Your baby Cockatoo is all grown up! They’re no longer a tiny newborn but adolescence-ready featherless friend that needs to be fed. Feeding your little bird can seem daunting at first, and there are many things you need for him or her in what they eat.
Homemade baby Cockatoo food recipes are a great way to provide your little feathered friends with the nutrients they need. Plus, you can avoid dangerous chemicals and artificial flavors!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss 5 easy homemade baby Cockatoo food recipes that will keep them healthy in order for their immune systems to stay strong during birdhood development stages.
5 Homemade Baby Cockatoo Food Recipes
The following recipes are hand-feeding formulas that can be fed to your baby Cockatoo up to two times a day. It is recommended you use non-medicated feeder insects such as crickets, fireflies, and worms when they are weaned in order for your Cockatoos to get the nutrients they need.
These homemade recipes will enable your baby Cockatoo to grow quicker and wean sooner, in addition to developing a brighter and more vibrant color. We suggest you provide fresh water and food at all times, and monitor your birds for any signs of illness such as weakness or lethargy.
When it comes to the dry ingredients, such as ground oats and wheat, we typically use our eyes when determining quantities because you’ll want to change the recipe based on what you have in your pantry and what your bird prefers.
Your bird will be ecstatic as long as you give him or her good, complete sources of protein and fats, and avoid foods that it should not eat!
Baby Cockatoos require a large amount of protein (20%) and fat (15%) within their diets. They also need calcium and phosphorus, but with a 15:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Calcium is very important in the baby Cockatoo diet as it aids in eggshell-hardening and muscle contractions such as breathing and embryonic development. With this in mind, any homemade baby Cockatoo food recipes should include calcium sources.
Here are 5 easy, great-tasting, and healthy homemade baby Cockatoo food recipes that you can cook up anytime!
1) Ground Oat, Boiled Egg (whole), Cornmeal, Coconut Oil
What this recipe provides for your baby Cockatoo’s development:
- Cornmeal is ideal for your little bird because it is already ground and provides a tasty alternative to whole grains.
- Coconut oil, along with the egg yolk, gives your baby Cockatoo healthy fats that help them grow.
- Boiled eggs have a good amount of protein and fat, and the eggshell is a great calcium source!
- Ground oats also provide your little bird with fiber and carbohydrates as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron.
2) Ground Corn, Ground Oats, Dried Beets & Chia Seeds
What this recipe provides for your baby Cockatoo’s development:
- In this recipe, the dried beets and chia seeds will give your Cockatoo the extra protein, fat, and fiber it needs.
- Ground oats provide carbs as well as protein, and some fat as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron.
- Ground corn also gives your baby Cockatoos carbs along with zinc and niacin.
- Dried beets also provide minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron.
3) Ground Corn, Ground Barley, Poppy Seeds, Whole Egg & Flaxseed Meal
What this recipe provides for your baby Cockatoo’s development:
- In this recipe, the poppy seeds provide your baby Cockatoo with calcium as well as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
- The whole egg is hardboiled and provides protein and calcium.
- Flaxseed meal is rich in Vitamin E, manganese, copper, fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, antioxidants , hemicellulose , proteins , iron , phosphorous , magnesium, zinc, and fiber. Plus it’s a good source of calcium as well!
- Ground barley is rich in carbohydrates as well as selenium and phosphorus.
4) Ground Brown Rice, Dried Peas (or raw pea protein), Dried/Ground Sunflower Seeds
What this recipe provides for your baby Cockatoo’s development:
- The rice in this recipe provides a good source of vitamins and minerals for your baby Cockatoo, such as the naturally occurring Vitamin B.
- Peas are also included, which provide protein, while fiber can help keep them feeling full! Some birds do not like eating raw peas so if yours seems immune, then try replacing it with arrowroot powder instead; just remember that all recipes containing ground brown rice can potentially lead to digestive issues if overconsumed and can be replaced by another carbohydrate ingredient such quinoa or barley flour.
