Harrison's bird diet

[Snowy]

To give u the background:I've had Snowy(budgie) for about a month now and she (I think) is finally getting a little tame, though she still prefers to be in her cage. I've been introducing veggies/fruit into her cage, close to where she spends most of her time and either she moves away or happily knocks it off like she's playing. I give her one of those kaytee seed/pellet mixture and she only eats the seeds.

Now, I've been reading here about this all-encompassing feed by Harrison. I think Tamara really likes it. I looked at their web site and it sounds too good to be true! I'd like to give it a try, but has anyone else feed Harrisons to their birds or heard about them?

It looks like it's used in conjunction with a vet. Do u think I cld just go on line and buy some and give it a try without a vet consultant?

[krazy4birds]

I've heard of several on here that use it and I do not think you have to go through your vet to change over to it. I think I will give it a try also. I have read about it for about a month now and it sounds like something I would feel good about my birds eating it. It should be introduced slowly mixing it in with your other food and allow 6-8 weeks for a complete change over. (my vet suggested the time period) I'm sure we will hear from others that have tried it and see what they say. Good Luck!

[mtbear]

My little one likes Harrisons. One of the major differences between this and others is it can only stay in their cage the one day since it has no preservatives.

[Snapperhead]

You absolutely do not HAVE to see a vet to start a Harrison's diet. They definately encourage a bird owner to seek out a vet if they do not have one and many people buy their Harrison's through their vet as the price is generally better. I think that's just the company's way of making sure that we're all seeing a vet with our birds, which I believe all of us do anyhow (as responsible bird owners). :D The conversion period can be a little tough and krazy is right....6 - 8 weeks is a good amount of time for it. If your 'keet loves his seed you might want to try the high potency mash and mix seeds or millet in with the mash. A lot of the time the mash is used for hard to convert birds. After about 3 - 6 months on the high potency you can change to adult lifetime. The high potency is especially good as it is exactly that (high potency) and during the conversion the higher levels can make a big difference. Another thing you can try, if you are going to convert, is the treats that they have. That is my next purchase as my Lovey is doing well so far in only a week. The breeder where my next LB is coming from (yah!...in the nest box as I type this...little cute....egg! hahaha) uses only Harrison's so the next baby will be easy to feed it. She says that she uses a little bit of organic fruit juice (on the pellets) or cayene pepper (on the mash) with birds that she imports for breeding when they haven't been on a Harrison's diet previously. She says she has yet to meet a bird that didn't like a touch of cayene pepper on their mash....mmm, spicey! Anyhow you absolutely can purchase this product directly online, but krazy is right about the shelf life. They say a bag should only be kept for about 4 - 6 weeks (a little longer if refridgerated) as there are no preservatives and the freshness only holds so long in the original packaging...they advise against repackaging in plastic bags or airtight plastic. I hope you are successful with it as in my opinion it is a great food for our babies. If you have any more questions ask away...as I said my breeder has been using it for years and years and has had nothing but success. You may also want to research a little on sprouting seeds/lentils as I've just begun this (at the breeder's advice) and my Lovey loves it!
Cheers, Tamara

[dlaura]

Hi,
I use Harrisons also -- only for the Goffin as Angel is only one of my 4 that seems to like it. Just recently found that she likes the colored Zupreem pellets --the ones that resemble fruit shapes and are for the large birds.

mtbear -- I did not realize this about the preservatives -- thanks for passing this info on.

[Snapperhead]

If you go to the Harrison's webpage (www.harrisonsbirdfood.com) and at the very bottom (fine print...lol) there is a link for a phone number to call for a free sample. They will send you out a sample of the food or the treats or both! I just ordered the treats for free to see if my Snapperhead likes them! But I couldn't resist as they are my favorite thing........FREE! ! ! ! :D

Cheers, Tamara

[krazy4birds]

Oh gosh Tamara...did you say FREE....gee I better get going and get my name in before they run out..hahahahahaha...this "mash" you are talking about..is it from them too or something else?

[Snapperhead]

krazy -- the mash is a Harrison's product as well. Before they started making the ultra-fine sized pellets it was used mostly for converstion, young birds and really small birds (finch, lori, budgie). Apparently it can really help with the conversion process for birds that aren't big on pellets. All this info is on their website:

http://www.harrisonsbirdfood.com/

From the literature I've read this diet may even help with feather plucking. I've read a bunch of posts from bird owned people that have that problem with their babies.

[Snowy]

You're right Tamara about the freebie thing. How cld I have missed that!
I tried to call the number today, but got a recording. I'll keep trying though since the samples I think will be a terrific way to give Harrisons a try!

