Tips for finicky eaters, Once a week shop and prepare by Nathalie I tried and failed at feeding veggies once. It had been just too much work to see the fids use them as something more to throw around. So I stopped for a short bit, but then I felt so guilty about not giving them what they needed that I tried again. Recently, I tried things a little differently, and now all of my birds are die-hard veggie fans and eat pretty much whatever I put in front of them with as little waste as a parrot can manage (which doesn't say much - ha!). ONCE A WEEK SHOP AND PREP: First, I just bought one or two of whatever looked like it was actually ripe, or would be within two days of being in the fridge. I always kept in mind the addage of using veggies whose flesh is dark red, orange, or green and then which ones were safe. Apparently since birds can "see" ripeness, they will reject foods that aren't quite ripe. Then, I prep everything ahead of time as much as possible - scrubbed veggies and/or did the ACVinegar wash, cut into big chunks some veggies and stored them in tupperware (squash, peppers, etc). Doing this once a week is a whole lot easier than doing it every day. When I feed, I just have to chop stuff and feed it. I keep all my bowls and bags in a little plastic basket so all I have to do is grab that and put it on the counter. It keeps the bird stuff out of the way. EVERY OTHER WEEK BEANS AND RICE: Once every week or two, I cook up a pot of mixed beans and rice and froze into two day servings so that I only have to take down one baggie to keep in the fridge for two days. Before mixing with my Glop, I chop up the beans to the same size that I'll be chopping the veggies. I warm it up with whatever else frozen I have to warm up. EVERY NIGHT: I take whatever looks like it's the most ripe from the fridge and use my "Quick Chop" dohickey to dice everything into tiny pieces. The Quick Chop is the best ten dollars I've ever spent; it's one of those "As Seen On TV" gadgets, but it really works pretty nice (especially if you sharpen the little cutting edge). The only drawback is that you have to peel fruit, but I do that weekly anyway because I'm paranoid about waxes and pesticides on produce. MAKE IT TINY AND CONSISTENT: When I started making everything 1/8th inch or so (about the size of 1/4 of a blueberrie), and putting it there every day whether or not they ate it, they started to eat it after all. Smaller is harder to throw. Consistent is harder to pick out various ingrediants. I have birds from tiel sized to Vos. Eclectus sized - they all get the same food. That saves me time. I chop frozen fruits while they're still frozen (so they're not so sloppy) and then nuke them for a bit in the microwave til they're thawed, mix that in the great glop. FEED IN THE EVENING: The trick apparently is to feed in the early evening (about human supper time) when they would naturally be tanking up on food for the night. Now that I keep everything uni-sized, I can pretty much put anything in there, mix it up, and they don't notice the new stuff. That way I can introduce new veggies to them for their health without a fight. WHAT I USE: I always use carrots (apparently steamed or thawed-frozen carrots are processed better by the body than raw, believe it or not - they get more beta carotene from them that way), and I always include them because they're so potent in natural Vitamin A. I always also use some type of red or orange bell pepper and blueberries. Then I use whatever is cheap and in season and looks good, like yellow squash, nectarines, peaches, melon, etc. Or I pick what I want to eat, too. I never use grapes or fresh strawberries because of pesticide and/or importation issues. I do use frozen strawberries, though. I also love using sweet potatoes, just barely cooked in the microwave (usually about 2 minutes). They're gushy and mushy, mix well into the veggies, and are packed with good stuff including excellant vitamin A. Then if I'm feeling especially creative, I top the mix off with hot pepper seeds, cheerios (if the mix is particularly wet), etc. SAVING TIME: If I'm pressed for time, I mix enough for two days, put the second half in a tupperware bowl for the next day, and 'tomorrow' I just warm it up and serve. For hygeine's sake, I wait to clean the cage papers until after I remove the fruit slaw from the cages. Then I know their cages will be pretty neat until the next day. (Thank you Drs. Foster Smith for precut cage liners!) OFF-TIME: My birds always have rowdybush pellets available with hot peppers, a big pinch of oil seeds or nuts, buckwheat or pine nuts, some cheerios, and the occassional nutriberry. I buy about a 1/2 lb of the really huge rowdybush pellets to use as 'treats' for the birds since they can hold them