Thinking about switching pellet brands - thoughts?

[BirdManDan]

Since you are in the United States you have many options. My birds get a ton of sun so D3 is not an issue. I love TOPs as it is organic, cold pressed and is soft and crumbles fairly easily, so it can be eaten by small or big birds. Any bird can be converted to eat pellets if it is introduced correctly. D3 is found in egg yolks, beef liver and fatty fish all of which birds can eat. It can also be given in supplement form.

 

[AkasyaEllric]

I do Roudybush for Ollie and Diggle, Ollie came eating zupreem fruit and I didn't want him eating that much artificial dye, but he switched pretty easily. Slade however, won't touch it. So far he's eating Higgins InTune, but I don't like that it has sugar in it, so I'm still looking for something else to switch him to. He came eating seed, so I'm thankful he took to anything right now. I actually order my Roudybush from Drs Foster and Smith and signed up for the autoship on the 10 lb bag and make sure to push back the auto delivery till when I actually need it. It ships for free since it's over $19 and you save a little more since it's on autoship. Getting a $10 gift certificate for signing it up for autoship doesn't hurt either, haha. Obviously it lasts a really long time, but I just store it in a cool area without direct light and I haven't had an issue yet.

 

[Mizzely]

Just FYI, animal products can lead to heart issues over the long term for captive birds. My vet recommends against them since there are better and healthier alternatives.

 

[Lady Jane]

I stopped feeding Roudybush because of all the corn.

 

[faislaq]

I stopped feeding Roudybush because of all the corn.

It looks like most of the more accessible ones are corn based. That was disappointing.

 

[Mizzely]

I think corn gets a bad rep because of its use in dog and cat food. We have to remember that some of these vilified corn based pellets are some of the leading standards - Harrison's, Roudybush, Lafeber - they have been around for decades and developed by some of the biggest names in the Avian Nutrition - so we can see how having these pellets in their diets has effected them. They are made by some of the smartest people in the industry. Are there better vehicles available? Surely. But it is also a balance between providing healthy food for birds that people will actually buy and ingredients used. If someone goes to Petsmart and looks for bird food, they see a wall of seeds and pellets. Lets say the seeds currently are $2 per pound while the corn based pellets are $3 to $4. It is still double the price per pound, but they have been told pellets are necessary, so they do it.

Same scenario, and now the only pellets are corn, soy, peanut, whatever-the-villain-of-the-month-is free, but they cost $5 to $6 a pound. Now the seed is a fourth of the cost. People on this forum are happy to do that and that's why Goldenfeast and Ovenfresh Bites have a following. But the person at the store who has to make a decision and cost is a real factor? THAT'S why pellets are made cheaper. Not INFERIOR, mind you. Accessible. So that we stop seeing birds die from preventable causes like malnutrition.

 

[BirdManDan]

When you are calculating cost of seeds do 't forget that about half the weight is shells so that doubles the cost by weight. The problem with corn isn't that it is inferior but rather that almost all corn unless truly organic has been produced in fields heavily sprayed with round up, a cancer causing carcinogen

 

[faislaq]

I think corn gets a bad rep because of its use in dog and cat food. We have to remember that some of these vilified corn based pellets are some of the leading standards - Harrison's, Roudybush, Lafeber - they have been around for decades and developed by some of the biggest names in the Avian Nutrition - so we can see how having these pellets in their diets has effected them. They are made by some of the smartest people in the industry. Are there better vehicles available? Surely. But it is also a balance between providing healthy food for birds that people will actually buy and ingredients used. If someone goes to Petsmart and looks for bird food, they see a wall of seeds and pellets. Lets say the seeds currently are $2 per pound while the corn based pellets are $3 to $4. It is still double the price per pound, but they have been told pellets are necessary, so they do it.

Same scenario, and now the only pellets are corn, soy, peanut, whatever-the-villain-of-the-month-is free, but they cost $5 to $6 a pound. Now the seed is a fourth of the cost. People on this forum are happy to do that and that's why Goldenfeast and Ovenfresh Bites have a following. But the person at the store who has to make a decision and cost is a real factor? THAT'S why pellets are made cheaper. Not INFERIOR, mind you. Accessible. So that we stop seeing birds die from preventable causes like malnutrition.

Thank you for this post @Mizzely. Unfortunately price is a major concern for me and the corn did have me worried, but you're right some of the better options are corn-based. I'm trying to evaluate the different pellets using your page and then pricing them on Amazon and Drs Foster & Smith and trying to weigh the options with price per pound factored in for the different weights available.

If I had my wish I'd feed everyone TOPs and supplement their D3 with an aviary like @aooratrix or @Nikomania (or that giant one in Australia in the zoo netting)! And I could play with my birds all day because I would be rich and not have to go to work!

 

[Lady Jane]

Two ingredients in bird food i prefer not to feed. One is corn and the other is flax seed. It's not easy to find bird food without these two.
I did not know about the spraying of corn.

