Not Buying Kaytee Pellets Anymore

I have another compulsion I'll share w/ you guys - I read labels pretty much every time I buy something. That includes labels of products I always buy so nothing gets slipped in there on me.

I'm ready to buy another bag of pellets, and you guys know I pretty much buy whatever's on sale. Historically, that's been the Kaytee Exact products. Just checked the ingredients list: http://www.kaytee.com/products/exact-original-cockatiel-14-oz.php

From Wikipedia: Corn gluten meal (often simply called CGM) is a byproduct of corn (maize) processing that has historically been used as an animal feed. It can also be used as an organic herbicide.

Used in animal feed - yes - but for cattle and chickens for SLAUGHTER. There's no concern for the long term health of an animal that's grown for slaughter.

I REFUSE, REFUSE, REFUSE to buy any pet food that now includes "corn gluten meal" aka "corn SNOT". As if corn's not cheap enough, they now have to put "byproduct of corn processing", aka the goo that's left over after they make other corn products.

Just thought I'd share with you guys something to consider.

Roz.

Oh wow, I didn't know that. Right now I have 20lbs of Zupreem Avian Natrual pellets which seem to be getting eaten. I really like the quality of Roudybush though, so I may be switching.

I never even though to look at the ingredients list on the pellets, but I'll have to start.

Oh yikes!! Thanks for the info. I keep my gals on Pro Vida, hmmm....

Julsiebean wrote:

Oh yikes!! Thanks for the info. I keep my gals on Pro Vida, hmmm....

Pro Vida? I've never heard of that one.

I'm actually pretty ignorant about it other then they sell it in scoops at the bird store I go to for my booty. When I adopted Juniper from them I asked for whatever food was best, and they said Pro Vida, it is fortified with calcium and spose to be super for the lady parrots. They keep it in bins and I pay by weight, I just take in my air tight container and tell them to fill it up. When I took Kokomo in to be clipped *gasp* and groomed they suggested she be fed the same.

I usually just go with whatever's cheapest and whatever I can order online. I try to buy the bulk size for pellets that I'm trying to introduce the birds to because I don't like to let them sit there for days at a time. Even though I free feed (the horror! :affraid: ), I do change out my food stuffs every day.

Right now, I'm doing Zupreem pellets which they seem to be liking. They seems okay with the Roudybush pellets, but I didn't know that until after I ordered 20lbs of the Zupreem. I also use Alta Loma Seed Co.'s seed blends. I was worried about them at first because I found them on ebay, but the seed blend is amazing and full of dried fruits and seeds. They can also make custom blends for you.

I just looked at the ingredients on the Zupreem pellets. No corn snot.
Disclaimer: Corn snot may be perfectly fine in the pellets. I just can't stomach the thought. My view is the more processing, the less natural nutrition available.

Good articles:
http://www.wellvet.com/feedingbirds.html
http://www.plannedparrothood.com/diet.html
http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/pellets.htm
http://www.oldworldaviaries.com/text/lewis/thoughts_on_diet.htm
http://www.internationalparrotletsociety.org/pellet.html

"Food" for thought. . .

Can't change right now , but it's something to check into, more research. :study:

henpecked wrote:

Can't change right now , but it's something to check into, more research. :study:

Do all of your guys convert easily?

I won't mislead you guys. I'm pushing my own personal views here. Everyone has a line. I'm just saying that corn snot's my line. It just doesn't sound right to me to be feeding our companion animals corn snot. I've read the vet reports and analysis of corn snot. It's considered an acceptable form of protein. I just can't go there. Processed foods can only go so far. . .

Like everything else, just putting it out there - you guys need to make your own decisions.

kaylayuh - mine eat pretty much whatever I give them. But there's a lot of wasted food while I'm training new birds onto a varied diet. I used to keep a hamster in a bucket to eat my birdie refuse. Now I feed birdie refuse to the goats and chickens.

KayLayUh wrote:

henpecked wrote:

Can't change right now , but it's something to check into, more research. :study:

Do all of your guys convert easily?

It doesn't seem to be much of an issue.

I'm jealous. My birds are all stubborn and hate trying new things.

I cannot wait to walk into the bird store I do business with and be all "Yo. This have corn snot in it? Kthnx." HAHA!

Julsiebean wrote:

I cannot wait to walk into the bird store I do business with and be all "Yo. This have corn snot in it? Kthnx." HAHA!

For me that would be PetSmart and they'd be like, 'Wha?'

Julsiebean wrote:

I cannot wait to walk into the bird store I do business with and be all "Yo. This have corn snot in it? Kthnx." HAHA!

I'm so going to do that now.

free feed (the horror :affraid:)



I like Harrison's the best tbh. But I am considering TOPS and Roudybush once again.

I'd love to check out the Dr. Mac's if it were available stateside.

My guys get both tropican and roudybush pellets. The premium seed mix has the tropican pellets, while I add the roudybush into the mix.

If you guys have picky pellet eaters, try the crumbles size. I guess it looks more like a seed, and my guys took right to it!

Interesting article:
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/bioceuticals.html

I'm going to have to look into the Pretty Bird pellets. I'm using the Pretty Bird handfeeding formula and like it a lot better than the Kaytee handfeeding formula.

The Sun on their main page is GORGEOUS!

IMHO, anything that has gluten is useless. Gluten is a filler/thickener and usually has very little benefit. Kind of like eating glue... which is why its found in most starchy grains. If the food you are using lists this toward the top of the ingredient list then your food is mostly filler and isn't very healthy.

I'm sure Jeanne will chime in eventually (she's busy feeding the birds, LOL) but we use a lot of different mixes depending on bird size and most of it is raw seed, nut and dried fruit. We do mix in Zupreem and a few others as well to give them variety. I know we just got a bunch of those new exotic mixes that I think Harrisons is putting out that you heat up and its like Moroccon rice and Asian feast.... she said they love it. I've just always found Harrisons overpriced.

And, fresh fruit and veg is always a winner.

Vikki wrote:

And, fresh fruit and veg is always a winner.

I would kill to get my brats to eat fresh foods consistently. Most of the time, it's very hit or miss. I thought zucchini was a hit one day, a few days later it was completely ignored.

Right now my guys eat a mixture of Zupreem pellets, Alta Loma Seed Co. custom seed blend, and whatever fresh food I can con them into on that particular day. Most days, the fresh stuff is ignored.

Vikki wrote:

Kind of like eating glue...

Well put glue. . . or corn snot.

We need an emoticon of corn snot...lol

I checked label of my fids pellets. I don't see that glue-something, uff!
Kayla, it took me really a looong time to make budgies eats pellets. I simply slowly cheated them with less seeds- very slowly, to not starve them