in their hand like a big birdy biscuit. This is how I managed to get my birdies eating veggies finally. Hopefully there will be something in there that will help someone else get their fids to go tails-up, too! 3 Recipes from Jennifer and the finds - Homepage - 2 cups bananas - 2 cups yams - 2 cups yellow corn meal - 1 cup whole wheat flour - 1 cup raisins - 1 cup nuts (walnut, pecan, pine, almond)* - 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds** - 32 oz papaya nectar or other naked juice flavor*** - 1/2 cup sunflower or safflower oil (optional) - 1 Tb ground cinnamon - dried or fresh fruit if desired Combine all ingredients, add enough liquid to make a pourable batter. Use two large baking (loaf) pans. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees until done (toothpick test). Let cool, slice and serve, or freeze. Be sure to share with the birds!:) Pumpkin Birdie Bread - 2 cups yellow corn meal - 1 cup whole wheat flour - 1 cup currants or raisins - 1 cup nuts (walnut, pecan, almond, pine)* - 1 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds** - fresh or frozen cranberries - 4 cups solid pack canned pumpkin - 32 oz papaya nectar*** - 1 Tb ground cinnamon Combine all ingredients, add enough juice or water to make a pourable batter - it will be thick and ehavy. Use 2 large WELL GREASED baking (loaf) pans. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees until done (toothpick test). Cool, slice, and serve. Can also be frozen. *You can use extra nuts, mix them in the same batch, or use a single type of nut, whatever your birds enjoy most. **I just recently heard from the people who run our local rescue that sunflower seeds should never be given to parrots because it is like giving sugar to a hyperactive child. I don't know if this is true or not, but thought I would mention it. I rarely give seed of any kind to my fids and did leave the sunflower seeds out of the recipes and used safflower oil. ***Plain water can be substituted for the papaya nectar as well as apple juice or orange juice or any other type of juice with no refined sugar added. Bean Mix Recipe - 1 cup Peruano beans - 1 cup black beans - 1 cup pinto beans - 1 cup red kidney beans - 1 cup red beans - 1 cup navy beans - 1 cup great northern white beans - 1 cup small white beans - 1 cup green split peas - 1 cup yellow split peas This recipe is great for multiple bird families and does make a lot, but can be cut in half or quartered. In a LARGE pot (stockpots work well) mix all the beans and peas together. Fill the pot with water to completely cover the mixture, swish around once or twice, drain and refill. Soak 6 to 8 hour or overnight, as if you were going to cook them for yourself. Drain again, fill with enough water to cover the beans - not too much*. You do not want extra water, just don't let it cook dry. Cook 20 to 30 minutes at a simmer to low boil until beans are done. The beans should absorb all or most of the water. Let cool slightly, then scoop into quart-size zipper bags and freeze flat. When you want to feed your birds, put enough beans to mix into the salads or mixes in a small dish or bowl. Warm in microwave for a few seconds or in a warm water bath. Some birds may be suspicious of this new food for a while, but if you put it into a mix like Pam Clark's Layered Salad (www.featherpicking.com) or Mike's Manna Mash (www.birdsense.com), it becomes part of the mix and not so "strange" looking. Nutrition in a Nutshell from Bev and Crocker Birdy Rice Dessert 1 cup brown rice 1/2 cup split peas 1 large banana sliced 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1 TBLS. dry powdered milk 1 teas. cinnamon 4 cups water Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until water is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Cool before serving. I find they prefer it nice and warm. Couscous with veggies 1 & 2/3 cup water 1 cup couscous 1 med. tomato 1/2 green pepper 1/2 sweet red pepper 1/2 cup corn (frozen or fresh of the cob) 2 cloves garlic 1&1/2 tsp. pepper 1&1/2 tsp. basil or oregano 1&1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper Boil water. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. While couscous sits, dice tomatoes, and peppers, combine with remaining ingredients and saute' lightly...adding a little butter, margarine, or olive oil if necessary. When couscous has soaked up all the water, combine with veggies, stir and serve...Freezes well and may be served warm or cold Birdie Biscotti 1 cup ground bird pellets 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup ground almonds 1-2 TBLS. powdered wheat grass (get at health food store) 2 TBLS. of powdered eggshells 4 whole eggs 1 jar Gerber carrots Enough unsweetened, not from concentrate, fruit juice to mix into a firm dough. Scoop by the spoonful and roll into balls. