Trying a new food: Goldenfeast

[Hotrod]

Hey everybody! I am so excited because I ordered Hotrod some new food to try! Right now he has been eating Zupreem fruit pellets and Volkman Parrot Avian Science blend, in addition to fresh fruit and veggies. Then I discovered Goldenfeast in a Bird Channel magazine. I was surprised to see how limited the reviews are because it looks like a great brand. Anyhow, I ordered him the following:

Conure Gourmet - Product Description

Ingredients: Hulled Oats, Safflower Seed, Canary Grass Seed, Whole Cantaloupe Seed, Buckwheat, White Proso Millet, Granola Made With Rolled Oats, Whole Wheat, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Natural Coconut, Sweet Dairy Whey, Oat Flour, Roasted Almonds & Honey. Roasted Corn, Shelled Raw Pistachios, Roasted Cashews, Non-roasted Sunflower Kernels, Roasted Almonds, Red And Green Sweet Peppers, Pepitas, Cooked & Dehydrated Chic Peas, Sweet Potatoes And Cooked Assorted Beans, Beets, Cranberries, Whole Star Anise Seed, Papaya & Pineapple, Sterile Hemp Seed, Carrots & Blueberries, Soy Nuts, Whole Bee Pollen, Tomatoes, Freeze Dried Sweet Garden Peas And Natural Flavorings. No Artificial Dyes Or Synthetic Vitamins. Does Not Contain Peanuts. Guaranteed Analysis: crude protein (min.) 12%; crude fat (min.) 7%; crude fiber (max.) 8%; moisture (max.) 5%; ash (max.) 6%




Asian Medley - Product Description

Ingredients: Instant Brown Rice, whole Wheat, roasted Corn, roasted Almonds and Cashews, Papaya, Tomato Pasta, Spinach Pasta, sun dried Tomatoes, Pineapple, Banana Chips, Apples, Carrots, Sesame Seed, Mango, sweetened Cranberries, Apricots, Green Cabbage, low heat Chili Peppers, whole Cinnamon Sticks, freeze dried Sweet Garden Peas, Sweet Potatoes, White Potatoes, whole Star Anise Seed, cooked and dehydrated assorted Beans, Peas, roasted Chic Peas, Sweet Peppers, Beets, shelled Walnuts, Spinach, freeze dried Sweet Corn, Blueberries, Hibiscus Flowers, Paprika, Basil, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei, fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus fermentum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, and dried Bifidobacterium longum fermentation product.
Guaranteed Analysis: crude protein (min.) 13.75%; crude fat (min.) 7.5%; crude fiber (max.) 9%; moisture (max.) 5%; ash (max.) 7%
Directions for gourmet Quick Cook:

1. Remove flavor fresh packet from container, add 1 1/2 cups of blend to 3 cups boiling water.
2. Stir, remove from heat and cover. Let stand until cool.
3. Stir again and feed. Refrigerate left over amount for up to 3 days.

Caribbean South - Product Description


Ingredients: Roasted Shelled Almonds, Roasted Cashews, Roasted Rolled Corn, Carrots, Papaya, Cherries, Pumpkin Seed, Roasted Soybeans, Red And Green Sweet Peppers, Cranberries, Sweetened Banana Chips, Blueberries, Pine Nuts In Shell, Tomato Pasta, Cooked & Dehydrated Assorted Beans, Freeze Dried Sweet Garden Peas, Sweetened Diced Papaya, Mango And Pineapple. Granola Made With Rolled Oats, Whole Wheat, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Natural Coconut, Sweet Dairy Whey, Oat Flour, Roasted Almonds And Honey. Whole Dates, Peaches, Celery, Pepitas, Golden And Red Grapes, Crispy Apples, Shelled Pistachios, Freeze Dried Sweet Corn, Hulled Oats, Whole Wheat, Shelled Raw Filberts And Brazil Nuts, Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Beets, Shelled Walnuts, Whole Cinnamon, Spinach Pasta, Cherries, Bee Pollen, Basil, Cilantro & Freeze Dried Chives, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Fermentum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, And Dried Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product.
Guaranteed Analysis: crude protein (min.) 11.25%; crude fat (min.) 9%; crude fiber (max.) 7%; moisture (max.) 4%; ash (max) 7%
Directions for Quick Cook:

1. Remove flavor fresh packet from container, add 1 3/4 cups of blend to 2 cups boiling water.
2. Stir, remove from heat and cover. Let stand until cool.
3. Stir again and feed. Refrigerate left over amount for up to 3 days.

