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New to chop

LadJen

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Hello,

I wanted to make a chop for my birds and had a couple of questions I thought you might be able to answer. My chop is being made of the list below which Im making raw to then freeze:
- Brocolli
- cauliflower
- carrots
- red radishes with greens
- red bell peppers
- Old fashioned rolled oats
- White quinoa
- flax seeds
- chia seeds
I then realized I have no legumes yet so I want to add split green peas, but I am confused on whether to soak or not. I read that its safe to give raw but then saw it wasn't and I am a bit confused. Do you soak the split green peas for 8-12 hours and cook before adding it?
My other question is do you cook the quinoa or can it be added raw? same for the oats?
My last 2 questions are how long do you offer the chop for? and how much should you feed an African grey, quaker, lovebird, and parakeet?
Thank you for all those that answer, I am trying my best and want to make a good delicious and very healthy chop.
 

Oscarbird

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My other question is do you cook the quinoa or can it be added raw? same for the oats?
Quinoa can be served raw or cooked, same with oats.
I'm not sure about the peas, so hopefully someone else has the answer.
My last 2 questions are how long do you offer the chop for?
Since chop is perishable, offer it for at least a few hours. With my bird I offer him his veggies from the morning till the afternoon or afternoon to evening. As for your other question about how much to feed your birds I only have experiences with lovebirds. I would say maybe 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp of chop for your lovie depending on what other foods you will be offering them during the day such as foraging treats.
 

finchly

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I soak the peas. You can cook or not cook quinoa, oats, and almost all other grains. They’re good for soaking up the excess moisture from the veggies (when dry).
 

FeatheredM

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I have a question similar to this, is there any veggies you MUST Cook? You have a interesting mix of Birds by the way, they sound lovely ladjen
 

Mizzely

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I have a question similar to this, is there any veggies you MUST Cook? You have a interesting mix of Birds by the way, they sound lovely ladjen
Yes you MUST cook most beans (especially kidney beans). There are a few exceptions (mung, adzuki, green beans).

You SHOULD cook orange veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots. Sweet potatoes have an enzyme that can make them hard to digest as well as restrict protein absorption. Beta carotene (what the body uses to make Vitamin A) is made easier to absorb when cooked.

You SHOULD cook dark leafy greens to inactivate oxalic acid,which binds to calcium and makes it so the body can't use the calcium.

I'm sure there might be others but those are the basics.

As for how much to feed, I basically give them a serving about the size of their head, or approximately 1 tbsp plus 1 tbsp of chop per 100 grams of bird. In the summer I only let my bird have it for about 2 hours, but in the winter I let him have it for 4.
 

FeatheredM

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Thank you so much @Mizzely! Didn't know about the dark leafy greens and carrots!
 

Shannan

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Hello,

I wanted to make a chop for my birds and had a couple of questions I thought you might be able to answer. My chop is being made of the list below which Im making raw to then freeze:
- Brocolli
- cauliflower
- carrots
- red radishes with greens
- red bell peppers
- Old fashioned rolled oats
- White quinoa
- flax seeds
- chia seeds
I then realized I have no legumes yet so I want to add split green peas, but I am confused on whether to soak or not. I read that its safe to give raw but then saw it wasn't and I am a bit confused. Do you soak the split green peas for 8-12 hours and cook before adding it?
My other question is do you cook the quinoa or can it be added raw? same for the oats?
My last 2 questions are how long do you offer the chop for? and how much should you feed an African grey, quaker, lovebird, and parakeet?
Thank you for all those that answer, I am trying my best and want to make a good delicious and very healthy chop.
I want to know the same answers
 

finchly

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I have a question similar to this, is there any veggies you MUST Cook? You have a interesting mix of Birds by the way, they sound lovely ladjen
Anything ‘can’ be served raw. This is my philosophy. Raw retains the nutrients, for sure.

That said - I always steam carrots and sweet potatoes. In addition o the health benefits, I have medium parrots down to finches, and most of mine (being littles) won’t eat them if they aren’t soft.

I don’t serve any beans except adzuki, mung, chickpea/garbanzo, and lentils which are technically a legume. Those “can” all be served raw or, better yet sprouted. They make up the base of my sprouts. If I’m serving them in bean form, though, I go ahead and cook, again my birds are little and picky.

I don’t cook the dark leafy greens, but I do rotate among them.

I also soak nuts before chopping them because it increases nutrient bioavailability.

By the way. If you are cooking the beans in an instant pot, they will NOT get all the way done. The birds will toss them into the floor. :D apparently, this is a thing and you hve to do them the old fashioned way.

ETA: serving size:
2 tsp per finch and canary.
1 T per budgie
2 T per cockatiel
1 T per piggy parrotlet, and 1/2 T for the ladylike one
2T for parrots, except extra for Captain Jack.
 