 

[Mizzely]

When you are calculating cost of seeds do 't forget that about half the weight is shells so that doubles the cost by weight. The problem with corn isn't that it is inferior but rather that almost all corn unless truly organic has been produced in fields heavily sprayed with round up, a cancer causing carcinogen

I was talking from the point of view of an uninformed consumer looking at their choices at a local shop. I would rather a person buy a corn based pellet with decades of research behind it than the seeds.

That was the point I was making.

As far as GMO, pesticides, Monsanto, etc, that is a separate conversation and a little more complex.

Corn is actually considered to be one of the foods that has the LEAST amount of pesticides on it after it has been cleaned and rendered. And that's data from the past several years.

2010 The dirty dozen and clean 15 of produce | Need to Know | PBS
2018 https://www.produceretailer.com/article/news-article/2018-dirty-dozen-and-clean-15-lists-released

In fact, because corn is a GMO crop, it has led to them using LESS pesticides on it because of the modifications.

True, dried corn does carry a risk of aflatoxins, but so does ANY improperly stored grain.

 

[Mizzely]

Thank you for this post @Mizzely. Unfortunately price is a major concern for me and the corn did have me worried, but you're right some of the better options are corn-based. I'm trying to evaluate the different pellets using your page and then pricing them on Amazon and Drs Foster & Smith and trying to weigh the options with price per pound factored in for the different weights available.

If I had my wish I'd feed everyone TOPs and supplement their D3 with an aviary like @aooratrix or @Nikomania (or that giant one in Australia in the zoo netting)! And I could play with my birds all day because I would be rich and not have to go to work!

Price is important for a lot of people, myself included. No one should feel like they are using a bad pellet because it has corn. This is not a place to shame people for their pellet choices. We are all doing the best that we can within the confines of our budget, what our birds will eat, and what we are able to provide (like sunshine).

 

[camelotshadow]

Well. I used higgins Intune mainly from Dr Fosters...which was about $5 lb.
Now its $9lb & $7 lb on sale so I am looking for an alternative. Its a good pellets with natural dye but it has sugar.

I too have a thing with corn but actually its not a bad food product. Causes the least problem with horses & even if its sprayed it does have a nice protective coating unlike grains like wheat & oats which may have too but is removed/...Corn does get a bad rep.

Nothing wrong with seeds inho///have fats & less vitamins but should not be fed as a main diet.

Harrisons & the rest if you are lucky just takes the seeds & grinds them to a powder & forms them into pellets with a dash of vitamins. Ia m a true believer of taking in food in its natural form without processing but will offer pellets & hope the birds will eat enough of them.
So is it bad to feed whole corn & oats etc of to feed roudy bush which is ground up corn...idk.

Right now I am feeding everything but the kitchen sink to see what Penny will eat in pellets or seeds. She likes the pumpkin seeds & Rio likes the safflower...least they don;t like the same thing.

 

[AzaleaMist]

Does any one see a concern over the fruity zupreem and the concerns over things happening with it recently? I know there is a great debate over it and I don’t want to get into that I’m just wondering about everyone’s feelings towards the company right now. I do not feed fruity zupreem but I am feeding natural and I’m thinking I should switch due to the recent events. If I do I will switch to Higgins and Hagen most likely or even Mazuri or a mix of pellets. Harrison’s isn’t affordable to me.

 

[Mizzely]

Does any one see a concern over the fruity zupreem and the concerns over things happening with it recently? I know there is a great debate over it and I don’t want to get into that I’m just wondering about everyone’s feelings towards the company right now. I do not feed fruity zupreem but I am feeding natural and I’m thinking I should switch due to the recent events. If I do I will switch to Higgins and Hagen most likely or even Mazuri or a mix of pellets. Harrison’s isn’t affordable to me.

I personally have always used Zupreem Natural at some point or another, but the recent way they have been handling things has turned me off from the company as well. Even if the science is against it being the food, I think that they should have done another test just for peace of mind. It would have instilled more confidence in me esp since the other companies involved did so without hesitation.

 

[AzaleaMist]

I agree. I feel turned off as well
and they would look better as a company if they just didnanother test to confirm

 

[Vera]

I like feeding organic. My parrotlet eats harrison and top pellets about 80/20 mixed and sprouted seeds,grains and legumes.
I think about 50% pellets and rest sprouts.

Oh and veggies are offered in different ways,but are ignored most off the time.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Just FYI, animal products can lead to heart issues over the long term for captive birds. My vet recommends against them since there are better and healthier alternatives.

I can't imagine a responsible parrot owner feeding liver. Liver is very high in cholesterol and cholesterol is one of the main contributors to heart disease, atherosclerosis, fatty liver disease. In addition, only very, very small amounts of any animal protein should be given to a parrot - they do not have the appropriate enzymes to digest animal protein. With basically sedentary lives of our companion birds it is hard enough to keep their diet low enough in the "bad" fats. Vegetable protein is always the preferable protein for a parrot.

