The Best Bird Food

Cannabis Sativa

Hemp seed oil is a very important oil to include in our parrots healthy food regimen for so many reasons that will be mentioned here. It’s one of those great fatty acids that offer benefits that are so amazing one has to wonder if Nature had it all planned out from the very beginning! This oil would almost be Mother Nature’s miracle oil and prime defense against all kinds of disease! If you are not going to offer any other dietary oil or “fat” to your bird’s diet, this is the one oil I would recommend over any other oil because it contains Omegas 7, 9 and GLA besides the normal Omegas 3 and 6.

Hemp seed oil is categorized as a polyunsaturated fat and contains about 75% to 80% of this type of fat in the total content and only 9-11% of saturated fat. Hemp seed oil is practically a perfectly balanced oil in all of the main omega fatty acids, omega 3 (22%), omega 6 (55%) and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) (1-4%) *SEE BELOW. Plus it contains a small amount of oleic and stearidonic (0-2%) acids. All three of the minor fatty acids, GLA which is metabolized from “linoleic”, the Omega 6 fatty acid, oleic and stearidonic acids, are polyunsaturated fats but are not essential fatty acids. Omega 3 and omega 6 are essential fatty acids because the living body cannot produce them; they have to be introduced into the living body through food sources.

Polyunsaturated fats stay liquid at room temperature as well as in the refrigerator. They go rancid, or spoil easily so it’s important they are kept in dark bottles and kept in the refrigerator after opening to keep them fresh.  But polyunsaturated fats are really good for us if we know how to utilize them. They are found in the plant kingdom and hemp oil comes from the hemp plant known as “cannabis sativa”. The best quality is grown organically and cold pressed so that all of the delicate nutrients are left unharmed through the process.

As mentioned above, hemp oil is the most perfectly balanced oil as far as the omega fatty acids are concerned. For this reason hemp oil can be consumed on a regular basis without worry of over-consuming and reaching a point where a “fast” from the product must be advised in order for the living body to self-regulate the amount of omegas in the body.

Let’s take a closer look at what each of the omega fats mentioned above do for the living body. As mentioned earlier, these are considered “essential” fatty acids because the body cannot produce these fatty acids itself, yet they are vital for normal body metabolism. In other words, these fatty acids must be introduced to the body by outside food sources.

Omega 3 fatty acids are made up of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), all of which are polyunsaturated.

Omega 3 fatty acids have shown to stimulate blood circulation, reduce blood triglycerides and have shown some potential benefit in reducing problems associated with rheumatoid arthritis and cardiac arrhythmias. Some studies show that it helps in cases of depression.  Several studies report anti-cancer effects. Omega 3 fatty acid may reverse cardiovascular disease and it improves immune function. Research suggests that it delays or prevents psychotic disorders in high-risk children and adolescents. There have been many claims to the anti-inflammatory properties of omega 3’s.

Omega 6 fatty acids are primarily made up of linoleic acid which then, by biosynthesis a small amount of it transforms into GLA (gamma-linolenic acid or omega 9), then to DGLA, the main anti-inflammatory property of the omega fatty acids, then into arachidonic acid and finally to docosatetraenoic acid, both of the latter acids are important for the vital role they play in brain function.

Omega 6 fatty acids are important, but in moderation. This is why hemp oil is a good source of the omega fatty acids, because hemp oil is so perfectly balanced. Omega 6 has shown to be of benefit in cardiovascular health as well as an anti-carcinogen.  Omega 6 has shown to help with diabetic neuropathy, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD, eczema, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and premenstrual syndrome. But overused like it is in our American diet, in so many high-processed foods, it has shown to actually increase cardiovascular risks and possible cancer cell overgrowth as well, that is when it does not contain  GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) as well, like it does in hemp oil.  However the Omega 6 in hemp seed oil is quickly converted to omega 9 by GLA , which “scrubs” out the “lousy” LDL cholesterol from the blood flowing through the arteries. Therefore this type of Omega 6 does not pose harm of over-saturation of blood lipids or lipo-proteins, therefore it actually reduces blood cholesterol rather than increasing it.

As mentioned above omega 9 is formed as a by-product of the omega 6  biosynthesis.  It is unlike omega-3 and omega-6 in that it is not an essential fatty acid because it can be formed by the body through the biosynthesis of omega 6. Therefore it is not necessary to find a food product to consume to artificially introduce it to the body as long as some other food source containing omega 6 is being consumed.