LadJen

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Oh wow I got so many replies thank you to everyone that did, this has been a great help. I will make sure to soak the peas, better be safe than sorry, and I will follow those feeding rules. I will also leave the oats and quinoa uncooked to soak up any moisture just in case. I came up with one more question if no one minds, Is it possible to give a glucosamine supplement to birds or if its in any type of food I can offer? The reason I ask is because my parakeets are getting old (one of them is around 12 years) and I have noticed they are a bit slower in moving around. Again thank you to all this has been a great help!!!!:loveshower:
 

LadJen

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Messages
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I have a question similar to this, is there any veggies you MUST Cook? You have a interesting mix of Birds by the way, they sound lovely ladjen
Mizzely answered your question very well and yep they are a weird mix for sure. Fun fact, they have all appeared at my yard (except for the 2 parakeets which were given by a friend) at different times and I never found their owners, so I kept them. Now I have a weird fun mix of birds. :laughing2:
 

Mizzely

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Oh wow I got so many replies thank you to everyone that did, this has been a great help. I will make sure to soak the peas, better be safe than sorry, and I will follow those feeding rules. I will also leave the oats and quinoa uncooked to soak up any moisture just in case. I came up with one more question if no one minds, Is it possible to give a glucosamine supplement to birds or if its in any type of food I can offer? The reason I ask is because my parakeets are getting old (one of them is around 12 years) and I have noticed they are a bit slower in moving around. Again thank you to all this has been a great help!!!!:loveshower:
Senior Nutriberries contain glucosamine :) I am actually investigating this for my parrot also as he is 22 and has been showing signs of arthritis. I am not sure what the dosage would be yet!
 

LadJen

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Yes you MUST cook most beans (especially kidney beans). There are a few exceptions (mung, adzuki, green beans).

You SHOULD cook orange veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots. Sweet potatoes have an enzyme that can make them hard to digest as well as restrict protein absorption. Beta carotene (what the body uses to make Vitamin A) is made easier to absorb when cooked.

You SHOULD cook dark leafy greens to inactivate oxalic acid,which binds to calcium and makes it so the body can't use the calcium.

I'm sure there might be others but those are the basics.

As for how much to feed, I basically give them a serving about the size of their head, or approximately 1 tbsp plus 1 tbsp of chop per 100 grams of bird. In the summer I only let my bird have it for about 2 hours, but in the winter I let him have it for 4.
This information was very helpful, I didn't know about the carrots or the dark leafy greens so thats good to know, thank you for teaching me something new. :D I also appreciate the measurement of food its a nice way to put it.
 

LadJen

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Messages
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Anything ‘can’ be served raw. This is my philosophy. Raw retains the nutrients, for sure.

That said - I always steam carrots and sweet potatoes. In addition o the health benefits, I have medium parrots down to finches, and most of mine (being littles) won’t eat them if they aren’t soft.

I don’t serve any beans except adzuki, mung, chickpea/garbanzo, and lentils which are technically a legume. Those “can” all be served raw or, better yet sprouted. They make up the base of my sprouts. If I’m serving them in bean form, though, I go ahead and cook, again my birds are little and picky.

I don’t cook the dark leafy greens, but I do rotate among them.

I also soak nuts before chopping them because it increases nutrient bioavailability.

By the way. If you are cooking the beans in an instant pot, they will NOT get all the way done. The birds will toss them into the floor. :D apparently, this is a thing and you hve to do them the old fashioned way.

ETA: serving size:
2 tsp per finch and canary.
1 T per budgie
2 T per cockatiel
1 T per piggy parrotlet, and 1/2 T for the ladylike one
2T for parrots, except extra for Captain Jack.
Jaja birds love to make you struggle by doing things the old fashioned way :laughing2: Thanks for letting me know how you do it, this really helps me figure out how to do everything. Its good to know about the beans as I wanted to experiment with those later on.
 

LadJen

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Senior Nutriberries contain glucosamine :) I am actually investigating this for my parrot also as he is 22 and has been showing signs of arthritis. I am not sure what the dosage would be yet!
I did not know that nutriberries had one of their options with glucosamine. My birds normally love the little balls or popcorn versions they sell. Ill definitely look into it, thanks!!
 

FeatheredM

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@Mizzely , you seem to be very good with bird nutrition, I think I heard you say that birds pellets need synthetic vitamin D, deos my bird food have this? 16275677698193664592747563719645.jpg
 

CrazyKozmo

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I see a "vitamin D supplement" on the ingredient list. Harrison's is a good pellet....if your bird will eat it.
 

Mizzely

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FeatheredM

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Thank you!
 
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