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 325 for 20 to 30 min. Cool on a rack and keep in refrigerator. They freeze well. Homemade nutriberries 1 cup dried fruit (the kind you buy in bird shop not the grocery store kind that has sulpher added) 2 TBLS unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup seeds and/or crushed nuts (I love to use sesame seeds as they are high in calcium) 2 TBLS peanut butter (low salt) 1 TBLS molasses or honey (ONLY use pasteurized honey) Blend all the dry ingredients in a food processor until chopped finely. Place mixture into a bowl and add peanut butter and honey or molasses. Mix very well, the mixture is sticky. Roll mix into small 1/2" balls. If desired, roll balls into seeds and chopped nuts other than those already added into the mixture. Place them on a cookie sheet. Bake 325 about 20 minutes. Cool and serve. Sweet Potato Puffs 1 large sweet potato 1 cup chopped nuts 1 banana 1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal unsweetened apple juice sesame seeds unsweetened coconut flakes raw wheat germ Bake or broil sweet potato til soft. Peel and mash with nuts, banana and cereal. Add unsweetened apple juice to make the proper consistency, not to moist but to hold together. Use a melon baller or roll in your hands to make balls or puffs. Shake them in a bag of sesame seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, and a little raw wheat germ....Serve or freeze. Parrot Pizza 1 small ready made pizza crust, or your own recipe or a large flour tortilla 3 TBLS. pizza sauce (or more if you want) 1 TBLS. wheat germ 1/4 cup shredded carrots 1/4 cup chopped broccoli 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Place pizza crust or shell on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce over crust. Sprinkle on the wheat germ Sprinkle carrots, broccoli, and then the cheese over the sauce. Bake as crust package suggests. Be sure to let cool before serving! *I make my own pizza crust using corn or oat flour I also sprinkle some sesame seeds on the crust with the veggies as sesame is high in calcium. this and many previous recipes are all from a friend, Kathe, (Belladonna007) who has lots of wonderful recipes for fids, she told me that I/you could gladly use them. I better go to bed soon, lol, now I want pizza!!! Birdy Salad Using a food processor, chop the following: 1/2 cup pine nuts or other nuts 1 cup fresh broccoli 1/2 cup carrots 1/2 cup celery Combine the following and cook for 8 to 10 minutes: 1/2 cup hulled millet 1/2 cup small pasta medley (spinach, tomato, wheat, etc.) 1/2 cup cup dried veggies ADD: 1/2 to 1 cup cooked brown rice 1/2 to 1 cup fresh corn 1/2 cup sesame seed (high in calcium) 1/2 to 1 cup pellets Top this mixture with sprouts and a sprig of broccoli. Introduce a small dish daily. Birds not raised on this require days, weeks or months of daily introduction. Birds that are used to this salad, wait eagerly for it each day. You might have to adjust the amounts for the size of your flock. |
Plastic Gelatine - DeNise, the slave , Chester P Featherbutt, the qp.Cuddles, the lovie and Mopar, the tiel. comparable to acrylic 9 Tbs. water 3 packets knox unflavored gelatine 5-8 drops of food coloring Bring water and food coloring to a boil and add in the 3 packages of knox stir until dissolved. Place mixture in a shallow pan or bowl and let sit for 45 minutes. Peel out of bowl. You can use anything according to size of bird. Thicker pieces for bigger birds and thinner pieces for smaller birds keeping in mind that these object you cut out with cookie cutters with shrink a bit when air drying. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters or what ever else you have to use. Don't forget to make a hole to string leather or rope through them. You can use a pencil or something bigger round for bigger holes. Place on mesh to dry for 2-3 days of drying time will depend on the thickness. I use cookie screens that cool of cookies. There will be alot of shrinkage almost by half. Blueberry feeding tip - Natalie and her blue beaks... Having started feeding my birds blueberries, I bet I know WHY someone hasn't seen blueberry baby food before. :) If they gurble and throw food (like my birds do, heheh) and if babyfood blueberries stain like frozen and fresh ones do, and if one hasn't the inclination to decorate ones house in blue polkadots... ha! I thought I was smart - decided to feed my birds blueberries because I read all this good stuff about this natural ingrediant they have that is particularly good for birds. I forgot to cover my concrete floor (it's stained and sealed concrete, but apparently not THAT well sealed...) and now I have a spotty floor. And