we're not gonna cook for them, so....

[henry0reilly]

She's been buying Hartz large bird food, the ingredient list is below. They don't eat much, if any, of the small stuff and we throw a lot of it out. Can anyone recommend where to order food in large amounts to save money?

Ingredients: Whole Wheat, Oat Groats, Kibbled Corn, Striped Sunflower Seeds, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Peanuts, Safflower Seeds, Red Milo, Corn Flakes, Ground Corn, Whole Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Red Round Pepper, Shelled Peanuts, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sugar, Ground Limestone, Grewers Dried Yeast, Cane Molasses, Corn Distillers Dried Grains, Salt, Wheat Germ Meal, Choline Chloride, Condensed Whey Fermentation Solubles, L-Lysine, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Mixed Tocopherols, Mineral Oil, Silicon Dioxide, Rice Hulls, Citric Acid (A Preservative), Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vegetable Oil, Rosemary Extract, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Color Added (Titanium Dioxide, Blue #1, Yellow #5, Yellow #6 Lake, Red #40), Vitamin D, Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Iron Proteinate, Potassium Iodate, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate. Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (Minimum) 10%, Crude Fat (Minimum) 8%, Crude Fiber (Maximum) 12%, Moisture (Maximum) 12%, Calcium (Minimum) 0.1%, Calcium (Maximum) 0.3%, Phosphorus (Minimum) 0.2%, Vitamin A (Minimum) 100 Iu/Lb, Vitamin D (Minimum) 50 Iu/Lb, Vitamin E (Minimum) 20 Iu/Lb, Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Minimum) 2%.

 

[ahmadses]

Wallmart, Costco?

 

[henry0reilly]

Wallmart, Costco?

We're getting the Hartz at wal-mart in 8 # bags. I figured there must be some place to get food they will actually eat in bigger quantities at a better price.

 

[Owlet]

Honestly that food doesn't look the best. Seeds + lots of dye for a cockatoo and a Amazon? Ick. Imo it's better to just cook for them. I spend maybe 20-30$ on supplies (all fresh too) and it lasts me a good few months with 2-3 spoonfuls a day.
Lincoln's most resent chop contains habenaro peppers, radishes, passion fruit, yams, oats, quinoa, lentil (?) Grains, broccoli, and possibly other stuff I've forgotten. 20$ for a few months worth of food it pretty good imo. And it's healthy and I know exactly what's in it. The worst part about it it's probably preparing it and that's maybe a few hours on one day then just freeze and thaw as needed. Rat food was 20$ a month so Lincoln is a lot cheaper then my rats ever were and he's probably being fed a ton better.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Yes feel the same you could add come pellets ** to the fresh foods, sprouted shoots, legumes - would be tons better that the seed IMO.


** fills the gaps in nutritional terms.

Sorry that you feel negatively relating to cooking for your fids, I love doing it. To know that you are providing something good for a loved one.

edit: You will be lucky if a bird on a seed diet gets to 20/30 yr old, how many trips to the AV will they and you have endured before this? Not to mention the cost. It does not pay to provide cheap food for them honestly. They like us suffer from illness related to poor diet.

 

[Kiwibird]

Are they getting anything at all besides seed mix? Vegetables? Fruit? Pellets?

I see you have an amazon and cockatoo. While an all seed diet is not healthy for any bird, it is especially unhealthy for amazons. Seed based diets are almost pure fat and amazons are prone to obesity, obesity related health issues, fatty liver disease and vitamin A deficiency, all of which stem from a nutritionally poor diet of cheap seed mix. In cockatoos, a nutritionally lacking diet could play a significant role in behavioral issues down the line as well. It is well know a seed based diet causes all of those conditions in parrots. Parrots are not seed eaters, they are opportunistic omnivores who's healthy balanced diet should include some seed, not be primarily comprised of it. They start showing signs of illness from a lifelong seed diet in their 20's-30's, so may seem healthy for years when in reality, you've knocked off 1/3 of their natural lifespan and made them suffer just for the convenience of pouring food from a bag. It is a painful and agonizing death for the bird too.

If you are unwilling to make cooked food for them, please at least transition them onto high end pellets, which are better and more nutritionally complete than seed mix. They still must have a good helping of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. I'd talk to your avian vet about this matter and get a recommended pellet brand from them and guidance on how best to transition both of them onto it

 

[StChelle]

I highly reccomend Harrison's pellet and/or roudy boush pellets. From my research those are the two highest quality pellets and I chose them so I am certain I'm not missing any nutrients needed. I'm a new parront so am working this out myself. But I have a ton of fun trying new things for them and it's making me eat healthier lol

Fresh veggies are super easy and not cooking. My birds love kale and hot peppers. Steamed veggie packs in the microwave are also easy and quick. Just remember to wash the veggies

While it is a seed base, you may also look into the Kaytee supreme seed without sunflower seeds. It has banana chips and apples, peppers and nuts and parts of cuttlefish. They get a little of that as a treat, it was about the highest quality of seed I've found so far with a decent fat content.

