Does Anyone Have Any Healthy Bird Treat Recipies

[Mrs.Birdy]

I have seen a few different recipes on the net, but wonder if any of you guys can recommend some that you know of or use like birdy muffins, etc.

If you do, please post the recipies....

Thanks.:D

[birdygirl]

My flock likes the Goldenfeast. But you have to buy it. it isn't a recipie.

[Mrs.Birdy]

What is goldenfeast.

Thanks

[birdygirl]

http://www.claviaryonline.com/goldenfeast.html

It is basically a mix of birdtreats that added to boiling water to make it mushy or it can be fed as is.

[Jenny]

There's something I make for my birds taht they love, but it isn't exactly a "recipe" since you can tweak it and alter it depending on what ingredients you have. I find a cornmeal muffin recipe first, and then omit the salt and sugar. I crush up pellets in a coffee grinder so it's a powder, and susbstite that for most of the cornmeal. Then I add for instance V8 juice for water, and just substite ingredients in the recipe for similar, bird-healthy things. I add jars of baby food, grated fruits and veggies, beans, and anything healthy that I happen to have. If your birds are really picky you can put it all through a food processor so that they don't pick stuff out of it, but usually my birds will eat it even if it resembles what it's supposed to! Just make sure that in the end the mixture is not too runny or anything! And, don't forget the baking soda,baking powder, eggs, or key ingredients like that. Usually I roll small bits of dough up in balls, then roll it around in a budgie seed mix. You could also though spread the dough out in a thin layer, and just cut it up. As a tip, don't add too much of each ingredient. I've done that before, and the birdie muffins got moldy before my birds had gotten to eating most of them! It ended up being a big waste. Another "recipe" I guess is something else I do. First bake a sweet potato and mush it up. then get whole-wheat/grainy bread and flatten it out wiht a rolling pin. You then spread the sweet potato on it like jelly, so it looks like a sandwich. I never really use specific recipes for healthy bird foods, just see what ingredients I have and try to come up wiht a healthy, fun way of using them for my birds.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Great ideas ...... thanks.

Please keep your recipes or favorite ways to prepare bird foods coming.

:D

[Amanda]

Here's a "Birdie Bread" recipe that Bijou loves (also my husband and our oldest son ... although they didn't like the crunchy egg shells :eek: ). I'm still trying to get Rio to eat cooked/baked goods, but so far she only likes her pellets and seeds.

1 cup whole what flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs with shells
3 tbsp oil
1 cup buttermilk

Grease an 8" pan. Mix dry ingredients. Wash eggs then pulverize in blender. Mix in oil and buttermilk, then mix in dry ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Cool and cut into small squares and freeze.

Variations: Fruits, veggies, peppers, nuts, etc. can be added to the mixture if you like. (I added 100% bran cereal, flax seeds and raisins).

This recipe came from June DiCiocco of Hideaway Farms in South Carolina. She breeds Sun Conures, Finches, Conures, Pacific Parrotlets, and Severe Macaws. She says that her conures particularly love this birdie bread.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Amanda: I'm definitely going to try that one. Sounds great.

Please keep the recipes and ideas coming everyone. Thanks.
Marcel seems to get bored with his same old food. Need new ideas.

:D

[Redstorm1721]

:p 2 eggs
1/4 c,walnuts
1/4 c,raisins
18oz,box cornbread mix
1/3 c,apple juice
1/4 c, apple sauce
1/2 cup of vegys
1/2 cup of broccoli,or carrots or kale
all shreded.

Put eggs, walnuts, and raisins, in blender and blend till egg shells are very fine, place all the mix in a bowl and blend well.

put into a well greased 8x8x2-inch pan bake at 400F for 20 minutes cool 10 minutes on rack,loosen edges with knife and turn out to finish cooling. This bread can be left in their cage all day. After ward it is best to throw away anything uneaten.:p

[Amanda]

Roseanne, Rio gave her approval on that birdie bread recipe that I made. I put a piece of it in her bowl this morning before leaving ... and when I came home and checked to see if she's eaten any of it ... it was ALL gone! Nothing left but crumbs! I'm so happy that I finally found something she likes.

I'm a happy birdie-mom today ... :)

Redstorm, that sounds like a good recipe. I'll make that one next for my picky-eater ... ;)

[jackie]

well here's a recipe for some kind of thick mush that i would never eat, but jake loves it.

boil 3 cups water
add 1/2 cup corn meal
stir...it will thicken
after it cools a little, you can add other things to it...
jake like cherrios, rasins, rice, beans, salsa, and noddles...
he also like apple and other fruit pieces, and chopped carrota and celery(but with the last list, the mush will only lasty a couple of days)
i usually stick 1/2 in the frige to feed him for the week and the other 1/2 in the freezer for later or for little frozen treats on a hot summer day

[Redstorm1721]

:) I make them this,because they are really fussy. Sunni loves it. But today when I made it, I cooked it too long. But she still loves it. I also add some tomatoes and juice from tomatoes.;) vegy flakes also. They will love it if your are fussy eaters! Good luck!

[Redstorm1721]

The nutri birdy bar seems to be the one for my birds. They all love it. I didn't noticed Pear;ee eating it but after I put them to bed is when she eats the whole amount. When I go in the morning I see she ate it all.

[Amanda]

I've been trying to give Rio fresh fruits but she just won't eat them. Maybe she doesn't know what they are? I've tried eating an apple in front of her and then offered it to her but she just beaked at it but didn't eat any. Next time I make the birdie bread (which she can't get enough of), I'm going to put in some fruits instead of the flax seeds and raisins.

