Frequently I am asked “What kind of a sprout mix do you feed your feather destroying birds? The short answer is “I don’t.” At least at the beginning of the detox stage when I start a feather destroyer on my “Mutilation Syndrome Program™.” It is not until much further into the program, probably about a good 9 months to a year after starting a bird on “the program”, when I consider a bird’s digestive tract healed enough that I will begin to introduce certain sprouts.

The reasoning behind my reasoning is due to the fact that all sprouts contain levels of naturally occurring histamines and salicylates I consider to be just high enough to trigger feather destroyers. I will never offer a former feather destroyer sprouts that contain moderate to high levels of either of those constituents ever again in their lives. These birds now have delicate and permanently compromised digestive tracts that can no longer handle high doses of these constituents potentially inflaming the mucus lining of their guts going forward even after thorough detox.

The goal of controlling a feather destroyer’s diet so tightly in the beginning of “the program” is to gain optimization of the gut flora, reversing the unhealthy gut flora and replenishing it with new, healthy gut flora. In the meantime we cannot trigger the already inflamed immune system which includes the digestive system. Every part of the body, including the digestive tract has to be allowed time to be calmed, soothed and healed so it can return to a health homeostasis in order to begin functioning the way Nature intended it to function. To force it to accept the foods it should be able to process before its ready will only increase the total healing period. “Slow and easy” is the name of the game. Give the body the time it deserves to heal fully and properly and the time given will pay off in the end permitting the bird’s system to consume a diet rich in a larger variety of foods; maybe not as many foods as a fully functioning digestive system of a normally healthy bird, but more foods than if we do not allow the bird’s system to heal at its own rate.

So having said all of this, what kinds of sprouts can we feed to our feather destroyers once 9 to 12 months has passed on the “Mutilation Syndrome Program” and our birds’ digestive tracts has had plenty of time to detox, rest and rejuvenate from their previous unhealthy diets and unhealthy gut flora? We need to continue to feed items that are low in naturally occurring histamines, naturally occurring salicylates, gluten-free, GMO-free, and also free of chemical fertilizers, artificial preservatives, food colorings of any kind even natural colorings, free of flavor enhancers like MSG, free of synthetic vitamins and free of mineral salts (earth-derived minerals are fine). I’m just reminding all of us that these feather destroyers have had their guts damaged by low grade, highly processed foods and now they will always be sensitive to anything that goes into their digestive tract; it is up to us to keep the food entering their beaks as clean and wholesome as possible so they do not end right back where they once were…

Now it’s time to choose the items to sprout.

There are not many foods from which to choose to sprout for feather destroyers, but fortunately there are a few. I have found that the foods lowest in naturally occurring histamines and salicylates are:

• Level1 Very Low: Lentils, Quinoa (contains quercetin that may set some birds off when combined with Vitamin C), Mung beans.
• Level 2 Low: Millet (known as a “goitrogen” which suppresses thyroid function in some birds such as African Greys and other thyroid-sensitive birds), Brown rice.
• If you can find non-GMO corn or Maize it is fine to try to sprout. It is low in histamines and salicylates. Feed only on a limited basis. Blue corn is best as it is high in Vitamin A. (Origins Wild Diet™ will soon offer this in our webstore!)
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Again though, I must strongly reiterate, sprouts should not be fed until a bird’s digestive tract has been thoroughly detoxed. This is usually after about 9-12 months after detox has been first introduced, unless a caregiver has decided to place their bird on one of our BirD-elicious! Origins Wild Diet™ produced foods specifically formulated and balanced for feather destroyers. Our feather destroyer’s foods have been formulated taking into consideration the unique problems and requirements of an inflamed and compromised system of a feather destroyer’s digestive tract. If you have your bird on our do-it-yourself program then you really should wait for 9-12 months before introducing sprouts to your bird.

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