Our purpose and goal is two fold.
First, to identify the correct combination of foods that makes up balanced nutrition — a balanced food plan — for all parrot and finch species. And, second, by accomplishing the first item, we then move forward in our work to end avian malnutrition, and unbalanced nutrition, the leading cause of illness disease and early death of parrots and finches.
Our Process
We will attain the above two goals by gaining valuable information on how feeding Leslie Moran’s ‘Balanced Exotic Avian Maintenance Diet Food Plan’ helps improve the health and individual wellbeing of parrots and finches. This food plan uses only real, natural, wholesome foods.
History
An abundance of nutritional research has been done on chickens, but very little has been done on parrots or other exotic avian species. According to the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in their 2005 technical report, ‘Production and processing of small seeds for birds’, it explains that when feeding caged and companion birds, the research shows that the traditional grain and seed mixes lack essential nutrients. Even when supplemented with minerals and vitamins bird seed contributes to unbalanced protein intake, shortage of essential amino acids, and a lack of vitamins and trace minerals.
This report continues by explaining that exotic avian species have very different nutritional needs than poultry, meaning that the poultry nutritional research can no longer be used as a guideline to provide for the nutritional needs of exotic birds.
What about pellets?
Ms Moran has done extensive research on the nutritional deficiencies in pellets. They do not play a part of the ‘Balanced Exotic Avian Maintenance Diet Food Plan’. Our balanced food plan does offer more healthful alternatives to pellets.
Long Term Goal
It is our intention to form a nonprofit animal welfare organization that oversees the Healthy Bird Project. Because we are in the early stages of creating this organization donations are not tax deductible.
Thank you for your interest in helping us end avian malnutrition,
the primary cause of illness disease and early death in parrots,
by discovering the ideal combinations of wholesome, real foods, providing
balanced nutrition for each parrot species.