Twin Beaks Aviary ~ Herb Salad...question

[cindy]

I am thinking about trying the Herb Salad made by Twin Beaks Aviary (Tiffany, I know you sell it and I would go through you to purchase it). I don't have a green thumb and buying pre-cut fresh herbs is expensive and wastefull since the packages are more than I would use before the expiration date is up.

I did offer ground parsley and oregano to my finches, no one touched it except my new RCCB pair, they finished almost all of it.

I have a few question in regards to Herb Salad:

* how many times a week do you offer it?

* how long do you leave it out?

* what is the shelf life if I order a larger amount?

* if I need to give medications, do you discontnue using the herb salad until meds are done?

[L in Ontario]

I have a two pound bag (and a one pound bag). I have it in a separate dish in every cage. Most of the finches flock to the dish when I fill it or refresh it (take the top layer off if they poop in it). They go CRAZY for this stuff! I don't fill up until the dish(es) are empty. It lasts quite a while. I don't know how it can expire since it's all dried greens anyway.

[cindy]

Maybe "expire" was not the word to use maybe "go stale" would have been more like it.

I called ABBA Seed today and was surprised, they told me you could leave dried egg food out for up to 2 to 3 weeks(as long as it does not get wet). The person and I were laughing because chances are it wouldn't make it past a few days, they love it (especially mixed with ground Roudybush). I was tossing it out after 2 days in an egg cup. Glad I called.

[Sally]

I too leave a dish at all times in each cage--most of the birds love it and go thru it fairly quickly. I think I read recently that the herb salad has a shelf life of two years.

[nixity]

I have a few question in regards to Herb Salad:

* how many times a week do you offer it?

* how long do you leave it out?

* what is the shelf life if I order a larger amount?

* if I need to give medications, do you discontnue using the herb salad until meds are done?

Well the HS does not have parsley or oregano. I know oregano oil is "hot" (spicy) - so fresh oregano might be irritating to the crop as well. Arugula appears to be as well - it caused all my birds to regurgitate violently. I thought I had gotten watercress but figured arugula would be fine since it is not on the "bad" plant list.

I almost always have the Herb Salad available at all times in a separate dish.
There are some large pieces - but Cathy (the owner) does not recommend "blending" the HS like some people advise because this does not allow the birds to get out what they specifically want as easy.

Also - the birds do not necessarily need to consume all of the pieces. Simply manipulating it around in their beak (licking/tasting it in essence) can provide the bird with health benefits in terms of the particular herbs qualities.

I usually leave it until it's mostly powder, or if someone poops in it.
If there is poop, I usually dump it and offer a fresh batch just because the urine in the poop can spread through the herbs and contaminate them.

It has a very long shelf life - I believe around 2 years as Sally said!

No - you do not need to discontinue if you are offering meds. The herb salad is 100% organic, and all-natural, so offering it will never hurt! It will never compete with anything else in the diet, especially since it is free-choice, and the birds will only consume it as they like.
Hope that helps!
If you mix it with a small amount of a favorite food, it will help them become accustomed to it so you can eventually offer it on its own

[cindy]

Thanks Tiffany. I will place an oder from you mid morning. I want to offer them a variety of things, most of the finches will not eat insects like live mealies, Bag O'Bugs, or veggies.

The owls are the only ones that eat the mealies, canned or live and they eat some greens. The Helenas clean a bowl of greens but not always but won't eat insects. I figure if I offer the herbs and they eat what they choose then at least there will be some additional benefit in that. The foods of choice are seed and dried ABBA92 with ground RoudyBush.

[Ursula]

What mealworm size are you feeding? I am surprized that your CBs don't like mealies. Mine are WILD about them. I feed the mini size though, they don't like them when they are too big.

I also bought a can-o-crickets recently just to try them (and because I am currently running low on mealworms), the small size, but they only pick out the tiny ones and most are too big for them.

My personal opinion is that this stuff smells just awful, I'd rather deal with live mealworms than these dead bodies... Won't buy them again. They were expensive too compared to live mealies or crickets bought in bigger quantities.

[dfcauley]

I cannot keep enough mealworms to fill up my courdons.
They absolutely love them and are the first ones to the dish.
They would eat them 24/7 if I could afford to give them to them that often.

[cindy]

I just got the RCCB last weekend, if I put anything new in their cage, like a treat bowl, they are a bit afraid and study it for the longest time. I will keep offering them, I am sure they will eventually go to it.

[cindy]

Oh forgot to add ~ my owls eat canned or live mealies. The only downfall with canned, you need to use it within 5 to 7 days of opening the can and the smell. Like dead fish. YUK!!!!

I tried the canned tiny crickets, the owls tossed them out of the dish, I found them on the floor in the tray. I tossed the can.

They eat so much of the dry eggfood and Roudybush I feel they are getting good protiens and nurishment from that. Once the new guys settle in and they all are nesting I am going to try mealies (live).

I did order the herbs from Tiffany (thank you for your help and kindness Tiffany). I can't wait to try it.

[cindy]

I was thinking about the whole finch/self medicating themselves and remebered that birds are not the only ones to do this. When I was a girl we had a cat named Smokey, she lived to be 20 and still caught mice, she didn't kill them but dropped them ever so sweetly at my feet still very much ALIVE!

She was about 4 at the time and had either gotten into a fight with another cat or injured/cut her paw somehow. I found her in the shade in our garden with her injured paw buried in a hole in the dirt. She stayed there for days, I was worried. My father told me that we will watch her, if she gets worse we will take her to the vet. He told me animals are very smart and that she senses something in the dirt that will heel her paw.

Days went by, I fed and gave he water in the spot (it was warm out so I didn't worry about her getting cold). After about a week she got up and ran off. Later she came over to us and there was no injury, no blood, no cut.

She was a tough old cat, we moved about a 30 minute drive to another town in NJ. Smokey took off and we could not find her. Our old neighbor from our previous home called to say she found the cat at our old house on the doorstep. She went to get her and Smokey took off. We drove down to see if we could find her, she was nowhere in sight. We went back to our new home empty handed without her.

Three days passed, I feared the worst. Later that night we heard her call outside our new home, she was at the back door. That cat found her way home to me. She moved with us to two more homes after that but never took off again. Odd how nature works.

[L in Ontario]

Wow sounds like a great adventurous kitty!

I'm sure all your finches will love the Herb Salad!

[cindy]

The Herb Salad arrived late yesterday in the mail. I gave all the finches a little dish of it this morning. My owls especially really like to go in and out of the bowl, all you see are the ends of their tails sticking out.

The cordons "peeked" at it, the shaftail have not gone to it yet, I have been adding eggfood to their seed since they don't seem interested in the cups yet. I may sprinkle a little of the herbs on their food. It just takes time for them to figure out all the cups and water spots.

Thank you so much Tiffany for all your help in ordering this, thank you for the samples to. Very much appreciate it.

[nixity]

Anytime!!
Thank YOU!!
I hope it works out well

[cindy]

Tiffany,

Can you leave the eggshell out for extended periods of time? Can you mix it with the eggfood and ground Roudybush or is it better off in the mixture of oyster shell, shaved mineral block and cuttlebone? I do have a whole cuttle bone available in the cage also.