Birdie Bread Recipe help

[kme3388]

We just left for vacation, and forgot Nico’s Harrison’s birdie bread at home. To him this is an emergency as he loves his birdie bread. We also put his meds on the bread.

Does anyone have a recipe that they make at home that they can post below?

Nico thanks everyone for their help

 

[Botsari]

Its not rocket science, it is just a muffin type recipe at base, really. Just leave out the added sugar and salt. So ...

Dry:
- 1 3/4 cups "flour", where it can be all whole wheat flour, or all almond flour, or coconut flour, or combinations of these including parrot pellets turned into a "flour" in a blender - very sneaky. Lately I've been using equal parts WW, pellet flour and Almond flour, but there has been no sign my birds actually care.
- 1TB Baking powder
Add seeds of choice, oats, grated or small veggies, dried fruit bits to taste. For my birds there are usually grated carrots, peas, half a banana, some dried cranberries, chopped kale, oats, etc. As much as you want so long as it holds together when the batter is mixed. Hard to mess up.

Wet:
- 2 eggs beaten - you can grind up one of more of the shells as well if you have a blender,
- 6 TB water or something like almond or oat milk. Non-dairy of course.

Bake in over at 350-360F for 20-22 minutes. Makes about a dozen "muffins" or bake in a baking pan and cut up.

I feel like the details are up to you and your bird. Just wing it. I make this at home about every three weeks, a double recipe, using actual reusable muffin cups, about 1 muffin per day for my 2 birds. Freeze and thaw when needed for anything more than a few days worth.

Of course any meds should be added after cooking and cooling. Good luck.

 

[kme3388]

Its not rocket science, it is just a muffin type recipy at base, really. Just leave out the added sugar and salt. So ...

Dry:
- 1 3/4 cups "flour", where it can be all whole wheat flour, or all almond flour, or coconut flour, or combinations of these including parrot pellets turned into a "flour" in a blender - very sneaky. Lately I've been using equal parts WW, pellet flour and Almond flour, but there has been no sign my birds actually care.
- 1TB Baking powder
Add seeds of choice, oats, grated or small veggies, dried fruit bits to taste. For my birds there are usually grated carrots, peas, half a banana, some dried cranberries, chopped kale, oats, etc. As much as you want so long as it holds together when the batter is mixed. Hard to mess up.

Wet:
- 2 eggs beaten - you can grind up one of more of the shells as well if you have a blender,
- 6 TB water or something like almond or oat milk. Non-dairy of course.

Bake in over at 350-360F for 20-22 minutes. Makes about a dozen "muffins" or bake in a baking pan and cut up.

I feel like the details are up to you and your bird. Just wing it. I make this at home about every three weeks, a double recipy, using actual reusable muffin cups, about 1 muffin per day for my 2 birds. Freeze and thaw when needed for anything more than a few days worth.

Of course any meds should be added after cooking and cooling. Good luck.

Thank you you are a life saver

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I've been told ground up pellets can make for a good birdy bread. Add an egg and chop and there ya go. Bake and Voila! Birdy bread! Otherwise i just use pancake mix and throw in some of their chop.

 

[GambotheGreyt]

This is what will go in the oven for me (all ground with mortar and pestle.. 1 T each)... add an egg. I think that I also add some oil (generally not recommended however), baking soda.. I use buckwheat and whole wheat flours.

I've been hesitant to add veggies/fruit because I am afraid of spoilage or something. But glad to see the recommendations above.

I hope that your birdy is doing alright on vacay

 

[Botsari]

I guess it would be worth pointing out that Birdy Bread was orginally invented as a way to make eating things your bird SHOULD eat, but tends NOT to eat if provided in isolation more interesting. So for example, getting your bird to eat more veggies with their diverse micronutrients and LOWER fat and calorie content more appropriate for good lifelong health. In other words to get them OFF eating too many seeds and nuts, which are high fat foods they will allready inhale with no encouragment and in amounts that are not good for their health if given the opportunity. Having a few seeds and nuts mixed in is typically suposed to be the tricksy way to get them to eat the OTHER, healthier things they need.

 

[GambotheGreyt]

I guess it would be worth pointing out that Birdy Bread was orginally invented as a way to make eating things your bird SHOULD eat, but tends NOT to eat if provided in isolation more interesting. So for example, getting your bird to eat more veggies with their diverse micronutrients and LOWER fat and calorie content more appropriate for good lifelong health. In other words to get them OFF eating too many seeds and nuts which are high fat foods. Having a few seeds and nuts mixed in is typically suposed to be the tricksy way to get them to eat the OTHER, healthier things they need.

Do the nutrients remain though after being cooked at high heat for almost an hour?

 

[Botsari]

Do the nutrients remain though after being cooked at high heat for almost an hour?

Yes, most of them do - most vitiamins and minerals are small stable molecules. 350F is pretty low heat, and for most people it is only about 20 minutes. Honestly if you are worried about that just the time and temperaure needed to cook the eggs would be also be fine structutally, especially if you are extra careful with keeping the initial moisture level down. So 325 F at 10 minutes would work as well. You really arent "cooking" anything here - more like trying to create a composite that will appeal to your birds. But enough heat will also tend to neutralize, at least initially, the microorganisms that cause things to go bad.