As far as the Zupreem Fruity and Zupreem Natural both have sugar added to them - for this reason alone I would never feed them. Sugar digests into fats as do carbohydrates (first into sugar then to fat).

"Sugar, a form of carbohydrates, is quickly available to be converted to energy. If sugar calories are not used as energy shortly after they are consumed, however, they are converted into stored body fat by a process known as lipogenesis. One form of sugar in particular, fructose, may be more dangerous and likely to be stored as body fat than other types of sugar, such as sucrose, or table sugar."
Does Sugar Turn Into Fat? | LIVESTRONG.COM

 

[Mizzely]

For anyone that DOES want to avoid corn and soy but still offer a pellet that has vitamins added, there are a few options:

Hagen Tropican Alternative Formula (unsweetened, no color)
Caitec Ovenfresh Bites (unsweetened, no color)
FM Brown's Tropical Carnival® ZOO•VITAL® Rice-Based Pellet (sweetened and colored)

 

[faislaq]

Sugar digests into fats as do carbohydrates (first into sugar then to fat).

Wow, that doesn't just apply to birds. It occurs to me that if I could stick to that advice myself I'd be a lot healthier!

I know our birds need a better pellet than the "fruity pebbles" they're on. Buzzard came to us on the fruity and transitioned to natural very easily. I switched him because he wasn't eating the yellow or green and that was half the bag! Luv Bug came in on Roudybush Daily Maintenance and Buzzard liked it, so I added some to his naturals. I have tried several pellets for the green cheeks, but they won't have it. Luckily they are good about fresh foods so I try to supplement that way. I made the mistake of adding a some seed to Bug & Buzzard's bowls for variety & they quit eating their pellets. I was shocked how quickly they both stopped & I realized I'd messed up. I tried giving them the fruity again because I figured it would be the easiest one to get them started eating anything other than seeds & didn't have much luck until I read another thread about soaking them first. That has worked wonders with everyone except Harley, but even she eats a few.

I've started trying to mix Roudybush back in by soaking them with the fruity to try to be sneaky, but I'm not having much luck. I think I'm going to have to lower the Roudybush ratio for a while and work my way up. I chose Roudybush because I know it was a hit for us once & when I saw on @Mizzely's Magic Pellet Page that it has no added sugar I liked it even more. A heck of a lot better than what they're on & pretty reasonably priced considering how quickly we go through food.

Since @Nissili started this thread I've decided I want to keep them on a mix of pellets to keep my options open in the event one of them is changed or discontinued and would like to add a 3rd in the mix, but I'm wondering if I should wait until I've gotten them off of the fruity and onto the Roudybush before adding another pellet or go ahead and start now. Is it easier to get birds to accept a new diet if I change only 1 thing at a time gradually until they are used to it? Or is it easier to start adding 2 new things and let them adjust to both at the same time? And would that make it too hard to monitor how much of which ones they're eating?

 

[Mizzely]

Wow, that doesn't just apply to birds. It occurs to me that if I could stick to that advice myself I'd be a lot healthier!

I know our birds need a better pellet than the "fruity pebbles" they're on. Buzzard came to us on the fruity and transitioned to natural very easily. I switched him because he wasn't eating the yellow or green and that was half the bag! Luv Bug came in on Roudybush Daily Maintenance and Buzzard liked it, so I added some to his naturals. I have tried several pellets for the green cheeks, but they won't have it. Luckily they are good about fresh foods so I try to supplement that way. I made the mistake of adding a some seed to Bug & Buzzard's bowls for variety & they quit eating their pellets. I was shocked how quickly they both stopped & I realized I'd messed up. I tried giving them the fruity again because I figured it would be the easiest one to get them started eating anything other than seeds & didn't have much luck until I read another thread about soaking them first. That has worked wonders with everyone except Harley, but even she eats a few.

I've started trying to mix Roudybush back in by soaking them with the fruity to try to be sneaky, but I'm not having much luck. I think I'm going to have to lower the Roudybush ratio for a while and work my way up. I chose Roudybush because I know it was a hit for us once & when I saw on @Mizzely's Magic Pellet Page that it has no added sugar I liked it even more. A heck of a lot better than what they're on & pretty reasonably priced considering how quickly we go through food.

Since @Nissili started this thread I've decided I want to keep them on a mix of pellets to keep my options open in the event one of them is changed or discontinued and would like to add a 3rd in the mix, but I'm wondering if I should wait until I've gotten them off of the fruity and onto the Roudybush before adding another pellet or go ahead and start now. Is it easier to get birds to accept a new diet if I change only 1 thing at a time gradually until they are used to it? Or is it easier to start adding 2 new things and let them adjust to both at the same time? And would that make it too hard to monitor how much of which ones they're eating?

I'm in the Kitchen Sink camp. When Jingo stopped eating Zupreem, I threw about like 10 different pellets in a mix at him to see what stuck (Lafeber, Roudybush, Scenic, Caitec, 2 sizes of Hagen, Goldenfeast, TOPS, Zupreem Fruity, Zupreem Natural) Hagen stuck