[crazeemama]

I make a hard version of 'birdy bread' that my guys seem to go for.
Just make your favorite birdy bread recipe. Cool completely, Then slice in finger size pieces and spread on cook sheet. bake again at 300 for 30-40 minutes turn and return to oven for another 30 or so minutes. if it doesn't seem real dry and 'stick like 'put it back in the oven. it makes it a crunchy treat sort of thing. I freeze the extra and take out of the bag to thaw.
I don't think it spoils in the cage because it is so dry.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Funny you mentioned about double baking the birdy bread. I found that my birds like things extra crunchy and I was toasting pieces of the birdy bread and they went for it.

Your biscotti version sounds great and I will do that instead of toasting each individual piece which can be a problem.

[crazeemama]

yep - i got the idea the last time a made a batch of "real biscottti" for my cookie jar. I am a coffee adddict and make these for my son and myself. (so much better than the store bought!)
The birds really seem to go for it. and it keeps well. the trick is to get them really dry. it thaws well too as long as it is outside of the bag when doing so. (got to let the moisture go somewhere!).
I have an adopted sun conure that was pretty addicted to those little honey/seed treat sticks and now eats the birdy biscotti in its stead.

[Mrs.Birdy]

You're brilliant!!!;)

With 6 birds I am always trying to find homemade bird food and treats for them. Simply for the healthy nutritional value and cost effectiveness.

I am sure you are also aware with your large flock.

[crazeemama]

Mrs. Birdy - no not brilliant ,just pront to all too infrequent dim bursts of light so i don't kill myself stumbling around!

[Mrs.Birdy]

he he he.

[crazeemama]

This isn't really a recipe, just some ideas on making a graine/legume mix for the fids.
Mix equal parts oat groats, wheat berries,buckwheat, brown rice and or similar items for every part of grains added use 1 part bean/lentils/peas etc. pick the beans with an eye for color also. add 1 part small macaroni pieces and 1 part cracked/whole corn.
to cook add one part dry mix to four parts water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low,cover and simmer for no more than 20 minutes. (you don't want it mushy.)
I add some veggies to this if there are any left from earlier in the day, after the mix is off the heat. All of my 'mixed nuts' eat at least some part of this. (even the 'keets and my most critical eater my 5yo CAG!)
I won't even mention the Severe because he has it on his beak before i can even get the dish in his cage!
I serve it warm in the evening. I don't bother pulling the pellets, etc as they always eat this mix first!
I know there are a lot of proprietary mixes similar to this out there, but if you mix your own at the health food store, you can be sure it is organic and it is around a buck a pound. Much more cost effective! Plus you can vary the ingredients somewhat every batch for a little added interest. You might even want to add some dehydrated veggies to this if you don't usually make veggies for them. there are lots of possibilities.
Birds really seem to take to warm food (sort of like out 'comfort foods'?.

[JSimko]

Sounds good!

[Redstorm1721]

Yes I agree! I am going to try each one to see which my birds like the best!!!!!!

[Amanda]

Casegura, I have the same problem with my Pionus. She won't eat her fresh fruits or veggies. I made birdie bread for her and she loved it. I'm going to try putting some vegetables in the birdie bread next time I bake it ... hopefully, she'll realize then that veggies are good. :)

[Redstorm1721]

Did you ever try Baby food? I mix it with bread crumbs and they love it. I buy the natural Baby food. I get all their vegys in that way.

[Jenny]

To get my budgies to eat pellets, I mixed fruit and veggie baby food into them, and they loved it. All of my birds like baby foods mixed into their pellets, and if for example one doesn't like carrots, I'll get carrot baby food, mix that in with the pellets, and it'll eat it!

[dlaura]

OK - after reading thru the posts, I realize I must have missed the recipe for "birdie bread". Can anyone tell me where to find it or explain the recipe for me.
THANKS!

[birdygirl]

Sophie won't eat her fruits and veggies unless they are dried. So I will try birdie bread.

[Jenny]

Has anyone every tried any of the recipes in the "Gourmet Bird Food Recipes" book? (I'm not sure if that's the exact name) There was a review on it awhile back in our pet section of the newspaper, and I've seen it in the book store a few times and have been tempted to buy it.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Thanks for mentioning that one...I must go to the bookstore to look it up!:)

[birdygirl]

Is that the one that comes with cookie cutters??? If so I have seen it. I haven't bought it though.

[dlaura]

Be careful about the dried fruit birdygirl. The vet told me to try and stay away from it because there is a lot of sugar in it and probably chemical preservatives.

[birdygirl]

I only buy the kind the petstore has. So it is really dehydrated fruit.


__________________________________________________ __My parrot has two hearts. One is mine.

[dlaura]

Great idea!

[Jenny]

Good idea! I too have a dehydrator that I went to look for the other day to make treats for my fids, but couldn't find it! (our garage is really messy...) :) I agree about the dried fruit not being the best. There was a Q&A thing about that in BirdTalk, and if I remember right it said to only feed dried fruit in small portions since it is so sugary, though I'll have to look for the article again. And to Birdygirl, no, it's not the one with the cookie cutter, though that's probably a good one too. It's yellow with a sulfur-crested 'too on it.

[dlaura]

Just thought I would boot this forward - so newbies can see - and I can be reminded.

[Amanda]

Speaking of dried fruits and dehydrators ...

If some of you don't have a dehydrator (like myself), I found a website that sells dehydrated fruits (made for people) and my birds love them. I like this one better than the store bought ones because they don't have any preservatives in them. Here's the website for anyone interested:

http://www.justtomatoes.com

P.S. I've tried these dried fruits ... and they are quite tasty! :)

[dlaura]

Booting forward for newbie bird owners.