Magnificent, marvelous (and messy) mash

We’re trying to up the birds’ veggie/fruit intake. It can be time consuming chopping produce every day – so I finally made a few batches to freeze. I made three kinds so I can alternate flavors every day. mashWhat did I put in the mash? Zucchini, carrots, summer squash, peas, basil, kale, spinach, green beans, red bell pepper, apple, blueberry, peach, sweet potato, red lentils and brown rice (all organic, of course!). One batch got a little sprinkle of turmeric. I threw some of their Harrison’s pellets in, too. allThe budgies came running when I put the plate down. But after a couple test nibbles, they ignored the mash. I think they need to get used to the look of the stuff. I put a little brown rice on top and that did the trick. They started to chow down – the budgies LOVE brown rice. Not sure if they’re eating anything else on the plate… lLera enjoying her mash. Lera’s made a couple visits to the vet recently. She had a fluid filled lump above her vent (they withdrew the fluid) and blood in her droppings. Very scary. We still don’t know what’s wrong with her. But after a few days on antibiotics, she seems to have rallied. She’s a fighter. I’m hoping all the veggies will help her liver detoxify, if that’s what’s causing her illness (she does have some of the symptoms for that).sSunny is a dainty eater. Alfie’s face was covered in mash. All his photos were a blur because the little guy is always in motion.oAnd here’s Ozzie. I hope the budgies will grow to love their mash. Why wasn’t I making this all along?? Such a time saver!

8 thoughts on “Magnificent, marvelous (and messy) mash

  1. So smart! Keep us posted on the mash. Our flock needs more fruits and veggies too. The vet’s eyes bug out of his head every time poor Stephanie gets on the scale.

    • I’m hoping they’ll take to it. It’s so easy to defrost out a couple cubes and give them one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
      How much does Stephanie weigh? We took Cooper to the vet today and she was 46.4 grams. She can really pack on the grams.

        • We have a hard time keeping Cooper’s weight down. She gets lots of exercise and we feed her separately, but she gets the other birds to feed her. We’re hoping the mash will help.

          They’re doing well with the mash. It probably helps that I take the seed out of the cage at times during the day : ).

    • Ok Michelle, I am going to share with you the story of my mash. I made this about 3 days ago, included red bell pepper, parsley, celery, spinach, brown rice, broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, and sweet potato.

      The first day, Sailor looked at it like i was INSANE to be feeding him this slop. I said…. “BIRD…. Eat your mash!” and he looked and me, looked at the mash, looked at me, looked at the mash and took 1 nibble, then left. He was being polite.

      The second day, I said “Here little buddy, eat your mash and make your bones strong! You need your veggies!” and he looked at me, looked at the mash, looked at me, looked at the mash, and took about three bites. That was the end.

      Finally TODAY….. I gave him his mash…… and placed him in front of it… and said “Bird, be nice! Your mommy slaved in the kitchen to bring to you the best in nutrition!” and he proceeded to eat the mash for a long time! YEAAAA!!!!!! Mommy wins!

      • That’s fantastic! And on the third day – that’s incredible. I’ve heard it can take budgies FOREVER to try something new. Mine are doing okay with it. Some blends are more successful than others. And it makes a big difference depending on when I put it in the cage. If I give it to them late in the day, they ignore it. Budgies are so funny.

        But congratulations! Hurray for you and hurray for Sailor! Would love to see a photo : ).

        • Lol yea, I was actually surprised on the 3rd day he was so excited about eating it. Maybe he got a taste of something good in the mash and decided it was worth eating haha. And yes, if I give veggies late in the day he ignores everything, but NOT celery. He will lace into celery anytime of the day (it must be his kryptonite). I’ll try to get pics 🙂 I froze the mash in small dixie cups because I didn’t have an ice tray, then popped them out of the cups and placed it all in a plastic ziploc for the freezer!

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