Food for parrots: types and features of selection

Any caring owner knows that a balanced diet is the key to the health and good condition of the parrot. The main ration of the feathered one is the cereal mixture, therefore special attention should be paid to its composition. If you constantly offer your pet insufficient quality cereals, this will inevitably lead to a lack of vitamins, dull plumage, the development of diseases and even the death of poultry.

Each owner should be well aware of what you can feed your parrot, and what products should be avoided. Cereals should be about 2/3 of the total daily ration of birds. For the most part, the dry mixture consists of purified millet - it accounts for about 70% of the total, and the remaining 30% include:

• canary seed;
• flax-seed;
• hemp seed;
• oats or oatmeal;
• crushed corn;
• sunflower seeds.

In the wild, poultry adhere to proper nutrition instinctively, but pets depend solely on the knowledge of their owners about the proper diet and feeding habits, as well as on the availability of food necessary to maintain a normal life. Therefore, we will elaborate on what kind of feed there is, what to look for when choosing a product and give a small rating of the best feed according to experts.

In the pet food segment, a wide variety of ready-made pet parrot feeds are widely represented. They can be both standard and specialized consisting of, for example, a mixture of dried fruits and nuts. They are usually used as a feed additive or treat. Produce mixtures that need to be germinated., as well as compounds with mineral components, vitamin complexes and additives necessary during the period of molting and breeding of birds, there are feeds for chicks.

Keep in mind that fatty vitamins are absolutely contraindicated in certain liver pathologies, therefore, if there is even the slightest suspicion of a liver ailment of a pet, then you should certainly consult with a specialist before entering stabilized feeds in the parrot menu.

Depending on the size of the birds use different types of mixtures.

• To small parrots wavy, as a rule, feed for them include oats and millet. A slight admixture of sunflower seeds and hemp seed is allowed - their content usually does not exceed 10-15%, since they are quite high in calories, and an excess of ingredients can cause obesity.
• Middle parrots - This is the Corella, as well as lovebirds and necklace. They need high-energy nutrition, the diet should include at least 3 varieties of grain. Shop mixes usually include 6-8 species.
• Large parrots - it is feathered with a mass of more than 300 g, such birds include macaw, cockatoo, jaco, and also Amazons. These birds need in the increased intake of vitamins, beneficial micro and macronutrients, their need for vitamins B is especially great, therefore vegetables, nuts, juicy berries and fruits are added to grain feeds.

During the molting, birds need a special grain feed enriched with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. It is noted that the condition of feathers after their reception is significantly improved.

Parrot breeders are well aware that there is a large selection of Russian and imported feeds on the market today. Unfortunately, domestic feeds in most cases are of low quality and are rather monotonous low-component mixtures. That the bird was strong, healthy, fully grown and developed, it is better to give preference to the products of one of the following manufacturers.

These cereal mixtures are considered among the most useful - they contain a large amount of nutritional components and additives therefore are both nourishing and helpful. In the manufacture of the grain mixture, mainly high-quality natural raw materials are used, which include several types of millet (red, white and yellow), as well as safflower, canary seed, and oilseed nougat. All seeds are thoroughly pre-treated, so the grain mixture does not contain any debris - such food can be safely offered to their birds.

It is noteworthy that the package contains a transparent window, through which you can clearly see the contents of the box and its volume.

Thanks to the inclusion of vitamin and mineral components, the health status of birds improves, the parrot retains its vigor and vitality.

The advantages of grain composition include:

• the inclusion of vegetables and green leaves of eucalyptus, which makes the feed more nutritious and useful;
• balance;
• exceptional usefulness of the mixture for the health of birds;
• democratic price.

However, it was not without its minuses. The packaging is quite thin and single-layered, in the form of a package - after its opening, after a while, the grain loses its useful properties. To find such food in retail outlets is quite problematic: in retail stores it is quite rare.

