foods that are no nos?

[chrischell]

hi all, these things I have been told NOT to feed my birds, would like some feedback.....
avocado, cauliflower, apple seeds, beetroot leaves
thanks in advance
Shelly

[fischer]

HI Shelly, Welcome to the Forum, avocado is by far the worse, you wouldn't think it because almost everything else on the planet can eat it, except horses, I seem to remember, but its highly poisoness to birds.
Apple seeds contain small amounts of cyanide, that can build up in a birds system, with dire results.
The two others Im not sure of, I will leave others to comment.
Hope this helps, Tony

[josiedownunda]

Well I hope someone can answer about the cauliflower and beetroot leaves as mine get them fairly often. Mum grows her own beetroot so i have a good supply and the birds seem to love them. So far that I know of there has been no side effects and the babies are fed them too by the parents. Please someone tell me they are ok!!!!!!!
Jo-Anne

[AussieBirds]

Cauliflower is a member of the Cruciferous vegetable group, it is high in fibre, vitamins and minerals it also contains antioxidants and provide some protection against cancer. Beetroot tops are also fine to feed your birds as they contain many of the same properties.

John

[sal]

HI Shelly,
i feed my birds cauliflower and beetroot and apples. The birds love them. :)I don't feed the skin or leaves of beetroot(don't know why really?). I also mostly chop the apples up to reduce waste but sometimes cut them in half and let them have at it! The wild birds eat my apples off the tree and pretty much chop in, eat the seeds and chuck the rest. .....i figure they should be ok in moderation (ie not a bag of apple seeds).
I avoid avocado and onion and onionish stuff like chives etc.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Sal.

[AussieBirds]

Apple seed is a no no as they do contain cyanide however the apple by it's self is a great favourite with my birds. The skin of the Avocado contains a substance that is toxic to birds will kill them so it is best to avoid it all together.

[josiedownunda]

Thanyou John, glad i can rest easy again. I must admit I was never told they were not good for a bird so I figured they must be ok. I have searched the net on numerous occasions to find lists of foods to avoid and they haven't been on any. I knew about the apple seeds and avocado and had also heard that rhubarb leaves are toxic as well. Have you heard anything like that?
Jo-Anne

[AussieBirds]

Yes Jo-Anne Rhubarb leaves are toxic not only to your birds but to you too so steer clear of them.

John

[josiedownunda]

Thanks again John. Not really into rhubarb much myself except for the odd occasion when mum cooks her rhubarb and sago pudding....yummmmmmy!!!
Jo-Anne

[eckie]

i have heard that lettuce is not good for birds.
has any one else heard of this?

[AussieBirds]

Lettuce in moderation is okay however as it contains a huge amount of water, as do celery stalks, it is of little nutritional value and not reccomended for birds on a long term basis. Personally I would only feed Coz lettuce if i fed any at all.

John

[eckie]

thanks john
i feed mine celery they love it.
i have also heard all dairy products are bad for birds

[AussieBirds]

Celery leaves are fine but the actual stalks contain a lot of water and have very little nutritional value.

As far as diary procucts are concerned the jury is still out on this, I have heard from many sorces that birds are Lactose intolarent, however I have also known people that feed their birds Yogart personally i dont feed my birds any diary products such as cheese, milk or anything that is high in Lactose, maybee other members may have some input here.

John

[josiedownunda]

Not 100% sure but I think that yoghurt is fed for the live culture. the lactobacillus thingys are similar to what is found in probiotics. I know I have used yoghurt before to help kick-start a slow crop in a baby when I had noprobiotics on hand. Apart from that reason I see no additional benefit to feeding yoghurt.
Jo-Anne

[eckie]

thanks for your thoughts
jo

[parrotpotential]

Our avian vet, Dr Colin Walker, says that birds would have to eat a lot of apple seeds for them to take any effect. So we now don't core our apples and our birds are still living, lol.

I have fed, in small quantities, cheese with no problems. Rookie, my kakariki, loves cheese! Ummmm, and Steve sometimes shares his ice cream with the birdies and i've known them to help themselves to cereal and milk at breakfast. I believe milk products just pass through their system.

All of this is just my opinion and experiences of course.

[hillcresttiels]

Spot on Kim birds cannot absorb Lactose so milk products are not beneficial to their diet .cheers Frank

[Smiley]

I feed cheese as well to my birds...it is a good sorce of calcuim...yogurt is also find as well..for a lot do start new borns with it...1 to 10 of water...lactose or milk sugar occurs only in milk.It must be broken down into glusose and galactose in the digestive system by terms enzyme lactase.These can be abosorbed throught the intestinal walls into the blood stream.If too little lactase is available to break down all of the lactose,the remainder will stay in the large intestine and be open to bacterical infection.Such infections include sour crop,and that will result in diarrhea.

Natalie

[AcaciaWattle]

alot of my books say yes to dairy but only little bits like a tablespoon and only as a treat ie once a fortnight/month etc.

[ollie]

I also heard milk is no good for birds but my long billed corella lines up every morning for his rolled oats sultanas & weetbix cooked in milk. Loves it.
I believe cabbage is not good for birds either, gives them the runs!