5) Ground Oats, Soy Protein, Flaxseed & Alfalfa Meal
What this recipe provides for your baby Cockatoo’s development:
- In this recipe, the soy protein provides female baby Cockatoos with calcium and omega-3 fatty acids while it helps to aid in plucking in male birds. It also assists to reduce aggressive behavior such as biting and fighting.
- The ground oats provide carbohydrates that will eventually be turned into glucose within your bird’s body.
- The flaxseed provides Vitamin E, manganese, copper, fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, antioxidants , hemicellulose , proteins , iron , phosphorous , magnesium, zinc, and fiber.
- Alfalfa meal is also rich in calcium.
How to Make the Formula (Step-by-Step Instructions)
We recommend that you only use one of these at a time and see how your baby Cockatoo likes them. All of these recipes make for a complete and balanced meal.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until it is a fine crumble
- Add some water to the mixture if needed. If your Cockatoo mix needs moistening, use hot water.
- This should go without saying, but, let it cool before feeding it to your Cockatoo!
- Include some cuttlebone or egg shells for them to gnaw on as well as their regular birdseed mix
- Sprinkle this mix into their housing whenever they need feeding or
- Place them in a high-speed blender for 30-60 seconds until you have a smooth (not thick and sticky) consistency.
- Feed your baby bird!
We also recommend adding some bird vitamin drops to your homemade formula for a vitamin boost.
This should be added to the individual feed and not the entire batch, so you can manage how much you are giving your Cockatoo at any given feed.
If you have quite a busy schedule, it can be quite time-consuming to make your own baby bird feed. No worries, we’ve got you covered. This high-fat, nutrient-dense hand-feed formula will do just as well.
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How To Feed The Formula To Your Baby Cockatoo
The baby bird feeding syringes are the “least messy” way to feed your little one. These curved tips make it easy for you, as they’ll go right into your Cockatoo’s mouth!
You can also use a spoon if need be, but there might not always remain enough space between two teeth where I’ve seen fit put all my efforts into getting just one piece inside, so that’s why using this method may take longer than expected (though not necessarily bad!).
** All ingredients can be picked up easily at your local grocery store or on Amazon, Whole Foods, Holland & Barrett, etc.
How To Preserve The Formula
If you have used any wet ingredients, you will need to seal the leftover formula in an airtight container and store it in the fridge.
Although you may not mind leaving some out for them to finish later on, this is not recommended due to the high risk of bacterial growth; also, make sure they eat any leftovers before you leave again!
If all dry ingredients were used, you can place any excess formula in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to six months.
Cockatoo Feeding FAQs
Can a Baby Cockatoo Eat Baby Food?
No. Baby Cockatoos cannot eat baby food. Baby food does not contain the necessary nutrients that a young bird needs to grow and develop properly.
What Do Baby Cockatoos Eat?
Older baby Cockatoos can safely eat seed, insects, fruit, and grasshoppers. In the wild, when they are old enough to leave the nest, they learn to feed themselves by foraging with their parents in nearby grasslands away from predators where the parents can defend them better. A wild Cockatoo diet consists of seeds, green plants, and insects.
Can I Make My Own Baby Cockatoo Food?
Yes, you can easily make your own baby Cockatoo food by following the simple instructions in this post and taking care with cleanliness.
Can Baby Cockatoo Eat Dog Food?
Again, no. Some pet stores will try to recommend dog food as an alternative because it is cheaper; however, dog food lacks the proper nutrition and ingredients that Cockatoo need for proper growth.
Do Baby Cockatoos Need To Be Hand-Fed?
Newborn Cockatoos who do not have their mother to feed them do need to be hand-fed their formula with a special syringe.
What Do I Do If My Cockatoo Is Not Eating?
Cockatoos tend to be fussy eaters, so there is a chance that they will not want to eat any of your homemade formula or hand-feeds right away. Don’t worry! If you follow these hand-feeding tips, your baby Cockatoo should be eating before you know it!
Do Baby Cockatoos Need Vitamin Drops?
If you’re making your own Cockatoo food (such as the 5 easy homemade recipes listed above), then vitamin drops are completely optional. It’s always a good idea to toss some in for good measure, but you can always talk to your veterinarian for more information.
