So much for dietary plans in this flock!

[Sucre]

I am trying really hard to get my gang to eat more veggies. They will consistently eat broccoli, and that is about it. I bought some crinkle cut sweet potatoes and baked them, thinking maybe foot food would get the conures to give it a try, but they each took a nibble and threw it on the floor.

Last night, I made some chop, making sure to throw in their favorites (apples and pears) in hopes that they would love it. I added baby spinach, kale, green peas, carrots, peppers and the go-to broccoli. It was beautiful, I even sprinkled a bit of honey granola with toasted coconut on top. My budgie and parrotlet were the only ones who ate it all. The others just nibbled here and there - I'm pretty sure they were picking out the apple, pear and broccoli.

So, this morning I'm cleaning and thought I would make some birdy bread for them with surprises inside - I'm southern, so there's always cornbread in the house - they absolutely love those little cornbread sticks shaped like an ear of corn. I mixed up my usual cornbread, adding oats groates, almonds, shredded coconut, raisins and blueberries. Again, the budgie and the parrotlet made little pigs out of themselves, everyone else tasted it and turned their little "noses" up.

They can't all be this picky.

They get Roudbybush pellet with a tiny amount of seed mixed in every day. I would do without the seed completely but I've got a couple of stubborn ones that I'm having a hard time getting to eat pellet, so I don't want them to not get enough to eat.

I have to be doing something wrong. I free feed on the pellet/seed, ie it's always available. Should I NOT do that so that they are hungrier when I feed the fresh stuff?

I am at a real loss here. I've tried everything. No one will touch pasta. They like dried fruit, nuts and coconut, love fresh apples and pears and broccoli, and will eat my plain cornbread, but everything new I try to introduce is a flop. They will occasionally eat carrots, but not if there is something else they like better. I try the same things repeatedly, hoping they will change their minds. You should hear the squawking when I walk in the door, wanting their treat bowls filled immediately. But if I don't put what they want in those bowls, I have some pouty birds on my hands.

Any thoughts? Am I just trying too hard? Do I just give them what they want and let the pellets do the rest? I don't know who is more stubborn, me, or my birds. :th_biggrin:

[Mare]

Wow, I wish you were MY personal chef! :). After having my flock for all these years, I know that they will eat what they need. I continue to offer new stuff and they might like it one day but not the next. I wouldn't fret, if I were you, Kim, it sounds like you are doing a good job :)

[spiritbird]

Have you gone the other direction to "keep it simple"? By that I mean feed just a few items at a time in the chop. Are you feeding them in the cage or out on a kitchen counter? Sometimes changing things up works with birds. Heck when I fed pomegranate seeds I fed my grey in the sink due to the mess. I am not suggesting you feed your birds in the sink that was just an example of change. If you can find fresh carrots with the tops on you can actually hang them in the cage as if it were a toy. Or as if it were a perch pinched between the bars. Try spreading out the chop on something like layers of paper towels instead of a dish. Its all in the presentation. Suggest you try a simple veggie like peas and see if you can get their interest with them. Have you tried the various cook foods yet? My birds love the Crazy Corn mixes, especially Kum Foo Yum. [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] 8_a_7c31502381011&gclid=Cj0KEQjw2_23BRDb_qbvzK3X8M8BEiQAg87AF4KSxrqZ r1Hl9TdD14IHwrD7gUYMlnatUal6d7g63A0aAn_38P8HAQ

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Casper is not a fan of raw veggies. More of a fruit and nut-case. :)
And the fruit has to be 'just so' - although how he can tell that without going near it must be due to parrots having much more sensitive smell than humans.

[Sucre]

I am feeding them in the cage, Dianne. They do get treats and snacks when out and about with us, but this is a bit of a stall tactic for me when we first come in from work. We can literally pull into the driveway to total silence, but the second the key hits the lock the demands begin!

I have to take little dogs outside, then come straight in to get their snacks ready.

Last night, I was lazy and put their apples, broccoli, pear and carrots in the food processor, rather than cut it up into chunks by hand, size appropriate for each cage. This led to a discovery. The conures don't like anything from the food processor - the lovebirds and parrolet and budgie were fine with it. So, apparently, I have spoiled rotten conures, since these were all their favorite foods.

I may try letting them out this afternoon for treats, all together. But I have this visual of total chaos and mayhem. I could be wrong. LOL I have the time to do things differently on the weekends, just don't like to mix up their "schedules" too much, because they are definitely creatures of habit.

I keep reading that besides the pellets, their diet should consist of 50% veggies and 10% fruit. They disagree.

And Jean Pierre, I agree. How DO they know when they don't even get close enough to look at it? I can remember slicing a roasted brussel sprout up for my son when he was about 2 years old, and because it was on the plate with the rest of his food, he refused to eat ANYTHING from that plate. I now have 3 forever 2 year olds.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I thought we were in for a result when Casper raided my green salad side dish this evening but no, he just licked the oil/vinegar dressing off a salad leaf.
And I still hate brussel sprouts but force myself to eat one at Christmas because I know our tastes change as we get older. :)

[Macaw Lover]

Have you tried slushies/smoothies, whatever you want to call them? Start with a few veggies, add a little fruit to cover the taste and ice in the blender and see what they do to that.

[Mare]

Renee', that's how I get Sassy to eat fruit, only in a smoothie!