Organic Feeding for Pet Birds

[Image1 Image Source: Flickr]
They may not follow your order like a pet dog, or lick you on the face to tell you how much they care about you. And some of them will not even be fit enough to give you a simple cuddle like what you’d receive from a pet cat. But it does not mean that birds are not fascinating enough nor are they not capable of loving. Do you have one at home? How are you caring for this? What are the food treats that it receives from you? Have you considered going organic with your pet bird?

Benefits of Organic Foods for Birds
When it comes to human food, the latest trend nowadays is eating organic produce. Meat, vegetables, rice, and even the processed foods found in supermarket shelves are claimed to come from organic sources. And this trend is no longer just exclusive for human consumption anymore. Pet owners who practice eating organic foods are also including their pets too. Here are some of the known benefits of feeding pet birds organic foods:

1. They are free from unwanted chemicals. There are things included in commercial pet food that can’t be seen by the naked eye. If these were considered safe, then maybe it’s okay for you not to bother about them. But what if these are pesticides or herbicides, chemicals that are considered unhealthy for your pet birds? With organic foods, your pet birds are free from these types of chemicals.

2. Reduces risk of some unwanted diseases. Many of the pet food product today are now tied to pet illnesses. Some of these include seizures and tremors, decreased immune system, reproductive health problems, digestive problems, and even death. This may have something to do with the synthetic or altered chemicals found in commercial pet food products.

3. You can safely their meat or eggs. If you have winged pets such as chickens at home, then you are probably keeping these so that you can have your own eggs and meat for dinner. However, the quality of their eggs and meat are directly tied to the foods that they eat. Feeding them chemical-free foods in the form of organic product makes their meat and eggs safer for you to consume.

4. It’s healthier for the environment. Choosing to go organic is not just beneficial for you and for pet birds. Upon doing so, this can be likened to a first aid kit, albeit for the environment. Why? Organic farming refrains from the use of harmful chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals are not just considered harmful for animal and human health, but also considered detrimental to the environment.

As you can see, organic bird pet food is healthy. But there is another side to this story though. If you chose to go organic, you may have to shell out more money than what you usually spend on commercial pet food products.

[Image2 Image Source: Flickr]
Truth About Commercial Pet Foods
If you are not yet convinced with these benefits, then you may want to know more about commercial pet foods as an alternative. Here are some of their characteristics:

1. Cheaper on the budget. You have the option to buy these in bulk, which could save you a great deal of money. If you are on a tight budget, this may be considered a better option if you want bigger savings.

2. Can be risky to bird’s health. In the past, there was a controversy surrounding poultry food that put it on the spotlight for quite some time. Unlike human processed foods, those that are intended for pet consumption are not as strictly regulated, reason why poultry food was able to find itself for sale despite contamination, instead of being recalled on the spot.

3. You don’t really know what is in them. For whole seeds, you probably will not have any problems determining what is included in these. But what about poultry mixes? Just like cat or dog food, the ingredients may be a mix of everything in between. Although these are considered human grade for example, you as a person may not really feel like eating it when this is served on your own plate.

Fascinating Research That Could Claim Otherwise
But not all may claim that organic is great for birds. In a study conducted by the Newcastle University , they found out that wild birds preferred conventional bird food products over the ones that were labeled as organic foods. With this, the belief that birds prefer to eat organic produce could be considered a hoax.

Even when they put side-by-side and switched positions, the wild birds continued to eat from the canister that contained the conventionally grown bird seeds. Is this as addictive to birds like humans having a strong preference to unhealthy treats such as burgers and French fries? When scrutinized closely, laboratory results confirmed that the conventionally grown seeds had higher protein content compared to the organic bird seeds.

[Image3 Image Source: Flickr]
Organic Feeding Guide
Nonetheless, the benefits are too significant to dismiss organic feeding as an alternative. If you choose to go green when feeding your pet birds, here are some of the things that you need to remember:

• Labels will not tell you all you need to know. There are now many pet food products available in the market and bear the mark of “organic” label. According to manufacturing standards, a product can be claimed as such even if these do not make use of it a hundred percent. USDA for example allows its use if the product is 70% organic.

• You’re better off growing your own produce. If you really want extra assurance that your pet birds will only be feeding solely on organic produce, then just grow these in your backyard. This way, you can control what should be seeped in their roots and how to get rid of unwanted pests the natural way.

• A little TLC is needed in storing these. Unlike processed foods, you may need to check how organic pet foods will be stored since these have no added preservatives. Check for possible mold contamination and spoilage before giving it to your pet.

Conclusion
In their cages, pet birds will not have the ability to freely forage for their own foods like birds in the wild usually would. To make up for this, what you can do is offer organic foods to pet birds in order to provide them with the nutrients they need. It offers the benefit of healthier pet, healthier you (if you eat their meat or eggs), and a healthier environment too.

About the Author
Jordan Walker says he adores nature and loves being woken by the sound of chirping birds over his window. He writes about pets in general, sharing content for Coops And Cages and in websites like this one. If you would like to catch him, you can via Google or Twitter: @CoopsAndCages

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Image Source:
Geek2Nurse via Flickr
[Link https://www.flickr.com/photos/heydanielle/4538551061/in/photolist-7V4g7n-kFfwq8-kFh6sE-ojkZhN-8HBmT5-69DFX8-97itCP-d6XMVh-d6XL7s-eCUYWu-eCNRbe-7A5K5m-d6XMfW-7A1YuX-69DGwF-8Jvw3N-8JvwbA-k4hq9z-d6YjUW-7A1Yqc-d6YjkW-d6YgxU-d6XLCu-d6YhDL-d6YkrY-d6YmBb-5EBTqL-d6YfZu-d6Yh7w-4EsJx2-k4jRby-f2HQGT-6wKcN1-a4asQM-5DpkZv-aC38DP-aC5Rzy-9SicDh-d6Ym2b-akwMCM-7Ks5Jz-6CqE7u-89E8i-awiZXG-2v7AfN-9Sr2KT-9StmfN-nqNYW3-5mWxR4-5PfGXC Danielle Elder]
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