than 10% of their diet that is too much Most birds need to be on 90% pelleted diet Seeds nuts and other treats can make up the other 10% Also included in most parrots diet can be fresh fruit and vegetables These can seem like a treat to your bird but are actually very healthy

There are some brands of food which are 100% organic These are best for your bird as no chemicals are used when growing the ingredients Organic foods also contain no preservatives and no artificial coloring Birds can be sensitive to those things

Human food in very small quantities can be ok for your bird but should not be practiced regularly One human food that is great for birds is the sweet potato Sweet potatoes are filled with Vitamin A which the Eclectus parrot needs in their diet because it aids in digestion They also contain Vitamin C and Iron and are relatively easy to cook and store as well.Two foods that can kill your birds are chocolate and avocado You should never feed your bird those foods in any amount.There are lots of different ways that you can feed your parrot Now some of these may require more work than others where as some of them are as easy and grabbing a bag of bird seed and pouring it into their feeder All of them can be good for your bird although feeding a variety of parrot foods as opposed to a singular food source such as seeds can make achieving a more balanced diet a little easier to achieve.

The simplest way to feed your parrot a balanced diet is to buy some quality parrot food from your local pet supplies store These come in many different forms that will include additional vitamins and minerals this means that you will not have to it any additional vitamins to their diet In fact you may not know this but adding additional vitamins and minerals can in fact harm your parrot as it could lead to bad toxic level of the vitamins and minerals in their system.You should try and choose a seed mix for your parrot that doesnt allow it to choose one seed or food item in preference to another as this will provide him with a more balanced diet Be aware that some food products will claim to be fortified seed mixes which in theory should be just right for your parrot but this claim is not necessarily true This assumes that the bird will consume all the seed that is offered instead of choosing just a few of its favourite food items.One should always try to get parrot food which uses a formulated diet without any addition fragrances or colours A lot of parrot owners may worry that this does not provide enough variety for their parrot when in fact this is not the case One can easily counter this by providing enough fresh vegetables or fruit equivalent to the amount that you would normally use with a formulated diet While fruit and vegetables may not be as energy intensive as the prepared diet because they are mostly water they will still be a good addition to your parrots diet and you may notice that your parrot will still eat the same amount of fortified food This will lead to a more rounded and balanced diet.

Try not to need any high fat foods such as peanuts or even sunflower seeds Only use them as an occasional treat as this will reduce the amount of prepared diet food that your parrot would normally eat which means that it may not receive its balanced diet

With all the choices these days it can be confusing to know what type of bird food to buy Bird food and bird feeders can be purchased at gardening stores hardware stores and even at grocery stores Different birds eat at different levels some feel more comfortable eating on the ground while others prefer to eat higher up so place a variety of feeders at a variety of heights to attract a larger variety and number of birds Keep a journal and record which feeder attracts what types of birds

Before purchasing a bird feeder examine it closely You should buy a bird feeder that is rain and snow resistant so that the food for the birds will remain fresh Also try opening the bird feeder to ensure that it is easy to fill and clean out If the bird feeder requires too much work to fill or clean chances are you wont do it and then you wont attract as many birds as you would like to

Heres a break down of the different types of food available for birds.Bird Seed Bird seeds are the most common food placed in bird feeders While there are many different kinds of bird seeds black sunflower seeds are the most common because the majority of birds will eat them If you do place bird seed out for birds to eat make sure that the seeds are unsalted Also store bird seed in a cool dry place to ensure the freshness of the seeds.Suet Suet is when berries seeds and other ingredients have been mixed into meat fat Suet is popular with nuthatches chickadees blue jays and woodpeckers and is commonly offered to birds in the winter Be careful if you put suet out in the summer as the heat can turn the fat rancid very quickly To create your own suet first melt the meat fat which can be bought at your local butcher shop Next add berries seeds and other ingredients to the fat and mix well Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to harden.Nectar Nectar is a water and sugar mixture that is offered to hummingbirds To create your own hummingbird food bring 4 parts of water to a boil and add 1 part sugar Stir and allow the mixture to cool before filling hummingbird feeders Change the mixture every three to five days in order to prevent bacteria and mold from growing Hummingbirds are readily attracted to the colour red so in the past it was common practice to add red food colouring to homemade hummingbird food This addition is unnecessary as most hummingbird feeders have a red base which is sufficient to attract hummingbirds If you want to ensure that hummingbirds will come to your feeder plant some flowers with red blooms nearby or tie red ribbons to the hummingbird feeder