Jenday Conure - Chicken Scratch?

[CrazyConure]

Well, Google has failed me, again. Can I feed my pet Jenday Conure chicken scratch grains as a treat? I typically feed him Zupreem parrot diet, but was wondering if I can give him a 5 grain scratch as well (TSC.)

Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You sure can try, my parrot prefers sunflower seeds and Millet as a treat, they put corn in some mixes but my parrot does not eat them.

 

[Stacykins]

Well, Google has failed me, again. Can I feed my pet Jenday Conure chicken scratch grains as a treat? I typically feed him Zupreem parrot diet, but was wondering if I can give him a 5 grain scratch as well (TSC.)

Thanks!

Psittacines have radically different nutritional needs compared to galliforms. Scratch grains have little to no nutrition even for chickens, the protein level is incredibly low, it is mostly just sugar. Do not give this to your conure unless you'd like to contribute to fatty liver disease from a poor diet. Conures will snack on treats to their hearts content and ignore healthy food, if given the choice.

What are you feeding for daily fruits and vegetables? Is your conure getting a changing variety of these every morning? If not, this is something you must add to his or her diet now. Obviously if your bird has never touched a grape or piece of sweet potato, you need to start small. But ALL parrots needs fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet everyday. This is pretty much parrot keeping 101.

My sun conure's daily 'treat' is a birdie bread made with pumpkin or sweet potato puree, sugar free applesauce, flax seed meal, whole grain flour (depends on what I have on hand, sometimes it is wheat, sometimes oat, whatever), dried fruit and vegetables (depends on what I have on hand), crushed nuts (not very many, and whatever I have on hand as well). This gets baked up in a baking pan, cooled, and cut into tiny squares. Most is frozen, and I thaw out a few days worth so it stays fresh. She devours this bread first, before touching anything else for the day. It is made to be healthy at least, and she adores it.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I definitely agree with everything Stacykins said. I would not give scratch grains because they are high in fat and as she said, could contribute to fatty liver.

Better snacks include fruits and veggies, and things to keep birds from becoming bored include any type of foraging toy. If a bird is not used to eating fruits and veggies, it can be difficult to get them to start, but is crucial for a parrot's wellbeing.

I really like Birdtrick's Facebook page. I've been following that page for a while, and the people that run it post awesome articles with great info for bird owners. They just recently posted one about getting birds to start eating fruits and veggies. It might be something you want to look into.

Just another note though...Zupreem is a more affordable parrot food, but it's filled with a lot of fat and sugar. At the exotics hospital, a lot of birds come in after years of being on that diet and suffer from bad beaks, poor feathers, and fatty liver. It's just something to think about, especially since birds can have such a long life span. Many owners never realize that a bird is doing poorly on a diet until it is too late. There are other options out there (unfortunately the better foods are more expensive) but you may be interested in checking them out. My favorite recommendation for clients that ask about parrot food is LaFeber and Harrison's. Harrison's is a bit more expensive but both come in all sizes and are great for parrots.