In the meantime, this is what i did today. Do you all think this is an OK thing?
I bought some Kaytee original pellets (couldn't find zupree pellets at Petco)
-I took out Snowy's usual seed/pellet mixture first thing in the morning and replaced with 100% pellets. Also put some in her treat cup.
(she kept going to her food cup and poking around, but can't tell whether she actually ate any)
-Around 1pm, I took away the pellets and put back the seed mixture with the pellets mixed in. (she definitely ate then, evidenced by empty shells)
-tried giving her bananas and even oatmeal cookie I was eating, but no go there...

I am thinking of doing this for a while 'til I get a hold of some Harrison's stuff.

Please stop me if you think this is not good.

[Snapperhead]

Maybe try mixing the existing seed/pellet mix that you know she's eating with the new pellets. The biggest problem with seeds is that a bird will pick out the seeds they like best and leave the rest which results in an extremely unbalanced diet. I don't know if I would totally withold the mixture that she's been eating until later in the day as she may start to lose weight from not having food (that she's willing to eat) all day. I would continue with the diet she's used to and just consistently reduce the quantity of it. The other thing that I'm not too sure about is changing the pellets to Kaytee and then in a couple weeks changing it again to Harrison's. If you're going to use the Kaytee pellets I'd tend to stick with that for a while (it's still much better than seed). Changing your bird's diet completely twice in a couple of months may upset her. As for fruit and veggies...persistence is key! Just keep trying and hopefully you'll eventually find something she'll like. Try romain or green leaf lettuce, parsley, spinach, pumpkin, sweet potatoe, squash, apple, strawberries (organic is best as the pesticide they use on strawberries is extremely toxic), etc. Hope this helps.

Cheers, Tamara

[krazy4birds]

woooo-hoooo.....I just called that toll free number at Harrisons and they are sending me a free supply of their pellets for Dexter and a sample of the mash for the smaller birds and they are going to send information about their food and etc...GREAT!!!!! Thank you Tamara for pointing out that info!!! And btw Snowy beep trying I got through on my first try....they are very friendly!

[Snapperhead]

Everyone that is going to give Harrison's a try please keep me posted on your progress when you get it. I know it can take a while to convert our feathered friends but I'm curious if everyone has as easy a time as I've had so far. My Snapperhead is already almost completely converted and is only receiving 1 tsp of seed mix and 1 tsp of zupreem fruit pellets in a day, the rest is all Harrison's. He's up to 47 grams as well according to his weight last night before dinner. That is up 1 full gram from his vet appointment last Wednesday! ! That is very encouraging, and I hope he puts on a little more before we go back at the end of October for his follow-up avian panel. I'd love to see him up around 49 - 50 grams again by year end if he doesn't actually have a kidney problem. As I said I really want to hear about anyone else that decides to give Harrison's a try and hear what kind of results they are getting.

Cheers, Tamara

[Snowy]

Thanks again for your feedback, Tamara. As u suggested, i think I'll switch the order of my menu to - seed mixture in the morning and pellets in the afternoon - for a while anyway. as for warning of too many new introductions, I think doing the Harrison thing later on shouldn't be a problem since the pellets I'm giving her is part of the Kaytee mixture she's already getting. I'm just increasing the amount of pellets by mixing more in. You think it'll be OK?

But it's amazing how these little birds can go thru a whole cup of mixture and perfectly pick out the millets and kick out all the pellets!!

[Snapperhead]

Yeah Snowy I'm sure that'll be fine. I didn't realize that the mixture you were giving was already with the Kaytee pellets. I had to reduce the millet I gave my Lovey because he'd fill up on that and not eat the pellets. Now he gets about a 2" piece Saturday mornings, way up high in his new java gym and he has to climb like crazy to get to it. I'm going to try sprouting millet as I hear it's really easy and looks really cool when it's sprouted and it's a little more nutritional than just a sprig. Did you ever get through to order your free sample of Harrison's?

Cheers, Tamara

[lianatch]

after reading this post, i couldnt help looking into harrison's food as well. my grey eats a lot of seeds and fruit and i keep working hard into getting him to eat more veggies and pellets. so i hope he can convert to harrison's easily - they just seem to be so good! of course, i was excited to read about the free sample and called and got one. he seemed to at least be interested in trying the pellets - i was so happy :p i just ordered a bag and should get it soon. the only thing i wanted to add - the product itself seems perfect. but i was reading suggestions on how to convert your bird and this one really disturbed me: "If your bird continues to be leery of the pellets, remove all perches from the cage so the bird HAS to sit on the food dish." :eek: does anyone else thinks this is an absolutely unacceptable suggestion? or is it just with some birds (like my grey) that it is unacceptable bc it would almost inevitably lead to the bird's panic and stress to say the least? well, i am still going to try the pellets, but wondered what you guys think.

