February’s meeting
The February meeting’s guest speaker is Dr.Moran. from the Canton Center Animal Hospital. This month’s meeting falls on Valentine’s Day! We would love to see you there and welcome you and your healthy birds to the meeting.
The meeting will be held above the Animal Kingdom Veterinaries from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, February 14th.
January’s Meeting
January’s meeting was an informational round-table where members were able to share ideas and experience with each other. Plans were made for upcoming meetings/speakers. Please see Melanie if you have an idea for a meeting topic.
Club Information
Address
Ann Arbor Companion Bird Club
2232 S Main St #183
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Meeting Address
Animal Kingdom Veterinarians
4920 Ann Arbor Saline Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 913-0003
Meetings begin at 1:00pm. Interested persons may attend one meeting as a guest. Vet-checked healthy birds are welcome.
Club membership is $20/year/family. Membership includes our monthly newsletter.
Meeting Etiquette
Please remember to provide papers for your birds during the meetings. Extra papers can be found in the cupboard in the storage room off the meeting area. Please pick up used papers before you leave!
My Heart is Made of Feathers
“My heart is made of feathers",
The mad parrot woman said.
"I have feathers in my heart and soul,
Feathers in my head."
She knew that people laughed at her,
And talked behind her back;
But her love of all things feathered
Would never falter, never slack.
Her world was made of feathers,
Of the birds that she adored.
The smirks of open ridicule
She simply just ignored.
But as the months passed into years,
The laughter, it grew less.
They all began to listen
As she spoke so proud, shameless.
Very few would understand
But they began to realize;
That her devotion to those birds was real,
Acceptance was her prize.
For it meant that people realized
She would never hide away.
For the birds that suffered, the birds that died,
Her voice was here to stay.
Her world was made of feathers,
A place of loneliness, she knew.
But if her human friends walked off;
Her feathered friends stayed true.
Her world was made of feathers!
And with tears, her eyes did glisten
As finally, the world laughed less,
The world began to LISTEN!
"My heart is made of feathers!"
The people heard her cry.
And to her joy, they didn't laugh.
They stopped, and asked her "WHY"?
By Anne M. Kenyon Submitted by Carly
Apple cider vinegar solution for yeast problems in birds
This solution can be used for your birds during seasonal changes to help alleviate problems with yeast. Several vets suggest this solution for birds in their practices, most recently by Dr. Naughta from the western side of Michigan.
Raw apple cider vinegar with mother (this means with pulp) can be found at health food stores. Once opened, refrigerate. Shake the container and add 21 drops of the raw apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon of water and give to birds in their drinking water daily for 10 days. Be sure to change daily.
The vinegar solution is also recommended for new bird(s) added to the household and just prior to molting. Molting and seasonal changes are stressful for birds and using this solution can help flush out yeast that might be in the system.
This can also be used for regurgitating hens.
As always, check with your vet before using anything new with and for your birds.
Aloe for healthy feathers
Use aloe juice to help with dry household air and for a bird that may be doing feather damage. Mix ½ aloe juice and ½ water in bird drinking water or mist the bird with aloe/water solution. Always, check with your vet before using anything new with and for your birds.
Take Off Your Shoes, and Is the Parrot Loaded?
By Joe Sharkey
Published in the New York Times
January 4, 2010
“DOES he bite?” the screener at the checkpoint asked warily. “She doesn’t bite,” I said.
“Because we have to check under the wings,” he said.
“In that case,” I said, “she might bite.”
At issue was our chatty little African Grey parrot, Rosie, who was watching the scene from inside her travel cage at the security checkpoint at the Newark airport. This was last week, a few days after a suspected terrorist tried to blow up an international flight on its descent into Detroit by igniting some explosives hidden in his underwear.
While the explosion fizzled, it threw airport security into a tizzy.
My wife and I had never before flown with our two parrots, but this time they had to come along on our nonstop flight to Phoenix. Rosie could fly in the cabin. But our other parrot, a blue-and-gold macaw named Petey, is too big for the cabin and was already in the hands of the very helpful people at Continental’s PetSafe program, which transports pets in a heated, pressurized cargo section of the plane. We wouldn’t see him again for six hours.
We were very anxious at the checkpoint. My wife solved the problem, though. One of Rosie’s tricks is to spread her wings and lower her beak if you ask her to imitate an eagle.
“Rosie, do an eagle,” my wife said. Inside her cage with the screener’s face framed in the open door, the bird promptly spread her wings wide.
The screener had his look under the wings and lowered his wand. Merriment ensued all around — but it had to look pretty silly.
