There is a lot of talk about bee pollen and its benefits in the parrot diet. I am one that believes we have to maximize every meal, especially if we have a picky eater on our hands. Bee pollen is as complete and natural a food supplement as there is…
What is bee pollen?
Flowers (and other plants) produce a powdery substance called pollen made of microscopic particles, which is a male seed necessary to fertilization. Bees travel from flower to flower collecting pollen particles and formulating and carrying to the hive the granules that we know as bee pollen.
A single teaspoon of bee pollen reflects the efforts of a month of full time work by a single honeybee. It is a favorite food and worth their trouble because bee pollen is one of the most powerful sources of nutrition there is – a true superfood.
The benefits?
According to Gudrun Maybaum, author of “What Happened to My Peanuts” a great book on nutrition with an holistic approach to the avian diet: “Bee pollen is a whole food supplement…that contains at least 130 substances of nutritional significance. The high quality of protein exceeds the amount in beef or chicken. Bee pollen is composed of about 50% carbohydrates, rich in fatty acids, almost all known minerals, amino acids, enzymes, trace elements, vitamins like B complex, A,C,D, E, beta carotene, an antibiotic potent against E. coli.
Feeding bee pollen prevents nutritional imbalance, deficiencies, accumulations of toxins in the body, and helps strengthen the immune system and prevent disease…it is the richest food in nature.”
Where can I find it?
Bee pollen is available in health food stores and online. But all bee pollen products are not equal. The quality of the bee pollen is determined in part by where it is harvested. As it will absorb pollutants in its environment, a product from an ecologically healthy location will yield healthful bee pollen.
For example, ecology minded New Zealand, one of the cleanest places on Earth, is a safe source for any natural product. By comparison, Bee pollen coming from highly industrialized China would be more likely to contain heavy metals and pesticides. You should be able to find a good bee pollen coming from a secluded area in your own neck of the woods.
Be wary of products that come from unidentifiable sources and comparatively inexpensive products. They, of course, will be of low quality and may do more harm than good.
Bee pollen can be bought processed as tablets or capsules. Their refinement makes then of lesser quality that the raw, granulated products. Do your homework to make sure that the product you choose has been stored properly prior to shipping, this affects its quality. Make wise choices.
How should I serve bee pollen to my bird?
When serving your bird’s morning meal, which should be its main meal consisting of fresh produce, sprinkle a single small pinch of granulated bee pollen over the food. As the food is wet, it will adhere to it which makes it unavoidable. When placed in dry foods, like seed or pellets, it tends to fall to the bottom of the dish before it can be eaten. It works perfectly with the Birdtricks Diet.
Since you are going so out of your way to provide great health to your bird, don’t forget about yourself – 1 teaspoon of bee pollen per day will work wonders in your own diet.
Author Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
5 comments
I would like to buy bee pollen for my Grey pls let me know the cost .
I couldn’t understand half of what Ryan was trying to say. But if you think about it wild birds are exposed to bee pollen on a daily basis. I can’t help but think that this contributes to their health at least a little as wild birds forage and do eat foliage and seeds that have been exposed to pollen. At the very least it can’t hurt to try it. But as with anything moderation is key.
Thanks…Patty sharing the good information with us. I have plan to establish a bird firm.
Awsum< My Too and I live in New Zealand, and we have bags of some of the best, freshest Bee Pollen available. I take it, ( half a dozen T spoons full before a game is a must ). My dog gets some on his meals as does Kaos the Too !! It does work as a natural vitamin for sure. Even our avian Vet coments on how bright his yellow is and how healthy he looks..
I don’twant to be a downer but I have been doing a lot of research and found that bee pollen was a big fad in the 70s & 80s and haven’t had any long term studies nor proved it was the bee pollen that helped bc of taking other medications. Also I checked on other blogs & just like red palm oil & even coconut oil unless used for baking bird breads or grains, ect can be dangerous if your bird are fed propperly and can be too much. Some well qualified vets that spend tons of time & money to study & various nutritionalist said it’s just like a supplement and you should talk to your vet. Granted a pinch every now & then might help but some birds as people can get serious allergic effects. I deff would be careful if your bird has any kind of breathing problems or are allergic to certain foods. The more I read the blogs & look at your Facebook posts the more I realized that you eaither just post what rescues and various organizations have posted or you use the ones they post on your Facebook. I love your training material but it is expensive & has been used my many college degreed people that spent a lot on getting their education. I do think everyone should do their own research and decide what’s best for their bird but when you tell people they shouldn’t listen to their vets whenyou have only experience from researching others info & not giving them credit because all techniques are from bird behaviorlist too & make a profit I think is unfair at how much I paid. I do enjoy watching the videos and it motivates me but I think you should make sure people find a good bird vet & follow their advice as well as claim that you just did research and this works for us if your interested in trying. Because without the education all it is is research & studying. I am on m6 way to get a bird vet tech degree & want to work with birds & other exotics. But I can also say I got an education on vet prep, helping treat sick birds, nutrition & whatever else I will continue to learn. But your main 3 esp aren’t educated & just do research plain & simple & to say your way is the way & you can train your bird in a day to be nice… it depends on the bird & some people just take your advise & without research and vets oppinion I think it could be dangerous. Even like your cook book. I have researched that egg shellls can get in the crop and cut it or cause I fection & not to feed unless maybe you use a processor and grind extremely fine & even then could be dangerous… I just wish you would leave the nutrition as advise & tell people to do the research & talk to a well qualified vet or nutritionalist bc like before you stated you were killing your birds unknowingly. We’ll now you might be killing others aswell. I know you won’t listen but people please talk to your vets & do your research bc thats exactly all they do when they make their products which is ok. Because they are fun & great. Ut safety sbould be one of the top things when you have a bird. Also while w are saying oppinions tops pellets are organic & seem excellent & have the same ingredients & processed like feed your flock & a lot less… I’m going to try a small bag and see if my fids like it. I really hope none of you take th8s personally its just I wanted to be a blogger on here but the stuff I said I’d talk about or post looks like they already do from other group’s posts! I wish & think they should let me become a blogger as I am well rounded & could even talk about play stands and toys. How its important for it to be safe and I use pvc & natural stands & how to build them & talk about safe & unsafe plants, trees, & other stuff that could hurt your bird & how to properly disinfect & clean. Also about air purifers… ect. I wish everyone would tell them Ryan should become a blogger & would love his advice! One love and please don’t take anything personal. I just want people to be aware to do best by their fids… I’d be devastated without mine! Thanks! Ryan
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