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Post by greyeagle1 on Nov 27, 2011 7:43:58 GMT 10
Would anyone happen to have a recipie for those seed sticks that usually have honey, peanut butter, or other ingredient that makes them solid enough to form a log and be hung in the cage? They sure love these as treats!
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Post by avinet on Nov 27, 2011 10:04:21 GMT 10
Would anyone happen to have a recipie for those seed sticks that usually have honey, peanut butter, or other ingredient that makes them solid enough to form a log and be hung in the cage? They sure love these as treats! I never recommend seed sticks that contain peanut butter and honey. Honey for a parrot has no nutritional benefit - it is basically just sugar - while peanut butter has far too much fat, when we should be trying to keep the fat intake as low as possible. Recipes that use either egg white, gelatine or even PVA wood glue are around the net but unfortunately most to be found use peanut butter and honey - which equals junk food for parrots! A recipe using egg white is below - it was from an article in the Parrot Society of Australia magazine in the 1990's cheers, Mike Materials:
small terracotta pots
microwave-safe plastic wrap or plastic oven bag
length of firm wire (coat-hanger type is fine)
birdseed of your choice (measure it dry in your chosen pots to gauge amount needed)
two egg whites per cup of birdseed (or thereabouts)
Method: Prepare pots by lining them with microwave-safe wrap or oven bag. Bend the end of the wire that goes into the seed bell into a closed loop (so that birds and/or leg rings can't get caught on it when most of the bell has been eaten).
Beat egg whites until white and fluffy but still liquid - you're not making a meringue. Mix beaten egg whites and bird seed in a bowl until all seed is coated, then spoon the mix into the prepared pots, patting it down firmly. Push the uncoiled end of the wire through centre of mix in pot then out of the drainage hole until looped end rests flat on top of mixture, then push loop slightly into mixture.
Place on an oven shelf set high enough to allow wire to hang free. Cook for approximately 60-90 minutes in a very cool oven or longer if pots are larger size. The important thing is not to burn the mixture and slow cooking is needed to set it firmly.
Cooked bells will slip easily from pots, peel away the plastic wrap while they're still warm but don't handle the wire until it has cooled. Using a pair of pliers, twist exposed wire end to form a hook for hanging in the aviary.
Handy tip - Sometimes if you use large seeds in your mixture, the widest part of the bell which is exposed during cooking will become slightly crumbly. This only happens for a centimetre or two, but if they are to be given away, and you want a less 'rustic' appearance, just spoon the mixture into the pot as usual, but mix another beaten egg white with seeds for the last few centimetres and cook as instructed above. This extra 'adhesive' keeps the top layer very firm. |
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Post by greyeagle1 on Nov 28, 2011 5:52:53 GMT 10
Thanks Avinet! You've come to my rescue again! And you're right...peanut butter does have way too much fat in it. May as well feed them sunflower seeds all day.
They really love the Avi Cakes. They're like seed sticks, only they come in a sheet with individual cubes that you can break off for a treat. By the way, do you know if they use pesticides on wild bird seed that the feed and garden stores sell? I'm not so sure if I should be feeding this to them.
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Post by avinet on Nov 28, 2011 9:31:16 GMT 10
Avi-cakes have been available here, although I'm not sure if they are still around. My birds did like them but they were pretty expensive, even at wholesale price so they didn't get them for long.
I don't know anything about the usage of pesticides in the USA - I would assume they use them but that the seed will be safe to use after the required time has passed before harvesting.
I don't know what your wild bird seed mix is like but here wild bird seed is terrible for feeding to caged birds - poor quality seed with far too high a fat content. Wild birds that fly miles can burn off the fat - caged birds cannot.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by greyeagle1 on Nov 29, 2011 11:11:52 GMT 10
The Avi-cakes are still available here, but like you say they are expensive. On the other hand, I'll bet the recipie you just gave me is a healthier alternative for them. And the recipie is so simple that I won't hesitate to use it. I'll have to let you know how well they liked them.
Just an afterthought, though...I think I will use the pasteurized liquid egg whites to be on the safe side.
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