Very high quality balanced food for parrots, which for many years is considered one of the most successful products of Russian origin. The main components of the steel grain mixture millet and sorghum, as well as highly nutritious canary seed. The line of feed for molting birds additionally enriched with sesame and protein components, and mixtures for birds during the breeding season contain egg platter. Special germinating mixtures are also offered.

The advantages of Rio feed include:

• increased balance;
• wide assortment line, including, in addition to the basic composition, therapeutic mixtures;
• practical, high-strength packaging;
• nutrient enrichment.

Belgian-made food, the quality of which meets all European requirements, standards and regulations. The mixture has many advantages:

• consists of cereals of exceptionally high quality, does not contain any garbage or additives of uncertain origin;
• The packaging is made of hermetic material that protects the grass mixture from the penetration of water, insects, and other harmful components;
• the package contains a special lock, so you can close the opened pack tightly;
• the feed contains only natural and nutritious ingredients that are needed to maintain the health of the bird;
• low price.

At the same time, one should not forget that the Prestige is a dry food, therefore, the usual rationale must be present in the poultry diet, as well as fruits, ripe vegetables and berries.

This is one of the most common cereal mixtures, which can be found in any store at a fairly reasonable price.

With the last kind of feed should be as careful as possible - if given to healthy parrots, in most cases this leads to the development of hyperthyroidism with the transition to oncology.

One of the most sought after feeds among parrot breeders. This composition includes millet, as well as oats, canary seed and other useful components, it does not contain garbage and other foreign matter, there is no unpleasant smell. Mixture is different high nutritional valueTherefore, the consumption of such feed is quite economical. The packaging is cardboard, dense, inside it the food is sealed in a plastic bag.

When choosing a feed should pay special attention to the following points.

• No need to buy grain mixture, if it is sold by weight or simply poured into a regular cardboard box - it is not known how long and under what conditions the product was stored. The grains could be damp and moldy for a long time, insects could appear in them, therefore feed should be purchased exclusively in a sealed form.
• The grains must look brilliant in appearance and the aroma should be pleasant, any extraneous odors directly indicate the presence of chemical additives, it is better to refuse the purchase of such feed.
• You should not buy a mixture containing balls or granules: your birds only need grains. Feed mixtures containing fruits are also not the best choice for birds. Fruits can very quickly spoil the cereal mixture, besides in the dried fruit there are not all those nutrients that are present in the juicy fresh ones.
• Be sure to examine the composition of the feed indicated on the box.and compare it with the contents. Well, if the package has a small transparent window. If during the opening of the box with food you found sand, grass and any other impurities - it is better to immediately throw out such a product.
• Of course, watch your pet's condition. when introduced into the diet of a new product. If the feathery becomes sluggish, silent and apathetic, it is better to change the feed mixture and as soon as possible.

After buying the feed, a small test should be carried out - a few grains should be placed in water and left for a couple of days. If the soaked grains begin to swell and germinate, you can safely dry them, mix them with the rest of the grains from the packaging and give them to your bird. If the grain is “dead”, then this food should not be given to pets.In this case, the cereals lose their nutrients, and sometimes even contain fungal spores, mold and other pathogens.

After the purchase, be sure to sprinkle the food in a glass jar with a tightly screwed lid - the product must be stored in sealed conditions. Feed mixture should be poured into birds in the feeder 2 times a day, after cleaning the tank from the husk left over from the past feeding. The dosage depends only on the size of the birds - budgies eat up to 2 tbsp. l feed per day, large, respectively, more.

And, of course, it is important to understand that grain feed may not be the only product in the diet of parrots. In addition to cereals, the daily menu should include:

• porridge - they must be cooked in water without the addition of salt, sugar and oil;
• fruits and vegetables - with the exception of overripe and too sweet;
• sprouted grains - these products contain a large number of trace elements necessary for the full growth and development of birds;
• eggs - about 4-5 grams per day (a portion the size of a pea), and shortly before fertilization and during gestation and incubation of eggs, this number is doubled;
• branches and young shoots of fruit trees - they contain the necessary vitamins and help grind off the beak.

The recipe for delicious parrot porridge diversifies the menu of your pets.