Chicken, chicken bones, and eggs

[DerekAndBianca]

I have been reading a lot about how people serve their birdys chicken, chicken bones, and eggs and it encourages me more to want to feed that to mine sometimes, but I never do. My husband won't let me because he thinks its morally wrong and cannabilistic. I want to respect his feelings so I figure that they can get their protein through whole grains and mainly sprouts. So what are your views? Is it absolutely necessary to feed things like that? If it is, then regardless of moral, it must be done for their health. I'm just torn with what to do because I feel they would really enjoy it but I never do it.
AND, when you do feed chicken bone, does it have to be cooked? I ask because my only experience with that is feeding my dog and I know I'm only suppose to feed raw because I have read that otherwise the cooked bone will splinter and can hurt them.
Your views please...

 

[Annamacaw]

I don't feed mine any meat and only well cooked eggs.

My Avian Vet says NO to chicken bones and also to the broken egg shells... she says she has treated birds for punctured crops/intestines with both. I know a lot of people who feed both, but I won't take the chance, there is lots of healthier stuff I can feed them, besides......I would hate to have to tell her that I didn't listen to her

 

[DerekAndBianca]

So you don't feel the eggs are morally wrong? If I never feed eggs or anything like that what food do your recommend that is comparably high in protein?

 

[JLcribber]

If your bird will eat any kind of beans or legumes it will get all the same goodness (which is mainly protein) without having to eat meat.

 

[Mizzely]

The "morally wrong" statement really bothers me. When my friends and family say its cannibalistic, I get so worked up!!

Compare a chicken and a Goffin's Cockatoo

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Subfamily:	Phasianinae
Genus:	Gallus
Species:	Gallus gallus
Subspecies:	Gallus gallus domesticus

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Cacatuidae
Subfamily:	Cacatuinae
Genus:	Cacatua
Subgenus:	Licmetis
Species:	C. goffiniana

Now compare a human and a cow:

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Hominidae
Tribe:	Hominini
Genus:	Homo
Species:	H. sapiens

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Subclass:	Theria
Infraclass:	Eutheria
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Bovinae
Genus:	Bos
Species:	B. primigenius

The only thing similar about chickens and a parrots is that they are in the same Class: Aves, or Birds. After they split off completely. If you look at a human and a cow, we also split off after the Class, which is Mammalia, or mammals. Chickens and parrots are as related as we are to bovine.

So if your parrot is a cannibal, so are the billions of satisfied customers that have eaten at McDonalds.

 

[ParrotsforKeeps]

Genetically speaking, chickens are not one bit closer related to parrots than we are to cows. Really. I mean think about it, we all know the basic groups int he animal kingdom, mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, etc. Why should all the birds somehow be more closely related to each other than all the mammals? Good simple explanation here- Why parrots eating chicken isn’t cannibalism | Heckled By ParrotsOn the original question, I feed egg occasionally, without shell, but not too often and it is not a big serving. It takes about 3/4 of an egg to give some to all of my birds! I have also offered chicken but as I am a vegetarian that is only if I am with someone else. The bone issue is split, many feel it is safe, many do not. I suppose up to you and how your bird is with it. They are certainly not necessary.

Whether or not to give parrots any animal protein is debatable. Make sure they are getting proper protein ratios by feeding both grains and legumes, preferably in a 2 to 1 ratio.

 

[ParrotsforKeeps]

Posted at the same time!

 

[Mizzely]

Posted at the same time!

Great minds and such

 

[LittleGems]

I don't feed servings of meats, but a couple of mine will nibble a bit of fish or chicken off my plate. I do feed a bit of scrambled egg once to twice a week - not all of my flock will eat egg but the ones that do LOVE it! I cook the scrambled egg in in a bit of red palm oil for some extra nutrition

 

[Ziggymon]

I don't think it's cannibalistic (a very narrowly defined term), because they're not the same species, but I find it repugnant to feed flesh to a basically vegetarian animal. I know it's a common practice in factory farming (and we have mad cow disease and a number of other serious illnesses as a result), but it bothers me for reasons other than the health aspect. Perhaps it's because I'm vegetarian myself, and I know how upset I would be if I found out that someone had been slipping flesh into my food.

 

[Greycloud]

I would like to steer away from the cannibalistic topic and answer your question.
Yes, I scramble eggs for the birds, about once a week.
Yes, I will give them some chicken in small amounts, about once a week. Not all eat it though.
Yes, I boil chicken legs, pick them clean and give the about once a week. Have been for years. Never any problems with them eating the actual bone. They peel the bone off and eat the marrow.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I also find it morally wrong and unhealthy to feed chicken, bones and any other meat product. Organic eggs are ok in my books, on the occasion. You can give healthy fats and proteins through nuts and legumes.

 

[waterfaller1]

How could it possibly be morally wrong? There are birds, such as hawks and eagles, who's natural diet consists of smaller birds. So is that morally wrong? No, that is nature. Chickens are not parrots, so I don't get the reference to cannibalism either. I know Billy Faye and Bonnie cook up chicken for their birds. I give it if I have it, I don't go out of my way to do it. I do scramble eggs up for them. No shells, ever. Protein is important.

