Feather Health

[Kumiko]

What are some products or foods that might help with feather health. I am starting to get some specific types of foods that might hel pwith Kiwi's chest.

I am noticing that he is not plucking, if he was, he would be bald right now and chest feathers would be on the bottom of the cage. It seems that it is poorly groomed though and it is bright green, but has... some sort of dark spot, about 1 or 2, that you can clearly see on the feather. I jsut think that it is poorly groomed, ruffled, or just not healthy.

Would protien help with feather quality. If so, I can give him Pinto Beans everyday since I have those. I have black eye as well.

What would improve feather quality??

Thanks

[chapala]

A good, varied diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and a mix of grains and legumes and a little seed, a bit of fruit, and a touch of animal protein once a week, would be an excellent diet to fill his nutritional needs. The most digestible legumes for parrots by the way are mung, lentil, pea and adzuki. Pinto, navy, etc., are not as digestible, and I don't feed them at all to my parrots. A mix of 2 parts grain to 1 part legume equals complete protein, so don't forget the grains!

I posted my cooked mix recipe awhile back - it's mixed grains (like brown rice, oat groats, quinoa, hulled millet) and soaked and cooked lentils (also could be part mung), plus cooked, mashed sweet potato. Cello who was quite the fussy seed eater when he came likes this mix and eats it well.

They do need small amounts of good fats for feather and all around health - I feed a few flax seeds everyday, plus there are a few hulled sunflower seeds in my soak/sprout mix that is mostly grains.

A good, varied diet is much better than adding supplements, just my opinion! Though I do supplement with a tiny bit of organic powdered alfalfa, barley grass, and wheat grass. Natural, not artificial supplements.
Reta

[Kumiko]

Chapala, can you private message me a list of foods that you use? Please? I can read things better in a list.

I will take that out to Walmart or any food stores as well. I bet I can get some of that Natural stuff from Walmart. Anything else, I can check other places or might even order offline if I have to.

Thanks! :)

EDIT:

I have been reading back on some of your posts and I have gotten a whole slew of stuff. Tell me if this is good:

[Kumiko]

List of Healthy Parrotlet Foods

MIX OF LEGUMES, GRAINS,AND SOME FRUIT AND VEG.
-Millet
-Oat grouts
-Wheat berries
-Brown Rice
-Cooked Mashed Sweet Potato
-Rolled Barley
-Beans: Mung, Lentil, Whole Pea, Adzuki, Garbanzo
-Papaya
- “Bean Soup Mix”
-Quinoa
-Buckwheat or Kasha
-Hulled Millet
-Amaranth
-Dried chili pepper flakes
-cumin
- Sesame seed
-finely chopped fresh ginger
-finely chopped garlic
-Mango Berries
-MISC VEG: dandelion, kale, collard, mustard greens, chayote, zucchini, broccoli, etc
-ONLY IN SMALL QUANITIES IN RECIPES: powdered alfalfa and/or barley grass, plus tiny bit of kelp.

[chapala]

Wow, you did a lot of work Kiwi! I would just add that rolled barley is like rolled oats, must be cooked, will not sprout. They are both fine to feed in a cooked mix. Hulless barley can be included in an overnight soak (or sprout) mix.

I do not use the bean soup mix, because I prefer to use the more digestible legumes: mung, lentil, pea, and adzuki (garbanzo too, but my birds don't like it as well). Beans like pinto, navy, kidney are not as good for parrots, and are included in the multiple bean soup mixes.

Also, I add organic powdered alfalfa (or barley or wheat grass powder) directly to the fresh food mix daily. I don't add it to bulk mixes, like my cooked grain/lentil/sweet potato mix, because there's no way for me to figure out how much per day the bird is getting. If I sprinkle it on, I know.

Mangos, berries (like strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, boysenberry).

Some of the grains you list I use in my overnight soak or sprout mix, and some are from the cooked recipe I make and freeze in small portions. All are good foods. Raw buckwheat can be soaked/sprouted; kasha is roasted so will not sprout but can be cooked. The extras, like dried chili pepper flakes, minced garlic, ginger, cumin and sesame seed are used in very small amounts, healthy flavorings.

Hope that helps!
Reta

[Sally]

Chipper loves sprout mixes and germinated seeds. I give her walnuts and almonds, veggies and she LOVES dried "Just Fruits" Blueberry, apple, etc.... Beak Apetite. Bird breads I bake with sweet potato, beans, and other goodies, whole wheat pasta, Topper seeds with safflowers, and just a very large variety. She gets beans and scrambled eggs for protein.

Here she is eating more favorites, oatmeal and birdie popcorn.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/41059eyes_closed_eat_300.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/popcornani.gif