[Snapperhead]

Did you read that on the Harrison's webpage??? I think it's totally unacceptable...especially with a Grey! Imagine what a lack of stimulation like that would do to a bird! I think there are much easier ways to go about it...even if it takes a year to convert your bird, what is a year for the remainder of his/her life as a healthy, well-nourished bird! I hope that you find success with converting your Grey...I have nothing but good things to say about this product so far and the conversion process hasn't been that hard...although I think it will probably take another 3-4 months before he's entirely converted, he's doing really well. I measure the amount of pellets that go in to his dishes every morning and measure any waste at the end of the day so I know how much he's actually consuming. I also make sure to keep a record of his weight every few days. Good luck with your fid...and you're absolutely right about that being an unacceptable way to convert...IMO anyhow!

Cheers, Tamara

[Shelia]

Ok I called to my sample is on its way I with Nikkie being a feather plucker I'm always looking for a better food she not good with the vegs have been working on that for a year now but this food looks alot like the food she eats now I don't do the food with the dyes in it. I did get the kabobs and Nikkie will strip it down in no time she don't eat it as of yet but at lest its in her mouth before it goes to the floor LOL this morning every time I would look at her she would freeze on throwing it it was so funny but I didn't laugh just keep turning to look. I just started with sprouting seeds but sunflower seeds is all she will eat at this time. Wish she would be like Angel (eclectus) she eats every Nikkie is a Umbrella Cockatoo my cockatiels are picky to.

[lianatch]

Did you read that on the Harrison's webpage??? I think it's totally unacceptable...especially with a Grey! Imagine what a lack of stimulation like that would do to a bird! I think there are much easier ways to go about it...even if it takes a year to convert your bird, what is a year for the remainder of his/her life as a healthy, well-nourished bird!

yes, there is a link on their front page (at the bottom right where the free sample link is). it is not the first thing they are suggesting - more like "try it if the bird didnt take to the pellets easily". and there are no specifics as to the species. so maybe with smaller birds it would be ok. i personally think it is one of the worst things you could do and i was shocked to read it on a vet's site. but i am looking forward to trying the pellets. hopefully it will work! i also saved your sprout and birdy muffin recepes, tamara, - just need to find the time to try those. :D

[Kalisandra]

I couldn't get my birds to touch the stuff. :( I ended wasting the whole bag. Mine eat, and love their Roudybush, and someday I might try Harrison's again, but not any time soon.

Kalisandra

[krazy4birds]

I was lucky enough to get the free sample of it Kalisandra. Dexter would not touch it either. Where do you get your Roudybush? Your birds like it really well?

[Snapperhead]

Keep in mind that I'm still in my second month of converting my bird to Harrison's...at first he wasn't very interested and was like a fiend when a little bit of seed came along everyday. It definately take a while...sometimes up to a year to convert a bird to a new diet. I've heard a couple things you may want to try...
add the pellets to a rice and veggie mix if your bird likes that
add it to oatmeal
add a little bit of baby food or mashed soft fruit
try putting the pellets in birdie bread
My fid is doing very well with his convesion, but I definately threw away my fair share of Harrison's...especially in the beginning.
I've heard good things about Roudybush as well, but I think there is preservatives in it. In fact I've heard people say that Harrison's is great for a bird that's health is compromised in any way. It's a great conversion for a bird that's had an all seed diet to get their nutritional needs met more quickly. My bird has a kidney problem so I'll definately stick to Harrison's but I think really most pelleted diets are better than just seed.
Cheers, Tamara

[Kalisandra]

Where do you get your Roudybush? Your birds like it really well? My birds love it! Awhile ago I ran out, and thought: Lafeber is a good company my birds should like their pellets. Boy was I wrong! It took me a week to get them to eat them. Thank-god I found a little Roudybush in the back of the freezer! Since I've started using Lafeber my birds... Uh: Poop, has got stinkier. :mad:

I'm sticking with my Roudybush. My vet agrees that Roudybush is good, and my birds love it! Next month I'm going to order a 50 pound bag of Roudybush (http://www.roudybush.com/) from their company. I use the Low-Fat Daily Maintenance Crumbles (http://www.roudybush.com/index.php?page=lfm) for my Cockatiels, and when I get a Quaker he/ she will eat the Low-Fat Daily Maintenance Small (http://www.roudybush.com/index.php?page=lfm). If I ever get a Green cheek Conure it will have to go on the Daily Maintenance Small (http://www.roudybush.com/index.php?page=dm), because conures need more fat in their diet than a Cockatiel, or a Quaker.