Goldn'Obles II - Product Description


Goldn’obles II is made by processing the following select ingredients: Quinoa, organic roasted Soy Beans, par boiled brown Rice and organic long grain brown Rice, raw Almonds, dehydrated and freeze dried vegetables composed of Carrots, sweet garden Peas, Parsley, Green Beans, Spinach, Red Garden Beets and Cabbage. Cranberries, shelled Walnuts, natural organic Agavi sweetener, organic Barley, organic Alfafa, freeze dried Banana powder, organic hulled proso Millet and white proso Millet, organic Flax seed, organic Spelt, organic Rye, Sesame seed, domestic grown Apples, dehydrated Honey, organic Chia seed, organic Kamut, organic Tricale, organic Amaranth, stabilized hulled Oats, Sunflower Kernels, organic Spinach, Fenugreek, freeze dried Raspberries, Hemp seed, organic Timothy, Ginger, Star Anise seed, Cinnamon, Fennel seed, dehydrated whole Eggs, Bee Pollen, Wheatberries, organic Echinacea powder, Cilantro, organic Red Clover Leaf powder and organic Spinach, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus fermentum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product and dried Bifidobacterium.
Guaranteed Analysis: crude protein (min.) 17.5%; crude fat (min.) 9%; crude fiber (max.) 6%; moisture (max.) 3.5%; ash (max.) 3%





No feedback yet because I only ordered it yesterday, but I figured I would make this post because I'm so excited and wanted to let you all know I will let you know how Hotrod likes everything by posting back here once he tries it all. Anybody have experience with these blends, or Goldenfeast in general? I think it looks like a fabulous product, natural ingredients and beautifully packaged. I love the variety of blends they have!

 

[Kiwibird]

Kiwi really enjoys Goldenfeast mixes. We are currently working on a bag of "South American" blend, of which I sprinkle a small handful on top of his AM feeding My guess is reviews are limited because the product is relatively expensive and many buyers get it at local stores. But lack of reviews don't make it a bad product! It is an excellent addition to a birds diet, and they have SO MANY varieties and blends. Hope Hotrod likes it

 

[Hotrod]

Glad to hear some positive input on Goldenfeast! I thought it was a little expensive too, but I found a promo code in the Bird Channel magazine that got me 15 percent off my order.

 

[Hotrod]

Hi everyone! I am back with an update on Hotrod's Goldenfeast products!
Also, the barrier bags were much bigger than I was anticipating, which was a plus!

Conure Gourmet Blend: I have been leaving this in his cage while I am away at work, and he really enjoys it. Everything is the perfect size for a conure or similar-sized bird. It is a really, really great blend. We are both very happy with it.

Caribbean South: This is definitely Hotrod's favorite. I just put a small amount of the mix in a cup (however much desired) and put a little boiling water on top, let sit for a few minutes, drain, and voila! I put it on a mini paper plate for him, and boy does he love it - he always goes for the fruit and beans first. What I love about this mix is that it is the Caribbean Bounty and Central American Preservation blended together. So it has great variety. I give this to him in the morning.

Asian Medley: I mix this the same way as the Caribbean South. He really enjoys this too; he gets this in the evening. It seems to have more veggies and pasta.

Goldn'Obles: I am still working to get him to like pellets more, however this is his favorite pellet he has tried!

