10/22/2026
Let's talk chop! It's been a minute since we've posted about it. Every time I do I get questions so let's address some of the main ones amd overall concerns.
First, chop does not have to be an extensive time exhaustive endeavor. What you're seeing in this picture made about 14 cups and probably took me less than 5 minutes to put together if you don't include the quinoa, cook time.
Second, there really is no recipe. I kind of pick what works for me in that moment. And my schedule. What stores I'm shopping at, or am I using my Amazon grocery, etc. This particular recipe was a cup of uncooked quinoa, cooked with 2 cups of water. Instantly cooled by a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen corn. Obviously those are high in starch, so not always recommended. But I usually use one or the other. Then, to this, I added a bag of broccoli slaw, which I chose to cut up into smaller pieces in my food processor. But depending upon your birds, you may not even have to do that, which cuts even more time from prep. And definitely from cleanup, and then I chopped up some carrots. Again, using the food processor saving time and effort! I will usually also grab a bag of already chopped kale and throw that in my food processor as well. Today ended up being turnup greens, instead of kale. Either way, though, the process is so simple!
Third, take note of what your bird likes and dislikes out of the bowl, then you'll save yourself some time and money that way as well, not wasting your time on things that they won't eat l! For me personally, my birds (babies!) eat nearly everything because they grow up on it.
Lastly, enjoy watching your bird eat a healthy, well, balanced diet and reap the health benefits of doing so! You can always sprinkle some seed on top to encourage eating. If needed, sometimes I'll do that to kickstart some of my smaller birds like love birds and cockatiels.
There are also several freeze-dried options available to make feeding chop a little bit easier as well! We personally use the bird trick's seasonal feeding system for our eclectus. Their diet is so specific that using their system takes all the guesswork out of the correct balance of vitamins and such! Keep in mind that our birds also eat a pelleted diet in addition to this fresh and most of them get some sort of seed as well! We don't use a whole lot of fruit, but when we do, it's typically blueberries, strawberries, apples and grapes.