If you tend to eat a veggie dish at night, you can put some aside for your birds before you add salt and such too ��

 

[Kentuckienne]

I second the Harrison's recommendation. It's a little pricy but lasts a long time. A cheaper alternative is Zupreme Natural.

 

[Piasa]

What is your most important criteria? Cost? Prep time? Easiness? Convenience of a close store?

I'm a very low-prep kind of person. Sprout mixes are easy, just water them for a few days and serve - very healthy and you don't have to figure out what else to add unless you want to. I like Dr. Bird Mix from www.sproutpeople.org and it was easy to get my birds to eat them.

Nutriberries (particularly the pelletberries) are a lazy way to feed, but easy and are decent nutritionally. You can get them at any pet store, and can get larger sized buckets. Everyone has their favorites when it comes to pellets, I like TOPS Pellets, great price for organic ingredients, you can get on Amazon and order big bags.

Others can help you better with cost, but if you garden or have apple trees or that sort of thing nearby - free! I'm just learning about the wild stuff in my yard, but there's a ton there. Gingko tree leaves, garlic mustard is EVERYWHERE, all parts of a dandelion, pin cherries are out right now, chickweed, wood sorrel (we used to call it sourgrass), plantain. I just grab some when I come home, and put in their bowls. Good vitamins, so easy.

If you go with seed, you can soak it like you would sprouts to make it more nutritious, but make sure the seeds are actually alive. A lot of the food at Walmart etc is old and dead, the seeds won't sprout, they'll just get moldy. I fed ABBA seed for a bit, I thought it was good quality, can buy in 50# bags or more, and they ship to your house.

If you just take 1 day to come up with a great diet, which so many people can help you with here, you can just dump a bunch of frozen veg together, quinoa, and some herbs.. stick in ice cube trays or a ziplock and freeze. Then an ice cube per feeding, or however much they need - feed them super healthy for months at a time for prep time of maybe 20 minutes. It seems daunting if you never did it, but this is coming from me, a person who literally does not do anything but pour cereal or boil water for noodles -- it is easy, and very fast once you make your "list" of things to put in.

Good luck, have fun folks here are great if you ever want to take the next step/leap with food.

 

[Lacewing]

I hate to be so blunt but if you continue to feed your birds such a unhealthy, low quality diet they will get liver disease. Please read up on species specific diets. Why won't you prepare fresh food for them? Your birds are your companions, not a pet. With any parrot there will be food waste. With any parrot food you will be spending a significant amount of money.

 

[henry0reilly]

Why won't you prepare fresh food for them?

She was an animal rescue professional for many years. These birds needed a home and she volunteered to take them. The Amazon would rip my guts out and feed my carcass to vultures if he could.

There are 3 dogs, 4 cats, and 2 guinea pigs that live here, too. I work 2 jobs and barely have time to walk the dogs.

 

[plumsmum2005]

You have been given some very good suggestions and tbh will need three jobs to pay for the CAV if the effects of poor nutrition kicks in. It takes a little thought and then a little effort and then it is easy for quite a while. Remember pellets can be frozen, which helps make them more economical as their dates can be short. I use TOPS for my RB2 btw. Fussiest 'too there is but he eats TOPs. So make a list of things to put in that fantastic chop you are going to make, cost it and then roughly work out how long it will take to use up. Best if you dont give huge portions that will go to waste, refresh often if needs be, especially in the Summer months when spoilage is quicker due to the heat. If you are worrying about wasting the seed you already have, no probs just a little, as a treat each day until it is used up. Good nutrition really contributes to better behaviour and mood in our parrots also, so perhaps that 'zon will get to love you in the end?
It isnt about cannot make enough time its making the time you have work better. On those dog walks you could pick/forage for 'free' fresh foodstuffs for the birds and the little piggies, bet they'd like some too?

 

[StChelle]

The Kaytee Supeeme parrot food comes in a 25 pound bag for 37$ on chewy.com, if you are set on seed is reccomend that one but the version with no sunflower seed at all.

A good pellet will last a while too and is really your best bet and really won't add much to the cost

 

[Kiwibird]

Why won't you prepare fresh food for them?

She was an animal rescue professional for many years. These birds needed a home and she volunteered to take them. The Amazon would rip my guts out and feed my carcass to vultures if he could.

There are 3 dogs, 4 cats, and 2 guinea pigs that live here, too. I work 2 jobs and barely have time to walk the dogs.

Why don't you buy a bag of frozen mixed veg and a bag of frozen mixed fruit? Put a little in a bowl in the fridge in the morning and by the time you get home from work, voila, cheap and easy way to get some fruit and veg to your birds each day.

My amazon was at one point very aggressive and I was very busy in life and not well off financially. Didn't mean I neglected to offer a healthy diet. Maybe not to the extent I can now with more time, but he still got fruit and veg daily even back then. It's extremely important to their health. An all seed diet will lead to expensive for vet care and excruciatingly painful for the bird fatty liver disease, vitamin A deficiency and early death.