All in all, I will defintiely continue using Goldenfeast products. Hotrod and I both are EXTREMELY pleased and would definitely recommend anyone this product. I think it is a truly amazing line and won't be using other brands anymore.

And here are some recent pictures for fun!

 

[Kiwibird]

Glad he's liking it! They have great ingredients, and I've never met the bird who doesn't like cooked food. He probably thinks he's eating what you eat I might try the asian blend next, hearing it has noodles and veg, I bet Kiwi would really like that

 

[basilbird]

Please contact me...Has to do with amazing Goldenfeast products. Thanks!

 

[HeatherDesigns]

I feed my linnies the Goldenfeast Tropical mixed in with a linnie seed mix I get from Herman Bros. They love it.

 

[shab]

I have been buying this product on and off for about 2 years now without problems. My birds love it. About 2 months ago I purchased a 64 oz jar of this product via a local retailer as I usually do (I live in Vancouver, BC). Now the label says to "refrigerate after opening to retain freshness". Normally I would but in this instance my fridge was full so I left the jar out on a counter. About a week and a half later, I began noticing what looked like spider webbing inside the jar. I opened the jar and poured some seeds into a dish and mixed with the food were 2 of what looked like maggots. I was very shocked and confused by this so I sent the following email to the retailer from whom I had purchased the food:
----------
Hi,

I recently purchased a 64oz container of Goldenfeast Conure from you. Yesterday was my birds' seed day so I pulled out the container to give them some seeds and saw there was what looked like spider webbing inside the container. I was very confused by this and opened the container to find a few maggots in the food. Disgusted, I closed the container and gave my birds pellets instead.

I'm sorry to be a bother, but I am wondering if you could possibly contact Goldenfeast and see if they could replace my product. I still have the old container of spoiled food if this helps.

Thank you
----------

To which the retailer replied:

----------
Hi,

These are not maggots. These are seed moth larvae. They can grow on untreated seed (which you want, it. not sprayed with pesticides) if the seed gets too warm.
Can you please tell me how much of the container you have used? I will contact my distributor and update you.
----------

I replied back saying I had the jar was just under half empty (I threw a portion of it away in attempt to get rid of the "seed moth larvae") to which the retailer replied:

----------
My supplier informed me that the Goldenfeast policy is only to refund a product if less than 10% is used. Since they advise to "Refrigerate after opening to retain freshness," they won't cover moth breakouts. Undecided

I suggest you freeze the seed for a week or so, then put it in the fridge and still continue to use it. Moths and larvae won't hurt your bird at all, but keep it cold so it doesn't continue to grow moths.
----------

10%? Really? But ok fair enough I should have refrigerated it. I also contacted Goldenfeast directly to let them know of the situation:

----------
Hi there,

I recently purchased a 64 oz container of "Goldenfeast Conure" from a local vendor and yesterday I found a few maggots and what looked like spider webbing in the food.

This is my conure's favourite food and they were clearly disappointed when I ended up twisting the lid right back on, disgusted. I will be disposing of the remainder.

I am a regular buyer of your products and was very disappointed at this instance. I hope your facilities are clean because a lot of birds really love your food and it would be a shame if any of them were to get sick due to lack of hygiene by the manufacturer. Just an FYI.
----------

I received the following response from Anne C. of Goldenfeast:

----------
Where did you purchase the Conure Blend? Also, what is the expiration date?

I ask, because instead of disposing of the product, return it to where
you purchased it so that it can be replaced.

We do have a very clean facility; we also don't use preservatives and
sometimes the hot weather can be difficult because we do not use
preservatives.
----------

I didn't bother replying at this point. Got conflicting answers from the retailer and the supplier... the retailer claimed the supplier would not refund me and the supplier claimed the retailer would refund me.

NOW HERE IS THE PROBLEM. I thought hey this is must've been a one off so I went ahead and purchased ANOTHER 64 OZ JAR OF GOLDENFEAST CONURE. This time I AM STORING IT IN THE FREEZER. And guess what? TODAY I NOTICED THERE ARE BABY MOTHS IN MY BIRD'S ROOM.

