should I salt my greys' food?

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should I salt my greys' food?

Postby merlin » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:08 am

Hi,
I was told that my African grays need both beef and chicken. I am wondering if a little garlic salt on the roast beef will hurt them as when I cook a roast I always put a little sea salt, garlic salt and lemon pepper. Thank you.
Sandy
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Re: should I salt my greys' food?

Postby merlin » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:11 am

Dear Sandy,

I'm glad that you wrote to me because it would be VERY dangerous for you to "salt" ANY food that you give to your greys. Greys' bodies do not get rid of salt. Instead, it is my understanding that it builds up in them. For that reason, it would be a very bad thing to give them anything that is salty. In the wild, greys tend to eat some of the swamp grasses that contain salt, but it is VERY different from what we know of as salt. That does NOT mean that you should give your greys swamp grasses and so on. The vegetation here and there are extremely different. Also, the wild greys have different nutrient needs from pet greys because the wild greys tend to fly as far as 50 miles per day to forage for food. Our pets sit in cages most of the time. As a result, the wild greys would need a whole lot more protein than pet ones would, and so on.

If you give chicken, please give a small piece once or twice per week. You could even overcook a chicken bone once a week with a tiny bit of chicken left on it and give one to each bird. Let your birds eat the chicken (tiny, tiny piece) and chew up the bone, which has lots of nutrients in the marrow. Just make sure it is very well cooked. Also, you could give your greys a little thumbnail piece of grilled wild salmon, which would also provide good nutrients.

Attached is a link to a very good article that discusses a whole foods diet. Please look it over, as it would be a very helpful guideline for feeding your greys:
http://www.essentialbird.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12:a-fresh-organic-whole-foods-diet-for-parrots&catid=1:articles&Itemid=35

Please keep me posted.
Blessings,
Maggie-
www.AfricanGreys.com
merlin
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Posts: 188
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