Why I Created the BBFE

 

I created the Best Bird Food Ever! (BBFE) because the ‘old way’ of feeding parrots: give a wide variety of foods, was killing my birds.

 

When birds first joined my family, in 1997, I belonged to three different bird clubs: RAAVE (Reno Area Avian Enthusiasts), Capitol City Bird Club, in Sacramento, CA; and Foothills Bird Fanciers, also in Sacramento, CA. The benefit of belonging to three bird clubs was that I had access to aviculturists who had been breeding and caring for parrots and finches for decades, with a combined knowledge base that spanned hundreds of years.

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Using Food For Healing

I have long been interested in using food, nutrition and holistic healthcare methods for healing myself, my family, my friends and my own animal companions. When birds joined my family, because I had asked and had received detailed information on the best bird foods to feed my parrots and finches from experienced aviculturists and hobbyists, thought I was following the best nutritional advice possible.

 

Following the Status Quo

The bird food these experienced aviculturists advised me to feed a variety of dry seeds, sprouted seeds, nuts, pellets, fresh fruit and fresh raw or steamed vegetables. In hind sight I now realize that these foods lacked essential nutrients and the random feeding approach completely lacked nutritional balance. 

 

My First Birds

The first birds I owned were Owl finches, also called the Double-barred finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii) a native to Australia. After many failed attempts, I finally succeeded in having my birds parent-raise their offspring. At the high point of this effort I had 37 indoor breeding flights, and had become known for selling bonded pairs of second and third generation, parent-raised, Owl finches. At that time having parent-raised Owl finches was an unheard of accomplishment for this species. 

When breeding my Owl finches I had several experiences with birds becoming sick and requiring veterinary care. I then had to administer medications per my vets instructions. At that time the avian vet I took my finches to was in Sacramento, the one-way travel time was about two hours. This avian vet had done years of wild life rescue work and knew more about finches than any other avian vet I had met. Even though using the prescribed medications did not always produce favorable results, at that time I lacked the courage and confidence to start using more holistic methods of caring for and treating my Owl finches.

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Breeding Parrots

After having such a rewarding, and mostly positive experience, with breeding my Owl finches I began purchasing some parrots specifically with the intent of breeding them. Two such birds were a pair of Scarlet-chested grasskeets (Neophema splendida). After creating a huge indoor flight for them, and only having them for about a month, the hen died of lymphoma. Two weeks later when at my local avian avian vet for a simple blood draw, this beautiful little male bird died right in front of me. The lack of vitamin K in his diet prevented his blood from properly clotting, he went into shock and died. Even though my skilled avian vet was right there, nothing could be done to save him.

When this happened, I was devastated with grief and knew I could not let the deaths of these two beautiful, and very young birds be in vain. 

 

A Powerful Lesson

As I thought about how I fed my birds, and compared this to how I fed my dogs and cats and how I ate myself — in a flash — I realized what I had to do. 

This epiphany turned my interest and my focus away from breeding and towards learning about how to feed all my birds the most balanced and wholesome nutrition possible. At that moment the Best Bird Food Ever! was born.

 

Backed By Science

As I tapped into my background in holistic animal nutrition, my research led me to create my own sprouting blends for birds – the most nutritious and health producing bird food on the market today. Our sprouting blends are made from human-grade, certified organic, quality ingredients. They are rich in enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and chelated minerals. And most importantly, they have been specifically formulated to have a balance of amino acids that provide Complete Protein for parrots and finches. 

 

Forget the Status Quo

I now know that the random variety of foods, I had been told in the beginning to feed my parrots and finches, was so lacking in essential nutrients that it caused them harm. This poor nutrition, that lacked balance, was the reason my finches got sick and the reason my Scarlet-chested grasskeets died.

 

Avian Holistic Healthcare

With the passage of time and the experience I’ve gained, from working with my finches, I now have the knowledge and confidence in using food, nutrition and holistic healthcare to prevent the aliments from developing in my tiny birds that I used to rely on my avian vet in Sacramento to treat.

 

Let’s End Avian Malnutrition

And now, fast forward twenty-two years—I’ve been a staff writer at Parrots magazine, since 2002, and my passion for Ending Avian Malnutrition has led me to create the only, ‘Balanced Exotic Avian Food Plan’, available today. This balanced food plan uses the BBFE Complete Protein Sprouting Blends as the foundational food in the food plan because of the wealth of nutrients it provides your birds, parrots and finches.

The Best Bird Food Ever! is much more than just a sprouting blend, because this formula contains decades of personal research and embodies the wisdom of using food as medicine that goes back thousands of years.

 

The Healthy Bird Project

As we move forward with our plans here at Critter Connection, we’ll be developing the ‘Healthy Bird Project’ (HBP). The HBP will include starting some humane and ethical longevity feeding trials. These will demonstrate the superior nutrition my ‘Balanced Exotic Avian Food Plan’ provides parrots and finches. As space allows, I would love to get another pair of Scarlet-chested grasskeets. This time I plan on conditioning them for several months, with balanced nutrition, before making any attempt to breed them. They’ll be fed a small parrot’s version of my ‘Balanced Exotic Avian Food Plan’.

Please join me in my goal to End Avian Malnutrition. Witness the same results for your parrots and finches that we see here and that my client’s experience.

                                           To the best of health for your flock!