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Comfort Food

I visited my good friend, Nancy, one day and she gushed over a mix of different types of seed, pasta and other good stuff that she had put together and it was being consumed with great gusto by all the birds in her flock. Just add a little water, heat it up for a few minutes in the microwave and let it soak for a short time. Don’t even have to make it look pretty on the plate. Presto, a feast for even the smallest of birds and the pickiest of eaters. Yeah right, Nancy!

I have 2 cockatoos and an African Grey. They do not have the same tastes. One cockatoo looks at pellets like I am trying to poison him and the African Grey thinks a banana is a space alien. The female cockatoo will try anything thank you previous owners. The male cockatoo was raised on canned corn niblets and sunflower seeds. He is 30 years old now and that is all he would eat save the odd banana, grape or apple and of course the ever-popular peanut.

Off I went to the local health food and bulk store in Bancroft full of hope and patting myself on the back for being such a good bird mommy. I filled my basket with vegetable pastas, Pepin seeds, shredded coconut, oat grouts, dried peas, dried beans, banana chips and a variety of what I thought would be delectable and nutritious treats. I ended up with about twenty different items that I was sure would tempt their discerning palates. Went to the cash and who would believe the total cost only $20.00. Nancy you are a god to my pocketbook.

Well dinnertime came around and I cooked the gourmet dinner for my hungry flock. I think I was even singing in anticipation of a feeding frenzy. The female cockatoo ate almost every bite, the grey ate most but the male cockatoo looked at me with disgust promptly dumping his bowl on the bottom of his cage. I am sure I heard him say, take it back to the kitchen and bring me real food. Well I was crushed.

I continued to feed the other birds the wonder mixture along with other types of feed and the male went back to his bland and non-nutritious diet of seeds and corn along with the fruit he would eat. Low and behold the two who would eat the wonder mixture starting feathering better, playing harder and just generally getting healthier. How could I get the male to eat this stuff?

I sat down one day to watch the Great Canadian Food Show with my bowl of ice cream and the light bulb went off over my head. They were doing a show on a restaurant that served comfort food to their patrons. Cabbage rolls, pot roast, meatloaf and other things that we all associate with a warm family dinner and security. I looked at my own comfort food in the bowl on my lap and it came to me. All of my birds were hand raised on baby birdie pablum. Why not put a little in with the wonder mixture and see what happens.

It worked. The male ate almost everything in the first meal. Eureka I had found the birdie comfort food. I have since cut out the pablum, but all still continue to eat the wonder mixture. I took the pablum out gradually and the male didn’t even notice. I am once again a good bird mommy.

Now don’t get me wrong this is not the only diet they get. Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, pellets and peanuts (as a treat) are still in their daily diet, but gone are the corn niblets ( fresh only now ) and the steady diet of sunflower seeds. I have happier birds now. Now when I foster for Nancy her birds get the same comfort food they enjoy at the rescue. No more preparing different bowls of food like when my kids were teenagers. Oh and by the way that original purchase that cost only $20.00 lasted 2 months. If you are going to try Nancy’s wonder mix use dried product only and store in airtight containers. Anything with even a hint of moisture will spoil quickly. Also remove any leftovers from your birds dish within a few hours of feeding to avoid them eating possible spoiled food.

by Lorraine Anderson

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