Each person must research the best diet for their birds, and talk to their Avian Vet. If your vet recommends something you should use what they say. They've gone to school for years, and should know the best diet for your bird.


Snapperhead: It took two months to convert my seed-junkie Cockatiel hen to pellets. I was patient even when I felt like a 'bad' bird mum for making her eat the stuff that is better for her.

How I converted her: I switched her to a millet only seed diet, and then took her out of the cage every morning to hand-feed the pellets to her. She always had a dish of pellets in her cage, and every evening I gave her a small dish of millet. Eventually she learned that the pellets were good food. (Look at mum eating them: Yummm!), and starting eating them. When I started I thought I'd never get her converted; now she's really good about eating her pellets. :) Persistance eventually pays off!

Kalisandra

[Shelia]

I to am going to the Harrison's diet started last Wed. and Nikkie is taking the Harrison and leaving the Lafeber :) I can't beleave it it took a year to get her off the seed diet my thing is I want my birds to have food at all times and I know this can go bad I have been putting in fresh morning and night does it stay good that long ? How long can it stay in the cage ?

[Snapperhead]

Harrison's should be changed every day in the cage. Try using only the amount it says on the bag/website. It may seem like very little compared to what you're used to feeding your bird. My mother said it looked like she was starving her birds when she gave them the Harrison's because she was used to puting a large amount of Zupreem and leaving it in there for a few days. But her birds now eat everything in their dishes and so she's going to up the feeding amount a bit until they leave a bit in their bowl so she knows they're getting enough. I put fresh Harrison's in the cage in the morning and by the time he goes to bed at night there is usually only a few pellets and some dust left in the bowl. I'm off to the vet tonight to have the follow up blood work done and see if his kidneys have improved at all. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Cheers, Tamara

[Shelia]

thinks I was changing it morning and night hope all goes well

[Snapperhead]

I will forever more be an advocate for Harrison's! 6 weeks ago I was using Zupreem and seed as my Lovie's diet and supplementing with Missing Link (my old vet recommended it). The normal uric acid level for a Lovie is between 208 & 714. My Lovie's level was coming back at 763 which indicates kidney failure. After 6 weeks on the Harrison's his level is down to 495! That is dead on where it should be...and a huge relief to me! Thank you Harrison's! !

Cheers, Tamara

[Shelia]

Nikkie is a feather picker and I have always worried about diet when she came to me she was on a seed diet I went through alot of diffident pellets all she would take was the Lafeber's but she has taken to the Harrison very will and she even has some feathers trying to grow in spots she has not had any since I've had her alittle mor then a year

[Snapperhead]

Shiela!!!

Isn't that terrific...I'm so glad to hear that you are also having success with the Harrison's. I think it's one of the best things I've ever done for my bird. That's something else that your Nikkie is allowing some of her feathers to come back in. I've heard of feather pickers being turned around by just changing their diet...I hope this continues and Nikkie keeps allowing these feathers to come back in. It's such a simple thing that we can do to make sure our fids have a great life, just a simple diet change. It seems it can make all the difference in the world!

Cheers, Tamara

[Shelia]

I can't beleave how she took to it she is a very picky eater I think the people that had her was junk food junkies and we don't have much of that around here if you don't have it you can't eat it you know LOL but when she see's someone with it she will just about kill to got some

[Snowy]

I've been busy rescuing a starving lizard, so I haven't had a chance to visit here a while. I've gotten a batch of harrisons now and trying to get snowy to eat it. She knocks it out of her treat cup with a vengence, but I think she's nibbling some that's in her main food dish, but hard to tell since they're still mixed with the seeds. I've been reading here that some conversions take a year!

My ques. is, how do u know when a bird has been successfully converted? as of now, Snowy obviously prefers the seeds and picks those off first, but I can't tell how much of the pellets she's eating...

My sister was laughing at me the other day that I pay more attention to my parakeets nutrition than I do my kids! ...as my kids much on hotdogs!!