GLA, the precursor to omega 9, is probably more important than either omega 3 or 6 in that it is responsible for such important processes as neurological transmissions and brain cell growth as well as muscle tissue growth, re-growth and repair. This is another reason why hemp oil is so wonderful. Out of all of the other oils, hemp is the only oil which contains a significant amount of GLA.

Hemp oil has many benefits including reducing cholesterol thus preventing heart disease and stroke, promoting cell membrane fluidity, reduction in inflammation thus easing the effects of arthritis, tuberculosis and other inflammatory disease, and it helps to increase body metabolism and regulate blood pressure. Hemp oil also affects skin condition maintaining its softness and suppleness. This may affect feather growth and appearance as well keeping the feathers well oiled and groomed. And as a bird grooms its feathers even the beak will benefit from the oil that is transferred to the beak keeping it hydrated and shiny! Not to mention how the talons will benefit as well.

Hemp oil also provides an ample supply of carotene, phytosterols, and phospholipids, in addition to a large number of minerals including: calcium, sulfur, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.  It is also a good source of chlorophyll which is a wonderful antioxidant.

One concern about hemp oil that many people think about is the fact that hemp oil is derived from the cannabis plant, commonly associated with “marijuana”. There is no need to worry about receiving a “high” from hemp oil because this kind of hemp oil is made from the variety known as “cannabis sativa” and the very process of producing the oil eliminates the THC, the psychoactive element, while cleaning the plant before it is even pressed to release the oil.

The next time you wonder which oil is best to use for your bird on a daily basis, think no further than hemp oil. It is a polyunsaturated fat, it is perfectly balanced in omega fatty acids, and even though you do need to take some precautions to keep it from going rancid by storing it in your refrigerator, it will stay fresh longer than most other oils. But try to purchase the certified organic brand, that way you will be sure not only that your bird is receiving balanced omega fatty acids, but that nutrition is of the highest quality as well. If you are going to go the extra mile, why not go to the nth degree and buy only the best for your fine feathered friend? You will not be using very much on a daily basis anyway.

You can add it on top of their food. (Please DO NOT add this to their drinking water! It will only coagulate and cause a mess and if you don’t wash the water bowl out really, really well, it could go rancid.) And about how much will you be using? Just a drop for small Budgies once a day is more than enough. You can probably get away with giving only a drop every other day.For parakeets such as the Ringneck and similar size birds a drop or two daily will do. Moving on up to larger birds, say Conures, Pionus and the like, maybe 3 or 4 drops a day on top of their food. Then for African Greys, small Cockatoos (and even the small Macaws) and such, 5 drops to a 1/16^th of a teaspoon a day. Larger Cockatoos you could give from 1/16^th to 1/8^th of a teaspoon a day depending on skin and feather quality. Then the large Macaws you can give 1/8^th to ¼ teaspoon daily depending on skin and feather quality. Always pay close attention to the skin and feather condition. If all is looking good and their energy level is normal, meaning “active” and not over active or on the other end, lethargic, then you are probably feeding the right amount of oil. Feeding oils will give your bird an extra boost in energy so be on the lookout for that emotional effect. (If you have a bird that is abnormally lethargic, consult your licensed avian veterinarian, this is not normal.) See here for a better, more balanced, “added fat intake” regimen to follow that includes both hemp and flax seed oils.

*Because there was a bit of discussion regarding the use of hemp oil on a daily basis in a parrot’s diet following the posting of this article, I desired to perform further research into the matter. I was able to dig up more statistics from the company we obtained our certified organic hemp oil from when we were producing the parrot food you purchased from us. You will be happy to read these results because the omegas show an abnormally high amount of Omegas 3 and 9 with GLA to boot!    3=21%; 9=11%; 6=56% and 2-3% GLA with and extra Omega 7, palmitoleic acid coming in at .12%. Palmitoleic acid is good for such things as fat oxidation which helps in weight loss as well as lowering blood lipids and also reduces insulin resistance. Saturated fats come in at about 9.7%

*If at any time you begin to see black spots on your bird’s feathers, you may be feeding too much oil or fat to your bird, (Or this may be a sign of “Iron Storage Disease”) back off and consult your licensed avian veterinarian. You may need to have your bird’s blood lipid and lipoprotein panel checked and/or checked for fatty liver disease and/or place your bird on a liver detox regimen.

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Machelle Pacion / The BEST Bird Food / BirD-elicious! / Passion Tree House LLC © 2012 All Rights Reserved

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