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A Bird's Diet: Evaluating Seed

© Mary Wilson

Many bird owners continue to feed their birds a seed diet. In spite of articles published in avian journals and advice from vets, bird owners, for one reason or another, avoid pellets in their birds' diets. I, myself, in past articles have discussed the pros and cons of pellets and seeds alike, so I can understand why bird owners take the stances they do. Because many bird owners will continue, in one form or another, to feed seed to their birds, bird owners should know how to evaluate seed.

Seed packaging should be in a sealed container, whether it is a plastic bag or bucket. Seed purchased in boxes may not be adequately sealed, unless the seed itself is sealed in a plastic bag. The folding of the cardboard, and gluing together of the open sides, may not provide a barrier against dust, mold, insects, or other vermin.

Next, the seed may come with a label such as "fortified." Ignore it. Although seed can have vitamins and minerals added in one of two ways, neither the addition of pellets nor having certain seeds injected with vitamins and minerals is 100% effective in providing all the nutrients pet birds need. Like children, birds are picky eaters and are prone to ignore the fortified seeds or the pellets added to the seed in favor of their favorite morsels, usually the sunflower seeds. Braynon, my pionus, enjoys dunking the pellets that come with his seed in his water dish, creating a soup, and then proceeds to eat the sunflower and safflower seeds first. He's usually full before he gets to the healthy stuff.

Knowing that seed can never provide 100% of the bird's recommended nutrition, it is advisable to supplement the diet with pellets, fruits and vegetables, cooked foods, or all three.

The seed purchased should be free of dust, meaning that when the bag is opened, it doesn't smell dusty or moldy. It shouldn't have any insects in it, though they can creep into the best stored seed. Seed moths are a common nusiance, and while they don't do any harm, they do provide a few hours of entertainment for my cats as they try and chase them. What insects can mean, however, is that the seed has sat in the warehouse long enough for them to hatch and grow.

Seed mixes shouldn't rely heavily on one kind of seed. White millet and sunflower seeds seem to be two favorites of the seed manufacturers. Both are inexpensive to acquire, and birds eat them. A good seed mix should have a wide variety of seeds and look appealing. If you hold it in your hand and see only one or two kinds of seeds, then the mix was made with more attention paid the seed manufacturer's bottom line than the bird's health and well-being.

The copyright of the article A Bird's Diet: Evaluating Seed in Small Hookbills is owned by Mary Wilson. Permission to republish A Bird's Diet: Evaluating Seed in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.