 

[GambotheGreyt]

Yes, most of them do - most vitiamins and minerals are small stable molecules. 350F is pretty low heat, and for most people it is only about 20 minutes. Honetly if you are worried about that just the time and temperaure needed to cook the eggs would be also be fine structutally, especially if you are extra careful with keeping the initial moisture level down. So 325 F at 10 minutes would work as well. You really arent "cooking" anything here - more like trying to create a composite that will appeal to your birds.

My current issue with the birdy bread is as a replacement for pellets, not as a supplement to them. Hence my composition is closer to that of a pelleted diet. I will however try to add some veggies to the bread mix. Thank you.

 

[Botsari]

Well the general wisdom handed down by bird vets for the past half centrury, and still seems to be the current wisdom, is that good pellets don't actually need replacing because they have specifically been formulated for balanced parrot nutrition. Pellets are very UNLIKE seeds and nuts in terms of their macronutrients. If your parrots are eating JUST pellets they are very likely healthy. In captivity the most reliable nutrition is pellets suplemented by something that makes them happy but isn't just solid, mosty empty fats and carbs like nuts and grains. Its not that easy as we all find out - parrots all have strong, hard to move opions on what they like - just like a 5 year old, and just as unhealthy. But if your birds will eat pellets without complaint then you are a lucky bird owner! The rest of their diet can focus on the goal of variety and making them happy without going overboard on the fats and carbs.

 

[GambotheGreyt]

Well the general wisdom handed down by bird vets for the past half centrury, and still seems to be the current wisdom, is that good pellets don't actually need replacing because they have specifically been formulated for balanced parrot nutrition. Pellets are very UNLIKE seeds and nuts in terms of their macronutrients. If your parrots are eating JUST pellets they are very likely healthy. In captivity the most reliable nutrition is pellets suplemented by something that makes them happy but isn't just solid, mosty empty fats and carbs like nuts and grains. Its not that easy as we all find out - parrots all have strong, hard to move opions on what they like - just like a 5 year old, and just as unhealthy. But if your birds will eat pellets without complaint then you are a lucky bird owner! The rest of their diet can focus on the goal of variety and making them happy without going overboard on the fats and carbs.

Currently my bird is not eating pellets, hence why i am replacing them via bread until he begins eating them again. He stopped eating them when he got sick and as he needed to eat, i provided the seeds that he had (unfortunately) been weaned onto. He mostly kinda sorta converted to pellets but reverted when he got sick.

 

[GambotheGreyt]

Currently my bird is not eating pellets, hence why i am replacing them via bread until he begins eating them again. He stopped eating them when he got sick and as he needed to eat, i provided the seeds that he had (unfortunately) been weaned onto. He mostly kinda sorta converted to pellets but reverted when he got sick.

Soo... in the oven as we speak is the mix that you disagreed with, but used in a smaller quantity than usual, some pellet powder (Harrison's), zucchini, eggplant, carrot, Bulgarian pepper, apple, chervil, dill, fresh forest mushroom (for vit D). We shall see how this turns out .

 

[kme3388]

So Nico… well he’s Nico. I started off making the birdie bread with whole wheat flour, and I added in a few red peppers. He refused to eat it. He in fact took this birdie bread, and tossed it at the bottom of his cage. Such a rude parrot he can be. I then went back to the store, and got almond flour. I left out all fruits & veggies because if Nico thinks anything is rotten he just screams at the food, or tosses it at the bottom of his cage. He did surprisingly eat the birdie bread above when it was made with almond flour

I just wanted to post this encase someone else try’s to make this birdie bread so they don’t get discouraged right away. Sometimes the flour really does matter. No idea why, but to Nico it matters. He likes to argue a lot about what he’s being served.

 

[Botsari]

So Nico… well he’s Nico. I started off making the birdie bread with whole wheat flour, and I added in a few red peppers. He refused to eat it. He in fact took this birdie bread, and tossed it at the bottom of his cage. Such a rude parrot he can be. I then went back to the store, and got almond flour. I left out all fruits & veggies because if Nico thinks anything is rotten he just screams at the food, or tosses it at the bottom of his cage. He did surprisingly eat the birdie bread above when it was made with almond flour

I just wanted to post this encase someone else try’s to make this birdie bread so they don’t get discouraged right away. Sometimes the flour really does matter. No idea why, but to Nico it matters. He likes to argue a lot about what he’s being served.

Yes, I remember I started with all almond flour with my birds since I had it around, and gradually shifted to part almond flour and part other things for the base material. They loved almonds so I assumed it wouldn't hurt to get them some positive associations at first. They basically act like birdy bread is the most exciting thing in their day now, so I gues so far I have been very lucky with them. I agree that a good strategy is just to get them eating some formulation they DO like, and then make small changes. Parrots past a certain age think any noticeable change is bad on principle alone.