forsythia blooms

[Barefoot Parrot]

does anyone feed the yellow forsythia flowers to their birds? i gave Monty one this morning, it think he liked it despite it being yellow (cause that's the color that EATS you when you go near it, duh), waiting to see if he explodes. anyone?

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

also pine needles and chives, hm?

 

[SunUp]

Yes, I give forsythia. I don't know if they "eat" the flowers, but they enjoy tearing them up, pulling off the bark, etc. (I put in branches, not just the flowers).

 

[TikiLola]

Ohhh good to know!

 

[Jally]

I looked all over the internet and couldn't find if they were safe or not. Where did you guys find that they were safe?

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

if the branches are safe the flowers must be too. what about pine needles and chives? I'm going to start mixing my own bird food from natural plants all around the property, so I want to know what i can and can't put in. monty's had needles before, a lot, i just want to know if it's in general safe for parrots in case i wanted to sell or give some of the food away.

 

[TikiLola]

That's not necissarilly true. There are a lot of fruits that are safe but the pits or foilage are not.

 

[Mizzely]

I've heard pine needles are not safe.
http://www.thelaughingparrot.com/Safeplants.html

Chives are relatives of onions, which are not safe for consumption by birds.

 

[Mizzely]

if the branches are safe the flowers must be too. what about pine needles and chives? I'm going to start mixing my own bird food from natural plants all around the property, so I want to know what i can and can't put in. monty's had needles before, a lot, i just want to know if it's in general safe for parrots in case i wanted to sell or give some of the food away.

This is not true. For instance, small amounts of tomato are okay, but the leaves and vine are poisonous. Pine wood is safe, but the needles are not. Also some tree WOOD is safe, but the bark isn't. Don't assume that because part is safe that all is safe.

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

but monty's eaten a ton of pine needles over the time I've had him, how are they not safe?

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

and everywhere that mentions chives (lots of place don't) say they're fine. you guys just said this, just because the fruit isn't good (the small little onions that grow in the ground, beneath the chives, are essentially the fruit) doesn't mean the foliage is good (chives are the foliage of onions).

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

not actual onions, the little chive onions

 

[Mizzely]

Can you post links that say chives are safe? I'd be interested as I couldn't find much. My gut instinct is that because they are a onion relative, that it's safer to not feed them. But, that's just me playing it safe.

That was the only link I could find in a quick search that mentioned the pine needles. It doesn't say why.

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

SAFE plants - Talk Cockatiels Forums

 

[Barefoot Parrot]

 

[Mizzely]

Interesting. Well, there is no real study that onions are harmful to birds that I'm aware of, it's more of a "better safe than sorry". If you feel comfortable feeding them, by all means.

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/birds-onions-and-garlic.aspx

 

[Jally]

Forsythia still wasn't listed on any of those sites as safe or not. I see Jade plant listed as safe, but it is not safe. This site lists garlic and onion as OK in VERY small quantities. Foods & Plants Toxic to Birds I still would love to know where you find it listed as safe.

 

[SunUp]

I went from this article by Phoenix Landing. On pg. 3 it incudes forsythia as a safe plant to include in an outdoor aviary. However, it also shows a conure and a macaw with a jade plant, which you mention is not safe?

http://www.phoenixlanding.org/Plants_and_Parrots.pdf

 

[Jally]

That article is from 2008. A lot of things have changed since then. I have a jade plant, (and other various plants listed on the toxic lists) and nothing has happened, however they are out of their reach.