a spotty cutting board. And a couple of spots on my countertops. But you know what - I'll just be more careful next time! It's definitely worth it. You know, about birds not eating blueberries, apparently they have vision that can detect ripeness of fruit by their ability to see UV differently than we do or something. They can see the ripeness. That might be one reason that your birds are being hesitant, or maybe just because they haven't seen it enough. Just keep putting the blueberries in there. I chopped mine into quarters and that did the trick. It made the blueberries less tempting to throw. It's abundance and consistency that gets them, too. If they know the food will be there again and again and not suddenly disappear they get used to it and how it looks, they'll finally decide to eat it, apparently. Someone told me that recently and I've found they were right. I always keep frozen blueberries around for when I can't find fresh ones. The only problem is that I can't stop eating them to put them in the bowls to warm them up! "One for me, one for you. Two for me, one for you..." Simple bird bread Athena - Feathered Family that we have found is a hit, with our fids here and with our members fids: 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 wheat flour 8 oz peanut butter 1 bottle baby food (your choice on flavor, I used sweet potaoe today) 2 eggs (No shell today, sorry guys) 2 mashed bannanas 1/4 cup grated carrots mix all the above and put into a baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I usually bake at around 350 degrees but Im high altitude too. This makes a great treat bread, but it should be mentioned its rather high in sugars so dont use it as a staple for your birds diet. Akilah's 1st Hatchday Cake Jaimee The recipe is simply a box of : Jiffy cake mix made to package directions, and instant mashed potatos colored to your liking. Use piping bag and decorating tips to decorated as desired :) |
I make my birds waffles.....Frankie (E2) is a picky eater....so I add fruits and veggies to waffle batter. You can also add pellet crumbles to the batter...I use apples, carrots, thawed frozen veggies, baby food, broccoli, chicken, bananas, strawberries, blueberries....use your imagination...the possibilities are endless.... |
Recipes shared with you by Friends of The Parrotlets |
I make my birds waffles.....Frankie (E2) is a picky eater....so I add fruits and veggies to waffle batter. You can also add pellet crumbles to the batter...I use apples, carrots, thawed frozen veggies, baby food, broccoli, chicken, bananas, strawberries, blueberries....use your imagination...the possibilities are endless.... |
Bridget Pepsi with Waffle Peaches Frankie |
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Plastic Gelatine - DeNise, the slave , Chester P Featherbutt, the qp.Cuddles, the lovie and Mopar, the tiel. comparable to acrylic 9 Tbs. water 3 packets knox unflavored gelatine 5-8 drops of food coloring Bring water and food coloring to a boil and add in the 3 packages of knox stir until dissolved. Place mixture in a shallow pan or bowl and let sit for 45 minutes. Peel out of bowl. You can use anything according to size of bird. Thicker pieces for bigger birds and thinner pieces for smaller birds keeping in mind that these object you cut out with cookie cutters with shrink a bit when air drying. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters or what ever else you have to use. Don't forget to make a hole to string leather or rope through them. You can use a pencil or something bigger round for bigger holes. Place on mesh to dry for 2-3 days of drying time will depend on the thickness. I use cookie screens that cool of cookies. There will be alot of shrinkage almost by half. Blueberry feeding tip - Natalie and her blue beaks... Having started feeding my birds blueberries, I bet I know WHY someone hasn't seen blueberry baby food before. :) If they gurble and throw food (like my birds do, heheh) and if babyfood blueberries stain like frozen and fresh ones do, and if one hasn't the inclination to decorate ones house in blue polkadots... ha! I thought I was smart - decided to feed my birds blueberries because I read all this good stuff about this natural ingrediant they have that is particularly good for birds. I forgot to cover my concrete floor (it's stained and sealed concrete, but apparently not THAT well sealed...) and now I have a spotty floor. And a spotty cutting board. And a couple of spots on my countertops. But you know what - I'll just be more careful next time! It's definitely worth it. You know, about birds not eating blueberries, apparently they have vision that can detect ripeness of fruit by their ability to see UV differently than we do or something. They can