!!!!!AVOID THIS PRODUCT UNTIL THEY FIX THE MOTH PROBLEM OR YOU WILL HAVE A MOTH PROBLEM TOO!!!!!

And to Goldenfeast - work on your professionalism and customer service skills.

 

[SailBoat]

Have been using Goldenfeast products for over 15 years.

Always freeze 'all' dry food products prior to use! Keep frozen until ready to use. What is out of the freezer should be used with in a week maximum. Standard Practice! Regardless of supplier!

 

[HeatherDesigns]

It's interesting that you are having this issue now. I was going to order some more Goldenfeast from MySafeBirdStore yesterday and found that they had discontinued it. This was the message on the site.

GOLDENFEAST
As a result of recent unfavorable changes on the part of Goldenfeast Foods, we are electing to discontinue this food line. As our current stock depletes, we will be removing it from our site.

So I'm trying the Golden Gourmet.

And yes, I always freeze the majority of the bird food and only have about a week or so out at a time.

 

[Peppo]

Does the freezing go for pellets too? I usually leave the Harrisons zip lock package on the kitchen counter as the bag takes a few weeks to use up. I've never noticed anything wrong with it and I reseal it everytime but now I am worried.

 

[HeatherDesigns]

I freeze everything, seed, pellets, freeze dried fruit. It keeps it fresher and it keeps bugs from getting in it. If I don't keep extra pellets in the freezer then I get some sort of beetle larvae in them, especially in summer.

 

[rosembers]

Does the freezing go for pellets too? I usually leave the Harrisons zip lock package on the kitchen counter as the bag takes a few weeks to use up. I've never noticed anything wrong with it and I reseal it everytime but now I am worried.

I feed Harrisons pellets and have never kept the package in the refrigerator or freezer and never had a problem. Just be sure to keep it in the original package and pinch all the air out before you zip it shut.

 

[rosembers]

I have been buying this product on and off for about 2 years now without problems. My birds love it. About 2 months ago I purchased a 64 oz jar of this product via a local retailer as I usually do (I live in Vancouver, BC). Now the label says to "refrigerate after opening to retain freshness". Normally I would but in this instance my fridge was full so I left the jar out on a counter. About a week and a half later, I began noticing what looked like spider webbing inside the jar. I opened the jar and poured some seeds into a dish and mixed with the food were 2 of what looked like maggots. I was very shocked and confused by this so I sent the following email to the retailer from whom I had purchased the food:
----------
Hi,

I recently purchased a 64oz container of Goldenfeast Conure from you. Yesterday was my birds' seed day so I pulled out the container to give them some seeds and saw there was what looked like spider webbing inside the container. I was very confused by this and opened the container to find a few maggots in the food. Disgusted, I closed the container and gave my birds pellets instead.

I'm sorry to be a bother, but I am wondering if you could possibly contact Goldenfeast and see if they could replace my product. I still have the old container of spoiled food if this helps.

Thank you
----------

To which the retailer replied:

----------
Hi,

These are not maggots. These are seed moth larvae. They can grow on untreated seed (which you want, it. not sprayed with pesticides) if the seed gets too warm.
Can you please tell me how much of the container you have used? I will contact my distributor and update you.
----------

I replied back saying I had the jar was just under half empty (I threw a portion of it away in attempt to get rid of the "seed moth larvae") to which the retailer replied:

----------
My supplier informed me that the Goldenfeast policy is only to refund a product if less than 10% is used. Since they advise to "Refrigerate after opening to retain freshness," they won't cover moth breakouts. Undecided

I suggest you freeze the seed for a week or so, then put it in the fridge and still continue to use it. Moths and larvae won't hurt your bird at all, but keep it cold so it doesn't continue to grow moths.
----------

10%? Really? But ok fair enough I should have refrigerated it. I also contacted Goldenfeast directly to let them know of the situation:

----------
Hi there,

I recently purchased a 64 oz container of "Goldenfeast Conure" from a local vendor and yesterday I found a few maggots and what looked like spider webbing in the food.

