Feeding your Cockatiel a balanced diet
How to formulate a balanced chop
If you are not feeding a large % pellets then it become important to balance your chop. By that I mean attempt to provide the same levels of a balanced protein, vitamins and minerals as recommended by the pellet companies. Mazuri.com to assist you meet these requirements we have written a nutritional calculator. You can create a recipe and do a preliminary analysis here
I have found that if you follow basic guidelines you can come close to meeting the recommended levels.
The guideline I follow is.
60% sprouts/grains - (35% sprouted grains - 15% sprouted legumes - 10% oil seeds (5%Chia, 2%poppy, 3%hemp)) limit oats, barley to no more than 10% of the total diet. Limit rice to no more than 5% of the diet. If you feed animal protein limit it to no more than 10% in total and count in as part of the sprouts and grains.
40% Green leafy plant material, herbs and vegetables (No more than 15% Cruciferous vegetables, no more than 10% herbs always include some sweet corn). Include as many different colour vegetable as possible.
Always include a source of VB12 - I use Nutritional yeast at 2% of the diet, other sources are Salmon oil. Never forget fresh air and sunshine or add some VD3. Remember that how you feed is as important as what you feed place lots of edible plant material, green grasses and grass seeds, flower buds, flowers, roots both for mental stimulation and as a chewing opportunity always reference our safe and unsafe lists.