see the ripeness. That might be one reason that your birds are being hesitant, or maybe just because they haven't seen it enough. Just keep putting the blueberries in there. I chopped mine into quarters and that did the trick. It made the blueberries less tempting to throw. It's abundance and consistency that gets them, too. If they know the food will be there again and again and not suddenly disappear they get used to it and how it looks, they'll finally decide to eat it, apparently. Someone told me that recently and I've found they were right. I always keep frozen blueberries around for when I can't find fresh ones. The only problem is that I can't stop eating them to put them in the bowls to warm them up! "One for me, one for you. Two for me, one for you..." Simple bird bread Athena - Feathered Family that we have found is a hit, with our fids here and with our members fids: 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 wheat flour 8 oz peanut butter 1 bottle baby food (your choice on flavor, I used sweet potaoe today) 2 eggs (No shell today, sorry guys) 2 mashed bannanas 1/4 cup grated carrots mix all the above and put into a baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I usually bake at around 350 degrees but Im high altitude too. This makes a great treat bread, but it should be mentioned its rather high in sugars so dont use it as a staple for your birds diet. Akilah's 1st Hatchday Cake Jaimee The recipe is simply a box of : Jiffy cake mix made to package directions, and instant mashed potatos colored to your liking. Use piping bag and decorating tips to decorated as desired :) |
Tips for finicky eaters, Once a week shop and prepare by Nathalie I tried and failed at feeding veggies once. It had been just too much work to see the fids use them as something more to throw around. So I stopped for a short bit, but then I felt so guilty about not giving them what they needed that I tried again. Recently, I tried things a little differently, and now all of my birds are die-hard veggie fans and eat pretty much whatever I put in front of them with as little waste as a parrot can manage (which doesn't say much - ha!). ONCE A WEEK SHOP AND PREP: First, I just bought one or two of whatever looked like it was actually ripe, or would be within two days of being in the fridge. I always kept in mind the addage of using veggies whose flesh is dark red, orange, or green and then which ones were safe. Apparently since birds can "see" ripeness, they will reject foods that aren't quite ripe. Then, I prep everything ahead of time as much as possible - scrubbed veggies and/or did the ACVinegar wash, cut into big chunks some veggies and stored them in tupperware (squash, peppers, etc). Doing this once a week is a whole lot easier than doing it every day. When I feed, I just have to chop stuff and feed it. I keep all my bowls and bags in a little plastic basket so all I have to do is grab that and put it on the counter. It keeps the bird stuff out of the way. EVERY OTHER WEEK BEANS AND RICE: Once every week or two, I cook up a pot of mixed beans and rice and froze into two day servings so that I only have to take down one baggie to keep in the fridge for two days. Before mixing with my Glop, I chop up the beans to the same size that I'll be chopping the veggies. I warm it up with whatever else frozen I have to warm up. EVERY NIGHT: I take whatever looks like it's the most ripe from the fridge and use my "Quick Chop" dohickey to dice everything into tiny pieces. The Quick Chop is the best ten dollars I've ever spent; it's one of those "As Seen On TV" gadgets, but it really works pretty nice (especially if you sharpen the little cutting edge). The only drawback is that you have to peel fruit, but I do that weekly anyway because I'm paranoid about waxes and pesticides on produce. MAKE IT TINY AND CONSISTENT: When I started making everything 1/8th inch or so (about the size of 1/4 of a blueberrie), and putting it there every day whether or not they ate it, they started to eat it after all. Smaller is harder to throw. Consistent is harder to pick out various ingrediants. I have birds from tiel sized to Vos. Eclectus sized - they all get the same food. That saves me time. I chop frozen fruits while they're still frozen (so they're not so sloppy) and then nuke them for a bit in the microwave til they're thawed, mix that in the great glop. FEED IN THE EVENING: The trick apparently is to feed in the early evening (about human supper time) when they would naturally be tanking up on food for the night. Now that I keep everything uni-sized, I can pretty much put anything in there, mix it up, and they don't notice the new stuff. That way I can introduce new veggies to them for their health without a fight. WHAT I