This is my conure's favourite food and they were clearly disappointed when I ended up twisting the lid right back on, disgusted. I will be disposing of the remainder.

I am a regular buyer of your products and was very disappointed at this instance. I hope your facilities are clean because a lot of birds really love your food and it would be a shame if any of them were to get sick due to lack of hygiene by the manufacturer. Just an FYI.
----------

I received the following response from Anne C. of Goldenfeast:

----------
Where did you purchase the Conure Blend? Also, what is the expiration date?

I ask, because instead of disposing of the product, return it to where
you purchased it so that it can be replaced.

We do have a very clean facility; we also don't use preservatives and
sometimes the hot weather can be difficult because we do not use
preservatives.
----------

I didn't bother replying at this point. Got conflicting answers from the retailer and the supplier... the retailer claimed the supplier would not refund me and the supplier claimed the retailer would refund me.

NOW HERE IS THE PROBLEM. I thought hey this is must've been a one off so I went ahead and purchased ANOTHER 64 OZ JAR OF GOLDENFEAST CONURE. This time I AM STORING IT IN THE FREEZER. And guess what? TODAY I NOTICED THERE ARE BABY MOTHS IN MY BIRD'S ROOM.

!!!!!AVOID THIS PRODUCT UNTIL THEY FIX THE MOTH PROBLEM OR YOU WILL HAVE A MOTH PROBLEM TOO!!!!!

And to Goldenfeast - work on your professionalism and customer service skills.

The moths you saw were likely from your first package that was not refrigerated. Once you get them they can be hard to get rid of and your house will need thorough cleaning and vaccuming. We keep our Goldenfeast in the fridge and have never had bugs or moth larvae in it. That all sounds gross, but actually is a good thing. It means they don't use dangerous chemicals to sterilize their seeds (which is safer for your bird and more nutritious). It's just like fruit flies on a peach, for example. If you buy a peach that is not spoiled or rotten at the store and it looks perfect, then a couple days later you get fruit flies from it. It's because the peach wasn't treated with chemicals to kill the natural bug larvae that can be on it. As long as the package isn't spoiled when you first open it (which I've never had happen with my Goldenfeast packs) then you will be fine if you keep it in the refrigerator. It's good, pure, natural food (and in the wild parrots will naturally ingest microscopic bug larvae on what they eat anyway, it's good protein and wont harm them).

 

[Iholm5]

We buy Central American Preserve Blend II for my cockatoo and my conure eats the Conure Blend. I also recommend freezing any dry food, because we have had issues with moths as well.

 

[dhraiden]

Mochi really enjoys goldenfeast - that reminds me, I have to get some more Caribbean blend!

As yucky as some bugs can sometimes be, I'll take the risk of moth larvae over centipedes, spiders, ants, or GAH, roaches. Just freeze it like they say to and you'll be fine. The natural world is full of bugs, and you can't keep your parrot in a sterile bubble, nor should you.

 

[Poeia]

All the best seed gets moths because, while it's easy to freeze a couple of pounds, it's hard for a company to freeze an entire silo. I have a small freezer so I usually freeze it 2-3 pounds at a time. It only takes 24 hours to kill all the larva and, once they're gone, they won't come back (unless you are storing your open seed near a wheat field or something.)

Also, if you do get moths, it's a pain to get rid of them but the food is still good. In the wild birds eat bugs and larva all the time.

I came here after googling Goldenfeast as a possible new seed for Poeia. I'm glad to know a) birds like it and b) it's apparently high quality. Thanks for the info.

 

[Ginnybird]

A parrot rescue owner (whom I met recently by chance conversation) passionately recommended Goldenfeast to me. He said his Amazons do well with a mix of Golden'obles and another -- I think it was Madagascar.

It's on my list to try. Still have plenty of Zupreem and Roudybush (I mix them) to use up.