 

[jmfleish]

My vet is also very opposed to feeding any kinds of animal protein because he feels that it's bad for birds. It is true that birds don't need nearly as much protein, although some species tend to do better on more protein. I will give my greys a bit of chicken here and there but not very often. They also seem to really enjoy chicken bones and I will break down and do that on ocassion but very rarely because I worry about crop impaction and such.

I'm on another list specfically for Ekkies and a well known breeder there stated once that eggs should be fed very sparingly and only to very active birds. She said that if your bird isn't fully flighted, then eggs are probably not a good choice. For flighted birds, she suggests a sixth of an egg a week I believe. Once again, I'll feed them, but only as a treat maybe once a month.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Now this is just my belief, I'm not bashing anyone for theirs and noor do I criticize when I see pics of people feeding chicken or bones to their birds, so I hope no one gets upset. But I find it morally wrong because most parrots don't eat other birds in the wild. Sure you can say the same thing about the rest of a captive bird's diet ("they don't find pellets in the wild!") but most wild parrots never find meat and eat it and I question the health benefit of giving it to an animal that wouldn't naturally eat meat (other than the occasional insect protein which is a whole different matter) in the wild.(Most) Wild parrots are herbivores. I don't try and give a rabbit, horse, sheep, etc, meat to eat, so I wouldn't a parrot. That's why I find it morally wrong. Giving meat to a captive parrot doesn't replace anything they would get in the wild. We give them pellets, mango,.kiwi, remaine lettuce, etc, to replace their natural diet, what does giving chicken, steak, boiled bones, and other meat products replace? Again this is just my opinion, I hope if anyone disagrees with me we can discuss it civilly But these are the reasons why I don't feed meat products.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Oops one more added thing on why I find it unhealthy especially for majority of captive birds. Captive birds are not as active as their wild counterparts. They don't need all this protein, especially from meat. Nuts and legumes have a healthy amount of protein, but nuts and legumes should imo if your feeding pellets, should not be fed in abundance. Captive birds don't need all this extra fat and protein. That's how health problems like kidney disorders, gout, etc, happen.

 

[waterfaller1]

And that is where you are wrong. They are not herbivores. They eat mostly nuts, fruits, etc... but give them the opportunity and they will eat protein. They eat rodents, bugs,reptiles and would eat a small bird if the opportunity presented itself. Where do you think wild birds get their protein?There are no legumes cooked up for them.
Let a lovebird out into a flight of macaws or cockatoos and see what happens.{not literally, just speaking in the general sense to make the point}
My friend has a huge flock of macaws, and they will stalk and eat anything that makes it's way into that flight. Snakes, squirrels, worms, whatever. And it's not "all this protein", at least in my case, it is a small amount only.

 

[Billie Faye]

I have fed cooked chicken breast and cooked chicken bones (they basically tear away the bone and eat the marrow) for years....is it on a weekly bases, no but a couple of times a month... (parrots do eat grubs/insects in the wild)...Look how many other birds eat birds (owls/crows/buzzards/blue jays etc) they steal the eggs/babies out of the nest and eat them...so birds do eat birds....as for wild Parrots both new world/old world...there has never been in depth research on this issue...only sighting here and there....
This is a great article on the digestive system: Food & feeding habits....It has LOTS of pictures and talks about different types of birds and shows their intestines, beaks/tongues etc: Bird Digestion
I know for a fact because I have had it happen to me, that breeding pairs will kill /eat their chicks, not because they are hungry but because of "stress/fear" if something is going on that upsets them...This could be strangers around their area/other birds flying into their area....moving the nest and disrupting the birds security! So it does happen....
Once I started finding articles from vets about egg shells cutting into the crops/intestines/Gizzards and causing infections that do not clear up even with meds and the birds die, I no longer give egg shells to my birds nor do I give cuttle bones WHOLE to my birds....I scrape the cuttle bones into my fresh foods to mix with the flavors.. YES you can give legumes/other protein foods to birds....I would NEVER give beef/pork to my birds and the reason I only give chicken on a small base is because of the chemicals that are fed to them...I also do not believe in giving SYNTHETIC vitamins to my birds (which are on pellets) because their bodies don't assemulate them as well either! It's like what they give to the beef etc...and I'm not talking about hormones they give....
Each one of us does the best we can...I don't give pellets to my birds ....feel they are the Mickie D's of the parrot world....it takes away from US learning about what is good for our birds and basically us by feeding more veggies/fruits/grains/sprouts This also a good article about feeding birds: HolisticBird and HolisticBirds It really gets into the different parrots and needs and WHY!

 

[Welshanne]

All I know is after Bonnie and Billiefaye helped to steer me onto the well cooked chicken bones and the red palm oil for my Grey who was sick, it helped her immensely with the aid of a broad spectrum light to help her absorb what her little body needed and take in the Vitamin B. leroy eats a chicken bone when she needs the extra protein and is a dab hand at cracking open the bone and eating all the bone marrow from inside. When she does not need the extra help she declines to eat the bone, so no problem from me. Now I have a healthy Grey and will always be indebted to Bonnie and our Billiefaye for their help.

 

[jmfleish]

Let a lovebird out into a flight of macaws or cockatoos and see what happens.{not literally, just speaking in the general sense to make the point}
My friend has a huge flock of macaws, and they will stalk and eat anything that makes it's way into that flight. Snakes, squirrels, worms, whatever. And it's not "all this protein", at least in my case, it is a small amount only.

Ummmm....thanks for that visual Carole!