Cooked or Raw?

[katie_fleming]

I cooked up a turnip and sweet potato for Jasper before, but I was curious, can he also have them raw?

What about Brussels sprouts? Can he have them raw? What about asparagus?

Many thanks

 

[RavensGryf]

I think anything is better raw. My boys (even picky ones) LOVE raw yams.
I try to eat MY veggies raw too (or not overcooked) when possible, for the maximum amount of nutrients

 

[katie_fleming]

Great! thanks

 

[Anansi]

I agree wholeheartedly with Julie, with one caveat. There are several beans and peas that MUST be cooked to at least some degree before serving them to your bird.

But yes, Brussels sprouts and asparagus I've only given raw to Bixby and Maya, so Jasper would be fine.

 

[katie_fleming]

Thanks Anansi!

 

[MyEkkieArnie]

To follow on from the original question then... The two books we have both say 'cooked veggies'. Are you saying you should essentially give everything raw, apart from the legume type foods? Still trying to learn all I can about Ekkies, as we just bought our first one this week.

 

[suley]

Most of the veggies I give mine are cooked otherwise he won't touch it.

Only maybe carrot I give to him raw. But to answer you question on what is the best option? I really don't know but hey in the wild not like anything would be cooked right?

 

[Hawk]

Hi Katie,

Every parrot is a bit different when it comes to food. Each will develop their own preference. Mine prefer their food cooked. So, that being said, I bought a steamer
to cook veggies in rather than boil (where vitamins are lost in boiling and birds need their vitamins). You mentioned asparagus, just use the tips, not the stalk, the stalk is too stringy for their digestive track and can cause quite a bit of discomfort for the parrot. Same goes with celery, don't give them that, it also is stringy. Ice berg lettuce is not good, and avocadoes are poisonous to a bird. Beans and lentil should always be cooked.
I make corn-bread balls and add sunflower seeds, dates, raisins, pellets (as they hate plain pellets) and cook it in with the corn-bread. They love that for their breakfast with some plain stone ground cooked oatmeal. Yum yum, I really like it my Blue fronted amazons says out loud.

 

[veimar]

In nature nobody cooks for birds - think about that! They should be able to eat anything raw. Although mine hardly ever eat any raw veggies.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Hi Katie,

Every parrot is a bit different when it comes to food. Each will develop their own preference. Mine prefer their food cooked. So, that being said, I bought a steamer
to cook veggies in rather than boil (where vitamins are lost in boiling and birds need their vitamins). You mentioned asparagus, just use the tips, not the stalk, the stalk is too stringy for their digestive track and can cause quite a bit of discomfort for the parrot. Same goes with celery, don't give them that, it also is stringy. Ice berg lettuce is not good, and avocadoes are poisonous to a bird. Beans and lentil should always be cooked.
I make corn-bread balls and add sunflower seeds, dates, raisins, pellets (as they hate plain pellets) and cook it in with the corn-bread. They love that for their breakfast with some plain stone ground cooked oatmeal. Yum yum, I really like it my Blue fronted amazons says out loud.

Great Idea

 

[katie_fleming]

Thank you!

 

[drlisaort]

Oliver prefers cooked veggies but he does love raw whole green beans and raw asparagus and if he's in the mood fresh broccoli. His most favorite is anything cooked and mashed...

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Zilla prefers almost everything at lease steamed a bit except her fruits. She won't eat anything mashed except potato or sweet potato off my fork.

I have resorted to "chop" recipes on this forum for most of her fresh foods.

Another good way to get veggies in them is to "spiralize" or "julianne" so it looks like pasta! They seem to love pasta and if it looks like pasta it must be pasta, right?

 

[katie_fleming]

Sorry another question!

Cranberries. I just bought him a bag tonight. Are they OK as is? Not sure if they have seeds, I've never eaten them.

And I bought him another sweet potato. Last time I cooked it and it went into his dinner mash. This time I want to use it for breakfast throughout the week. Can I chop it up and give it to him raw? (He only gets dinner heated as I want to make sure nothing goes bad throughout the day)

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

I give Zilla whole cranberries everyday, she loves them. The vet warned to only give her 2 to 3 a day though.

If they will eat the sweet potato raw it's fine. Zilla only eats hers cooked and off my plate.

 

[thekarens]

There's very few things that my guys will eat raw. My mac won't even eat fruits. She likes her veggies steamed or roasted.

 

[RavensGryf]

There's very few things that my guys will eat raw. My mac won't even eat fruits. She likes her veggies steamed or roasted.

That Zoe just knows how to wrap you guys around her little toe!

 

[thekarens]

There's very few things that my guys will eat raw. My mac won't even eat fruits. She likes her veggies steamed or roasted.

That Zoe just knows how to wrap you guys around her little toe!

You got that right!

 

[suley]

I think anything is better raw. My boys (even picky ones) LOVE raw yams.
I try to eat MY veggies raw too (or not overcooked) when possible, for the maximum amount of nutrients

I just took Yoshi to an avian vet who specializes in Eclectus parrots(Dr Rob Marshall) and he said cooked is always better for Eclectus parrots as it is more easily digestible. He said in the wild they mostly eat a variety of fruit which is much more nutritious and rounded than the fruits we eat and thus we must feed them vegetables and make sure they are properly digesting it to provide them with the same level of nutrition they would receive in the wild.

 

[SoCalWendy]

I mostly give raw.. But if I happen to cook some, and they want it I give it to them like that as well. My birds love raw brussel sprouts.. Yum!