Last Updated on September 29, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

We asked this question in our Birdie Brunch served on 6/22/19

 

Do you serve your bird(s) chop? Share your thoughts.

 

I do not feed my birds only ‘chop’, but I think it is good for part of the diet.  

 

Don’t you think this is all about ‘the next big thing’?

This is like ‘bone broth’ WTF? Gramma did that, so do I! 

 

That isn’t anything new, unless you’ve lived off of junk food your whole life, or lived in a closet.  

 

‘Bone broth’ ….really? 

 

$7 for some beef stock?  

 

Frankly, I am too poor to buy the hundreds of vegetables that apparently chop is made of. 

 

I get a few veggies each week, we eat plenty of them at my house most weeks, and I make some kind of ‘base’  (grains, seeds, nuts) and then each day give them some raw and cooked vegetables with that ‘base’. 

 

They also get seed mix, some pellets/nuts mix and a bit of fruit too.

 

Each week is different, depending on the season here in Maine (sh**ty growing season this year).

 

I do give them some egg, even some tiny piece of chicken breast.

 

Sometimes my larger parrot asks for a chicken bone. 

 

I think there is good stuff in it.  

 

Yeah I know about the horrible drugs chickens are ingesting on the horrible chicken farms. 

 

Doing the best I can do.  

 

They all do need calcium, along with a bunch of other minerals and other things I can’t name at 6 am.

 

I try for a bit of variety in all of their foods; sometimes they like it, sometimes not.

 

Chop is like bone broth; both good for you. 

 

Both have been relabeled in this latest generations differently wired brains.   

 

Neither is a complete diet.

 

Hope you are both enjoying Indiana.

 

Sherry L

 

I agree with you Sherry.

 

My concern is the folks that I see feeding their birds nothing but chop.

 

Chop in and of itself doesn’t come close to supplying the nutritional needs of any bird let alone a parrot.

Too many pet birds have nutritional deficiencies. 

 

I’ve done the research on the nutritional value of chop which you can read about here.

 

 

And here’s a very easy hack for getting your birds to eat vegetables.

Thank you for your feedback it is truly appreciated

 

We like living in a town that has only five stoplights.

Hello…

My black-headed caique gets chop every morning (breakfast). 

 

Emmett is 13, and I’ve had him since he was weaned.

 

He gets a slice of apple, a slice of a fat orange carrot, piece of a red/purple carrot, jalapeno (which he eats only the seeds), one inch round of corn, half of a tomatilla, a small slice of celery. 

 

Sometimes other stuff added in if I have it. He also has seeds in his cage all day. 

 

Pellets on weekends, in a cage all day.

 

For dinner, sprouts on weekends. 

 

Twice a week has birdie bread or cooked “smash” (for birds).

 

Emmett also gets one pistachio, one cashew, and one (I roasted) peanut in the shell (all organic and raw).

 

Yes…he is spoiled but very healthy and Vet says all muscle. 

 

Average weight around 190.

 

Of course, as with a clique, it’s his way or no way at all.

 

Diane O’Gara

 

We wish all the pet bird keepers would show the commitment you do Diane, thank you for that.

That said I would advocate eliminating celery from Emmett’s diet.

The strings that you see peeling off the celery can get entangled in a birds digestive system – FYI.

Best

MitchR

Yes I serve chop. 

 

However, it’s a very simple one and includes boiled egg per vets advice. 

 

We also give them Zupreem pellet, Sensible Seed, and Nutriberry. 

 

They also get what we call birdie bread as a treat in the early evening. 

 

Their checkups are good and weights are as well. 

 

I mostly give it to offer variety as well as I hope some extra nutrition.

 

Thank you for that Kim.

 

I really appreciate the feedback.

 

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend.

 

Best

 

MitchR

Short rant:

I’m always scanning bird-related websites and blogs for generating ideas and helping me grow my knowledge base.

On a handful of mainstream blindness that I read most of the articles address issues about parrot care, nutrition, and housing.

The majority of these articles proselytize based on the assumption that parrots are parrots in whatever works in this article will work for your bird regardless of its species.

We offer solutions on a far more granular basis down to your individual bird.