USE: I always use carrots (apparently steamed or thawed-frozen carrots are processed better by the body than raw, believe it or not - they get more beta carotene from them that way), and I always include them because they're so potent in natural Vitamin A. I always also use some type of red or orange bell pepper and blueberries. Then I use whatever is cheap and in season and looks good, like yellow squash, nectarines, peaches, melon, etc. Or I pick what I want to eat, too. I never use grapes or fresh strawberries because of pesticide and/or importation issues. I do use frozen strawberries, though. I also love using sweet potatoes, just barely cooked in the microwave (usually about 2 minutes). They're gushy and mushy, mix well into the veggies, and are packed with good stuff including excellant vitamin A. Then if I'm feeling especially creative, I top the mix off with hot pepper seeds, cheerios (if the mix is particularly wet), etc. SAVING TIME: If I'm pressed for time, I mix enough for two days, put the second half in a tupperware bowl for the next day, and 'tomorrow' I just warm it up and serve. For hygeine's sake, I wait to clean the cage papers until after I remove the fruit slaw from the cages. Then I know their cages will be pretty neat until the next day. (Thank you Drs. Foster Smith for precut cage liners!) OFF-TIME: My birds always have rowdybush pellets available with hot peppers, a big pinch of oil seeds or nuts, buckwheat or pine nuts, some cheerios, and the occassional nutriberry. I buy about a 1/2 lb of the really huge rowdybush pellets to use as 'treats' for the birds since they can hold them in their hand like a big birdy biscuit. This is how I managed to get my birdies eating veggies finally. Hopefully there will be something in there that will help someone else get their fids to go tails-up, too! 3 Recipes from Jennifer and the finds - Homepage - 2 cups bananas - 2 cups yams - 2 cups yellow corn meal - 1 cup whole wheat flour - 1 cup raisins - 1 cup nuts (walnut, pecan, pine, almond)* - 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds** - 32 oz papaya nectar or other naked juice flavor*** - 1/2 cup sunflower or safflower oil (optional) - 1 Tb ground cinnamon - dried or fresh fruit if desired Combine all ingredients, add enough liquid to make a pourable batter. Use two large baking (loaf) pans. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees until done (toothpick test). Let cool, slice and serve, or freeze. Be sure to share with the birds!:) Pumpkin Birdie Bread - 2 cups yellow corn meal - 1 cup whole wheat flour - 1 cup currants or raisins - 1 cup nuts (walnut, pecan, almond, pine)* - 1 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds** - fresh or frozen cranberries - 4 cups solid pack canned pumpkin - 32 oz papaya nectar*** - 1 Tb ground cinnamon Combine all ingredients, add enough juice or water to make a pourable batter - it will be thick and ehavy. Use 2 large WELL GREASED baking (loaf) pans. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees until done (toothpick test). Cool, slice, and serve. Can also be frozen. *You can use extra nuts, mix them in the same batch, or use a single type of nut, whatever your birds enjoy most. **I just recently heard from the people who run our local rescue that sunflower seeds should never be given to parrots because it is like giving sugar to a hyperactive child. I don't know if this is true or not, but thought I would mention it. I rarely give seed of any kind to my fids and did leave the sunflower seeds out of the recipes and used safflower oil. ***Plain water can be substituted for the papaya nectar as well as apple juice or orange juice or any other type of juice with no refined sugar added. Bean Mix Recipe - 1 cup Peruano beans - 1 cup black beans - 1 cup pinto beans - 1 cup red kidney beans - 1 cup red beans - 1 cup navy beans - 1 cup great northern white beans - 1 cup small white beans - 1 cup green split peas - 1 cup yellow split peas This recipe is great for multiple bird families and does make a lot, but can be cut in half or quartered. In a LARGE pot (stockpots work well) mix all the beans and peas together. Fill the pot with water to completely cover the mixture, swish around once or twice, drain and refill. Soak 6 to 8 hour or overnight, as if you were going to cook them for yourself. Drain again, fill with enough water to cover the beans - not too much*. You do not want extra water, just don't let it cook dry. Cook 20 to 30 minutes at a simmer to low boil until beans are done. The beans should absorb all or most of the water. Let cool slightly, then scoop into quart-size zipper bags and freeze flat. When you want to feed your birds, put enough beans to mix into the salads or mixes in a small dish or bowl. Warm