Feeding greens

[cherokee]

I have read about feeding budgies spinach, the leaves off celery, and certain types of lettuce. Can you gove budgies collards?

[Rosie]

Yep, collard greens are fine for budgies

[cherokee]

Yep, collard greens are fine for budgies

Great because we have a freezer full, going to go take some out now. Thanks, I am trying them on some new things.

[BUUZBEE]

arent collards like spinach, too high in something, dont remember what right now.
i am pretty sure bea posted about this before??? anyone remember?

[Rosie]

I'm sure there all right. I'll try and find evidence from the internet to try and prove it :dunno:

[BUUZBEE]

lol, if i remember right, spinach is high in iron, and too much can be harmfull. i too will try to find the previous post (if i can remember what forum it was on!)

[Rosie]

Here's a site which says they can have collards leaves:
http://experts.about.com/q/Birds-General-2349/budgies-2.htm
(i'm not trying to get into a arguement here, lol)

[BUUZBEE]

ok, found it.... its not about the iron, but calcium. As i always say, everything in moderation.

This is where feeding fresh foods gets tricky. Generally, no you can't really feed them too much of the good vegetables. On the other hand, it definitely helps to know what you're feeding and how much in comparison to other foods. One thing I learned very recently is that spinach has calcium binding properties to it. Basically, this means that it can actually hinder the body from using calcium properly. For this reason, I've started leaving it out of my birds' diets (much to Pika's dismay). It's definitely something you'd want to steer away from with a breeding hen.

Aside from that, most vegetables should be ok as long as they're not making up the majority of the diet and as long as they're healthy veggies and they're getting a variety of the good ones. (Generally bright orange ones and dark leafy greens). You definitely wouldn't want them to eat too much fruit (it should be a treat, really) or unhealthy veggies like iceberg lettuce or celery (which shouldn't be fed at all unless you're on a trip and they need a water source that won't spill).

I'm still learning a ton about all this but the more I learn the more I realize just how complex avian nutrition really is. With budgies, the simplest way of looking at it is reducing fatty foods and increasing variety since budgies are extremely prone to obesity and can be picky little eaters.

From the little I've read, the oxalic acid content is too high with spinach and that's what causes it to interfere with the body's absorption of calcium. So even organic spinach would have the same problem, unfortunately.

This is something I just recently learned though so it's definitely worth trying to read more about. Unfortunately, most sources deal with human nutrition rather than parrots so it's difficult to find a good source other than ones that flat out say "Spinach has calcium binding properties and shouldn't be fed." It would be nice if people would elaborate when they state such things. It's frustrating!

I'm hoping this is covered somewhere in the book I'm reading though. That is, if I ever get a chance to finish it!

I knew about the spinach and calcium problem. But I was told by a seasoned bird breeder that the chinese vegies....i.e. bok choy ( also known as pak choi ) are OK in place of spinach. Different properties.


******Bok choy, also known as Pak choi or Peking cabbage, forms a small but elongated head (not round like European cabbage) with plump white stalks and deep green leaves. A member of the brassica family, bok choy offers nutritional assets similar to those of other cabbages: It is rich in vitamin C and contains significant amounts of nitrogen compounds known as indoles, as well as fiber--both of which appear to lower the risk of various forms of cancer. Bok choy is also a good source of folate (folic acid). And with its deep green leaves, bok choy has more beta-carotene than other cabbages, and it also supplies considerably more calcium.

[cherokee]

Ok, so I will stear away from the collards, they are already blanched, they are not raw, so unsure if they are harmful even cooked. Thanks for the info.

[julie233]

My budgies like coconut

[BUUZBEE]

i still give my birds spinach and brocolli, just not often. its still a nice treat for them
everything in moderation