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Jen & AHW Food Experiments - Dehydrated Birdie Crackers

Jenphilly

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So on to the next bird food challenge :) I have been using a pellet alternative called 'Green Chunks' offered by Phoenix Foraging. I still offer Roudybush, but I have a few birds that love these green chunks, and its getting a little pricey to keep everyone in the green :) So had to give it an experiment!!

I made the first round with what I had here but working around the ingredient list on the Green Chunks. They turned out really well and the birds all ate them (that in itself is a success!!), but today working on perfecting the recipe. First round of what I will call green birdie crackers has been completed and appear to be a success. These are a substitute for pellet resistant birds (and we all know one or two or a dozen of them). I made these up two ways, some were just rolled onto wax paper and placed directly into the dehydrator, and then I tried baking some on sheets on a very low temp in the oven (just under 200 degrees). Both ways, I flipped the crackers over after they felt dry to the touch on top. They were taste tested by the biggest pellet pain in the butt, Ivory (bare eye too), curious eater Max (blue and gold), and then boys who eat everything - Merlin the Grey and Mali the sennie. So across the board they seem to be pretty well received.

Not an exact recipe, much of what I am doing is just mixing things up, but I am making another batch now and will be doing exact measurements! But these are very forgiving, so not an exact science!

3 cups of pureed veggies such as collard greens, dandelion greens, bok choy, mustard greens, kale, etc (I use the nutribullet and add a bit of water so everything becomes smooth green puree), note the end result is 3 cups of puree
1 cup quinoa
1 cup Roudybush California ground to dust in nutribullet
1/2 cup food grade hulled millet
2 tablespoons bee pollen
1 cup steel cut or Scottish oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal (ground flax seed)
1 cup red raspberry leaf (loose leaf fresh tea works fine)
1/2 cup hemp seeds
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup whole star anise then ground up thru nutribullet
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
Add tapioca flour (or any flour of your choice) only as needed to reach a texture that is dry but sticks together when pressed

I rolled out 4 trays directly onto the trays in the dehydrator, but the best results are to press these into a cookie sheet / jelly roll pan about 1/2" thick. I put the pans in the oven at the lowest setting (usually around 180 on most ovens). Bake on low for at about 2 hours, the crackers should feel dry to the touch and you can pull out, slice them into strips and flip them over. I used a cooling rack and placed the chunks of crackers on them, so they were on an open rack and back into the oven to allow as much air movement as possible (no pan on the bottom). I then allowed these to bake another hour at the same low temp. These came out completely dry and they break clean much like a cracker, there is no moisture or sticky left at all.

I am working on another round of these that I ordered a bunch of special ingredients for like alfalfa leaves, rosemary oil, whole hulled buckwheat, sesame seeds, etc. But, these are specialty for Max, he is a huge fan of the ones I buy, so excited to try making him these at home and able to mix them up taste wise so he does not get bored with them!!

Thought I would share for anyone else out there looking for alternatives to just processed stuff we buy and having something in the fridge as a backup that is super healthy and great for any day when you run out of fresh veggies or not feeling well and still want your babies to get very healthy nutrition, but not up to chopping veggies. I will be feeding these on a regular basis in addition to 'fresh' (i.e., not baked or dehydrated), but these are wonderful knowing these can truly complete a really well rounded diet!!

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Last edited:

gibsongrrrl

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awesome!!! thank you for sharing
 

Clueless

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Thought I'd never find this thread!!!!
 

loviedovie

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Great job! Thank you for posting your recipe & method. Very helpful
 

Jenphilly

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Thought I'd never find this thread!!!!

feel free to email me too, I am still working on 'perfecting' the dehydrated chunks / crackers. I made a second batch and they turned out really well as well. I baked them for a short period, then put them in the dehydrator, seem to be a another hit!!
 

Jenphilly

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Wow!!!!
We must sticky this.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share it with us all.


I am always looking for pellet alternatives or ways to bake / disguise pellets! With being involved with the shelter, I know many parrot homes would love to create home made goodies for their babies to add healthy options into the diet, and I enjoy playing the kitchen version of Dr. Frankenstein with birdie stuff!! And its a huge perk for the shelter, we are able to recycle uneaten food that is still entirely intact, healthy and would otherwise be wasted. We are looking at potential savings of over $1,000 a year in bird treats, for a shelter that is a really added bonus! Sorry, just babbling on... love to hear everyone's results on their experiments and what they mix up!
 

Chris1234

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Thought I would share for anyone else out there looking for alternatives to just processed stuff we buy and having something in the fridge as a backup that is super healthy and great for any day when you run out of fresh veggies or not feeling well and still want your babies to get very healthy nutrition, but not up to chopping veggies. I will be feeding these on a regular basis in addition to 'fresh' (i.e., not baked or dehydrated), but these are wonderful knowing these can truly complete a really well rounded diet!!

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So
 

Chris1234

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So on to the next bird food challenge :) I have been using a pellet alternative called 'Green Chunks' offered by Phoenix Foraging. I still offer Roudybush, but I have a few birds that love these green chunks, and its getting a little pricey to keep everyone in the green :) So had to give it an experiment!!


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I LOVE this! I also buy the Green Chunks, but it's gets a little pricey, especially with shipping. I love your concept! My brain automatically goes to ways I could make it a bit faster to make. I find I keep up with everything better (and am less stressed) if some of my birdie tasks are fast and easy. I try to do it all for the birdies...foraging, fresh chop daily, sprouts and growing micro greens. It can get a bit exhausting but I still try! :blink: What do you guys think about combining a veggie/grain blend (Higgins or Dr. Harvey's for example) mixed with herb salad, Tea4Beaks dried flowers and other healthy stuff our birdies like...chopping it all up super tiny and then adding a liquid? Maybe chopped apple or one of those organic green juices from the store. I would guess it would all re-hydrate and then we could bake, hydrate etc. Thoughts?
 

Jenphilly

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I make pellet cakes all the time. :)
 
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