Nutrition is the Key to Your Bird's Health
By Sandy Gaston
Educate yourself about nutrition for your bird. A bird's diet is one of the single most critical factors contributing to a long and healthy life. Birds of all sizes need more than seeds to maintain good health. So what do you feed birds? Pellets? Organic foods? Seeds? What?!?
Lets look at seeds first. Seeds are an excellent source of calories, a great emergency food that can be stored without refrigeration, and a good source of many vital nutrients. But a bird can't live on seeds alone -- anymore than humans can live only on bread or rice -- and have good health. Seeds are a small miracle of nature and do deserve our respect. Sunflower and safflower seeds are two high-oil seeds -- about 55 percent fat. Fat is necessary to keep the skin soft and feathers shining. Good small seeds -- millet, canary, and groats -- provide plenty of good calories for small birds.
Vitamin A is perhaps the most common vitamin deficiency in birds. A seed-only diet is low in Vitamin A. A lack of vitamin A can cause respiratory illness and other infections plus a gambit of other problems.
Now let's take on the pellet diet. If you want to try a pellet diet, first make a checklist of what is important to you: type and quality of ingredients; freshness; the research behind the diet; can you get a free trial sample?. Most pellet manufacturers have an 800-number and will discuss their products with you. Pellets are formulated and manufactured diets that are steamed. Usually clay is used to hold together the ground-up ingredients. Pellets tend to contain less fat and pack fewer calories, but still have the vitamins and nutrients your bird needs.
I know people who have their birds on a pellet diet and they are doing great.
They have healthy, happy birds. I tried to get my birds on pellets (all older,
adopted birds) and they hated the pellets. I did everything for a year or
more. I even ate the pellets myself, licking my lips and making yummy sounds!
My birds would not have anything to do with the pellets no matter what I did
to introduce the pellets into their diet. So my birds eat food I cook for
them and seeds. I also give them vegetarian formula Missing Link. They are
also happy and
healthy birds.
There is no magic formula for converting a bird's diet onto pellets. Some birds accept new foods immediately while others can take weeks, months and even years (and sometimes never). If you want to go the pellet route be consistent and innovative. Birds, like humans, can be reluctant to adopt healthier eating habits.
Organic foods that are free pesticides and chemicals are also beneficial for your bird's health. Organic fruits and vegetables, grains, pastas, and legumes are great foods for your birds. You can cook a mix of these foods and freeze it in small amounts. What is important is that your bird gets a well-balanced diet every day, lots of fresh purified water, and lots of love.
Things to look out for in your bird's diet:
Remember, no single diet will work for all birds. There are too many things you have to consider: the species of bird, its age, its past eating habits (good or bad) and its overall condition. By educating ourselves and trusting our instincts about good foods, seeds and pellets we can do our best to see that our birds eat well and wisely.
Teach your birds to eat naturally
Birds should eat a variety of seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruits and herbs every day!
Seeds — each and every seed has its own specific chemical formula containing different proteins (amino acids) and a variety of vitamins, minerals, fats, trace minerals and carbohydrates.
Fruit — each and every fruit has its own unique chemical formula containing a variety of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals and carbohydrates.
Nuts — each and every nut has its own chemical formula containing a unique amino-acid chain (protein). Nuts give your bird a variety of different proteins (amino acids), which are the building blocks of all cells. Nuts also provide minerals, trace minerals, fats, other beneficial nutrients.
Vegetables — each and every vegetable has its own unique chemical formula containing a variety of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and carbohydrates.
Herbs — herbs are very special because the chemistry of each and every herb on earth is unique! Herbs are high in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that nourish and build the body.
Bee Pollen — the ultimate food! Bee pollen contains vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, enzymes, and numerous other nutrients. Bee pollen is a complete food; it is said to contain every substance needed to maintain life containing over 100 biologically-active nutritional components.
After extensive research and testing, Noah's Kingdom is a line of avian food products that Sandy can recommend without reservation. Noah's Kingdom may be contacted at
Noah's Kingdom has created Whole Life Cycle Food & Treats: our 100% human consumption grade standard assures the highest quality, holistic ingredients typically found in a health food store. Our bird foods, herbal-based supplements and treats are unparalleled in quality, nutrition and overall excellence. This combination ensures that your bird is receiving a complete nutritional mix with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, amino acids and enzymes in their natural state.