[Snapperhead]

LOL snowy! Hot Dogs are nutritious....aren't they? hehe I would try some of the conversion tips that are on the Harrison's website along with a dose of your own common sense (some of the tips are a bit out there). Once you think he's eating some of the pellets I would withold his seed ration until later in the day. First thing in the morning is when a bird is the most hungry so that's one of the best times to feed new foods. You could also try adding the Harrison's into a birdie bread recipe....it helped a lot in getting my Lovie off seed. He rarely gets seed anymore...it's strickly a treat and he does a little jig now when he gets it and then is tail up in the bowl for a solid 10 minutes. His weight is holding steady betwen 46 and 47 grams and he's having at least an hour of flight time a night so even with the extra exercise he's holding steady at that weight. It can definately take a long time to convert a bird...I think Sheila said she's been trying for a year and has tried about every pellet diet out there. My mother's birds (Lovie and Macaw) went straight onto the Harrison's and actually left only the Zupreem in the bowl. She doesn't have to give them any pellets now but the Harrison's. I guess it's different with every bird. Some will be stubborn and try to push you around and others will just change over with no real effort. Keep trying and good luck. Keep us posted!

Cheers, Tamara

[Snowy]

thanks for the encouragement and tips, Tamara! I think it'll be the battle of the wits with Snowy! I've been looking for the cornbread mix that u mentioned for the birdie muffin, but can't find the brand anywhere. The ones I see around me calls for a simple water additive. (no eggs, no oil)
Do u think those wld be ok too? I can't control the sweetness or anything and I'm not sure what to substitute. Do u think I cld just mix in the pellets?

better yet, if u have a bag /box of the mix u use, cld u give me their contact address/website/ph no? maybe I cld ask them where I can find them!

[Shelia]

It took a year to get Nikkie on a pellet diet but only two weeks to go to the Harrison but it was a long hard road to get to a pellet I was so suprised she took to the harrison so fast and I watch to see her eatting it I also keep check on there wt. But Nikkie is getting in so meny new feathers right now I just hope she will let them stay the one thing on the website that I will not do is to give only the harrison food they get fresh fruits and vegs. and eat dinner with us I would hate to think of how bad it would be to only have one food to eat BORING I also so don't think one food can give them all they need seeds are a treet in this house and will always be but each day I would put a little less seeds in the food we are still working on fresh carrots some times I think I'm going to turn in to one I eat soooooo many LOL

[Snapperhead]

Snowy:

Here is a recipe for birdie bread you can make yourself. The other option is to find an organic food store and see if they have a cornbread mix.

Cornbread:
1 Cup All purpose flour (whole wheat)
1 Cup Corn meal
2 Tbsp sugar (I'd leave this out)
4 Tsp baking powder (1 1/2 tsp for high altitude & make sure it's aluminum free)
1 Tsp salt
1 Cup Milk (I'd try 1/2 cup water & 1/2 cup of organic unsweetened fruit juice)
1/2 Cup oil or melted vegetable shortening
1 Egg (double this and use the shells if you wish)

Combine all dry ingredients and then add moist ingredients and stir only until smooth. Put into muffin tin. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.

I absolute agree with Shiela as well that just pellets are too boring. I still give my boy lots of fresh veggies and bits of organic grain bread and flax bread. He's not too big on fruits, but I still offer apples, mango and banana. I've found that adding a little baby food to brown rice and whole wheat pasta helps with his interest as well. I use an organic baby food and usually end up trowing out a lot of the jar, but it does help.

Cheers, Tamara

[Snowy]

Thanks so much for the recipe, Tamara!
Sheila, and those others who took a year to convert, how did u do it? Right now, I'm stuck on the half pellets, half seed ratio ( for about 2 months) Snowy is quite stubborn and waits until I put the seed mixture in. I know she's really hungry because she is climbing into the food cup before I get a chance to put it in it's place!
So right now, she gets about a teaspoon of seeds every day.

I can't tell if she's actually eating the pellets...Most of them end up on the floor. I know she picks a few up in her mouth but she seems to grind them. Is she eating when she does this or just grinding them down - I do notice the pellet sand in the cup after she does this but can't tell if any of it is actually ingested.

[Snapperhead]

Do you only give her the pellets during the day and then give her seed later on? Birds are hungriest in the morning. If you use two different cups for pellets and seed, maybe try putting pellets in both cups in the morning...maybe try to soften up the ones in the 'seed' cup with a couple drops of organic fruit juice. This way they will not just crumble and you'll have a better idea if she's actually ingesting any of it. When I started my conversion I measured what went into the cup for every feeding and what came out at the end of the day. Also you wan to use a scale and make sure her weight isn't dropping. You can probably pick up a scale in the kitchen department of most department stores. Good luck and remember 2 months isn't a long time for conversion....some birds will take years to convert...although generally the younger the bird, the easier the conversion.

Cheers, Tamara