in microwave for a few seconds or in a warm water bath. Some birds may be suspicious of this new food for a while, but if you put it into a mix like Pam Clark's Layered Salad (www.featherpicking.com) or Mike's Manna Mash (www.birdsense.com), it becomes part of the mix and not so "strange" looking. Nutrition in a Nutshell from Bev and Crocker Birdy Rice Dessert 1 cup brown rice 1/2 cup split peas 1 large banana sliced 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1 TBLS. dry powdered milk 1 teas. cinnamon 4 cups water Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until water is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Cool before serving. I find they prefer it nice and warm. Couscous with veggies 1 & 2/3 cup water 1 cup couscous 1 med. tomato 1/2 green pepper 1/2 sweet red pepper 1/2 cup corn (frozen or fresh of the cob) 2 cloves garlic 1&1/2 tsp. pepper 1&1/2 tsp. basil or oregano 1&1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper Boil water. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. While couscous sits, dice tomatoes, and peppers, combine with remaining ingredients and saute' lightly...adding a little butter, margarine, or olive oil if necessary. When couscous has soaked up all the water, combine with veggies, stir and serve...Freezes well and may be served warm or cold Birdie Biscotti 1 cup ground bird pellets 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup ground almonds 1-2 TBLS. powdered wheat grass (get at health food store) 2 TBLS. of powdered eggshells 4 whole eggs 1 jar Gerber carrots Enough unsweetened, not from concentrate, fruit juice to mix into a firm dough. Scoop by the spoonful and roll into balls. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 325 for 20 to 30 min. Cool on a rack and keep in refrigerator. They freeze well. Homemade nutriberries 1 cup dried fruit (the kind you buy in bird shop not the grocery store kind that has sulpher added) 2 TBLS unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup seeds and/or crushed nuts (I love to use sesame seeds as they are high in calcium) 2 TBLS peanut butter (low salt) 1 TBLS molasses or honey (ONLY use pasteurized honey) Blend all the dry ingredients in a food processor until chopped finely. Place mixture into a bowl and add peanut butter and honey or molasses. Mix very well, the mixture is sticky. Roll mix into small 1/2" balls. If desired, roll balls into seeds and chopped nuts other than those already added into the mixture. Place them on a cookie sheet. Bake 325 about 20 minutes. Cool and serve. Sweet Potato Puffs 1 large sweet potato 1 cup chopped nuts 1 banana 1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal unsweetened apple juice sesame seeds unsweetened coconut flakes raw wheat germ Bake or broil sweet potato til soft. Peel and mash with nuts, banana and cereal. Add unsweetened apple juice to make the proper consistency, not to moist but to hold together. Use a melon baller or roll in your hands to make balls or puffs. Shake them in a bag of sesame seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, and a little raw wheat germ....Serve or freeze. Parrot Pizza 1 small ready made pizza crust, or your own recipe or a large flour tortilla 3 TBLS. pizza sauce (or more if you want) 1 TBLS. wheat germ 1/4 cup shredded carrots 1/4 cup chopped broccoli 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Place pizza crust or shell on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce over crust. Sprinkle on the wheat germ Sprinkle carrots, broccoli, and then the cheese over the sauce. Bake as crust package suggests. Be sure to let cool before serving! *I make my own pizza crust using corn or oat flour I also sprinkle some sesame seeds on the crust with the veggies as sesame is high in calcium. this and many previous recipes are all from a friend, Kathe, (Belladonna007) who has lots of wonderful recipes for fids, she told me that I/you could gladly use them. I better go to bed soon, lol, now I want pizza!!! Birdy Salad Using a food processor, chop the following: 1/2 cup pine nuts or other nuts 1 cup fresh broccoli 1/2 cup carrots 1/2 cup celery Combine the following and cook for 8 to 10 minutes: 1/2 cup hulled millet 1/2 cup small pasta medley (spinach, tomato, wheat, etc.) 1/2 cup cup dried veggies ADD: 1/2 to 1 cup cooked brown rice 1/2 to 1 cup fresh corn 1/2 cup sesame seed (high in calcium) 1/2 to 1 cup pellets Top this mixture with sprouts and a sprig of broccoli. Introduce a small dish daily. Birds not raised on this require days, weeks or months of daily introduction. Birds that are used to this salad, wait eagerly for it each day. You might have to adjust the amounts for the size of your flock. |
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