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How do you prepare veggies?

Shelli

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So today I added a sweet potato to Bagel's veggie mix. I heated it up in the microwave because I wasn't sure about serving it raw. I chopped up almost everything that we had in the fridge and put portions into baggies that I put into the freezer. With just one little bird it all goes bad so fast so I'm hoping he will still eat this stuff when it thaws out again.

I wasn't sure about how to serve the sweet potato, does anyone serve it raw? What about tomatoes? I can't remember if those were ok to throw in or not. What do you do about other things, other odd fruit like pomegranate-can the seeds be frozen do those have to be fresh? Other squashes? Do they have to be precooked? Butternut squash? I had some yellow squash in the mix but it was soft enough that I feed it raw.
 

Zara

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I was always told to cook sweet potatoes first - it helps them digest it.
@rocky'smom made a video making a birdy mash, I´ll go find the link :)

Remember, only feed the red of tomatoes, not the green part as they are nightshade.

Maybe this link will help you; My Chop "Recipe"


Edit; here´s the link for the video
 

rocky'smom

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Always cook sweet potatoes before giving them to your birds. You can mash them, dice them but just cook them please.
@Zara thank you
 

Rain Bow

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For some parrots raw tomatoes are to acidic because of the citric acid. They will not eat them but are fine w/ cooked sauce like for spaghetti or pizza. The problem is the high amounts of salt for these meals. If you do give them some small meals spread out. Squashes are good. Buddy only likes them cooked.

If I remember correctly all potato's should be cooked before a fid eats them. You may want to read about different nightshades & parrots. Like garlic, they can have but in small amounts. Onion they shouldn't get because of bad anemia they can get that can really harm them. Mushrooms I have gotten different opinions on. Most say No... Peppers of all types they can have (@ least I havent found one they can't have). Buddy doesn't like hot peppers. Those are off the top of my head.

I cut in different ways depending on how they're served. Buddy likes it best when we share. I cut a piece for him & then cut a piece for me. We eat & so on. His favorite thing to do (I think) is eat w/ someone, or everyone. I noticed as of late that if I put food in his big cage, he often won't eat. He wants to be @ the food area w/ whomever is eating. I think I broke my birdy ;) poor thing thinks he's a people!
 

Mizzely

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All potato should be cooked. They are hard to digest raw and have enzymes that prevent absorption of other nutrients.

Dark leafy greens should be likely cooked to break the oxalic acid and calcium bond otherwise much of the calcium cannot be absorbed.

Most beans should also be cooked, not given dry.

Everything else I feed raw :)
 

Ripshod

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I've sat back and had a good think about this. Isn't it amazing how well we change our own diets to fit around our birbs. Everything I put on my own dinner plate is now perfectly safe for my birbs to steal, even the chicken - and I'm feeling the benefits.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes should be thoroughly cooked. Dried legumes need to be boiled for 10 then simmered for at least 20 minutes.
I was aware of @Zara's advice re the green parts of tomatoes but have to thank @Rain Bow for pointing out about the acidity.
All allium (onions, garlic) are a no-no as is salt.
At the end of the day you have to ask yourself 'would I eat it?' and 'would this be healthy for me?'.

Avocado? Although some of the flesh is considered safe I have to say NO!
 
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MnGuy

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My CAG doesn’t like frozen-thawed chop, which is a little frustrating. She only eats freshly cut vegetables.
 

Shelli

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My CAG doesn’t like frozen-thawed chop, which is a little frustrating. She only eats freshly cut vegetables.
This is my concern. We'll see how it goes. So far Bagel is still just eating freshly pre chopped veggies. I won't dip into the frozen for a couple more days.
 

Rain Bow

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All potato should be cooked. They are hard to digest raw and have enzymes that prevent absorption of other nutrients.

Dark leafy greens should be likely cooked to break the oxalic acid and calcium bond otherwise much of the calcium cannot be absorbed.

Most beans should also be cooked, not given dry.

Everything else I feed raw :)
I didn't know about the leafy greens, is that spinaches & lettuces or???

The cooking condition that changes w/ beans is sprouting. The soaking elliminates that coating that is also removed when cooking. I just want to mention it as I've been trying to get many newer members to sprout the more & nore I'm learning of the nutritional benefits.
 

Clueless

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When I make chop, I cook pasta and quinoa the day before. When you add that to the chopped veggies the next day, it soaks up the liquid.

Always cook the sweet potatoes. My guys love the cooked butternut squash. I have some of that frozen by itself right now.
 

Mizzely

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I didn't know about the leafy greens, is that spinaches & lettuces or???

The cooking condition that changes w/ beans is sprouting. The soaking elliminates that coating that is also removed when cooking. I just want to mention it as I've been trying to get many newer members to sprout the more & nore I'm learning of the nutritional benefits.


All dark leafy greens contain oxalic acid, which binds to the calcium and renders it unusable to the body. Heat destroys this bond allowing the calcium to be bio available :)
 

Hawk12237

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How do I prepare my veggies for birds!?
Lol....with them either on my shoulder ( greyson) or on kitchen island fruit stand ( poppers) where she perches on fruit stand and watched what I cut up.
First I get all veggies I plan to add to chop out and pile them up on island after washing.

You get to know after a while which veggies your birds prefer cooked and which ones they like cold. Mine like most warned up.

I steam all veggies, keeps most nutrition in them.
I also learn some veggies if allowed to reach room temperature, they might eat it fresh.

 

Rain Bow

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It's so tough in the beginning to change our fids diet. Like @Ripshod mentioned changing our fids diet, I recently (last 6-8 months) started sprouting. Buddy's funny about new foods & after a seed & dry fruit for 20 + yrs, who'd blame him. He is almst completely converted to sprouts & fresh. He gets a small amount of seed in the evening besides his treats. He get less then a TBLspoon of seed Total a day.

Anyway what Ripshod is saying is true & where I was going w/ all that junk above. I do eat better & Buddy tries to avoid parts in his sprouts because he's still getting used to the dry beans I soak & sprout. He's never seen them to my knowledge. When he gets them he likes & will go to them faster if I pop them in my mouth & (do what your parents teach you @ 3 to not do @ the table), chew a bit & open my mouth & show him, swallow the bean & show him again. Birds in the wild will watch their flock before eating & when 1 eats something, if they don't drop dead or act poisioned then the others will eat. I forgot where I read this but it was a reputable place. What I can't figure out is why that 1st bird starts eating. So it's disgusting to show him but it was such a hard but fast conversion in 2+ years that I don't care. My kids all grown up & my hubby & I are pretty reclused so its just us. I thought & still think it was easier to convert him to sprouts than it was to fresh produce but he needs them both being an amazon & needing his vitamin A due to Zon's being suseptable to Vitamin A deficiencies.
 
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