And off we went to our flight to Arizona, which proceeded smoothly with Rosie asleep in her cage under a seat.
Here is a handy printable reminder of dangers to birds. Thanks Mary! PLEASE NOTE- This is not an all-inclusive list. When in doubt, DON’T USE
Poisonous Plants that are Harmful to BirdsAmaryllis
Avocado
Azalea
Balsam Pear
Baneberry
Beans: Castor, Horse,
Peas, Navy, Glory
Bird Of Paradise
Black Locust
Blue-Green Algae
Boxwood
Calla Lily
Cherry Tree
Christmas Candle
Coral Plant
Daffodil
Dieffenbachia
Eggplant
Elephant's Ear
Foxglove / Hemlock
Holly
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian Turnip
Iris
Ivy ** All Types
Java Bean
Jerusulem Cherry
Jimsonweed
Juniper
Larkspur
Lily of the Valley
Lobelia
Locoweed
Marijuana
Mayapple
Mistletoe
Mock Orange
Morning Glory
Narcissus / Oak
Oleander
Philodendron
Poison Ivy & Oak
Poinsettia
Pikeweed
Potato
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Rosary Peas
Sandbox Tree
Skunk Cabbage
Snowdrop
Sweet Pea
Tobacco
Virginia Creeper
Wisteria
Yam Bean
Yew
Sources of Fumes that are Toxic to Birds
Asbestos
Bleach / Chlorine
Carbon Monoxide
Cigarette Smoke
Diazanon
Flea Bombs and Collars
Floor Polishes
Formaldehyde
Hair Dye and Spray
House Paint
Kerosene
Matches
Moth Balls
Nail Polish & Remover
Oil Paint / Oven Cleaner
Overheated Nonstick
Cookware **Teflons**
Paint Remover
Perfume
Permanent Wave Solution
Pesticides
Shoe Polish and Cleaners
Spot Removers
Spray Starch
Suntan Lotions
Surgical Acrylics
Toilet Cleaners
Wax / ***This is by no means
a complete list. If you
are unsure, read the
label, seek more
information from maker.
When in doubt, don't use!!
Emergency Phone Numbers
Regular Vet
24-Hour Vet
Other Emergency Contact
Good (Safe) woods
ACACIA - Silk Tree would be in this group
APPLE -
(Insecticide residue likely cause
for periodic issues)
AILANTHUS - Tree of Heaven
ALDER - white alder -
Alder / Buckthorn)
ALMOND
ARALIA - Fatsia japonica
ASH - Fraxinus
ASPEN - Populus
BAMBOO
BARBERRY- Berberis
BIRCH -
BEECH - Fagus
BOIS D'ARC - horse apple tree
BOTTLE BRUSH
BUTTERFLY BUSH
CAMELLIA
CITRUS -
(lime, kumquat, grapefruit, orange, lemon)
CORK -
(not wood from cork oak, but cork)
CORN PLANTS
COTTONWOOD - Populus
CRABAPPLE - Malus
CRAPE MYRTLE -
(not the same as myrtle)
DATE
DOGWOOD - Cornus
DOUGLAS FIR - Pseudotsuga
DRACAENA
ELM - Ulmus
ESCALLONIA
EUCALYPTUS
FIG
FIR - genus Abies
GINKGO
GRAPE VINES
GRAPE PALM
GUAVA
HACKBERRY
HAWTHORN - Crataegus
HIBISCUS
HICKORY
IRONWOOD - apparently toxic leaves
JADE PLANT
KALANCHOE
LARCH - Larix
LILAC - Syringa
MADRONA / MADRONE - Arbutus
MAGNOLIA
MANZANITA - Arctostaphylos
MESQUITE - remove sharp parts
MIMOSA
MOCK ORANGE - Phladelphus
MOUNTAIN ASH - Sorbus
MULBERRY - Morus
NANDINA -common name is heavenly bamboo
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE - Araucaria
NUT TREES - exclude chestnut
ORANGE - several sources lean toward safe
OREGON GRAPE - Mahonia
PALM
PAPAYA
PEAR
PECAN
PINE - Pinus
PHOTINIA
POPLAR - Populus
PUSSY WILLOW - Salix
RAPHIOLEPSIS - Indian Hawthorn
RIBBONWOOD
ROSE - Rosa
RUBBER PLANT - Ficus elastica - Weeping Fig in bad column
RUSSIAN OLIVE
SASSAFRAS
SILK TREE
SPIRAEA
SPRUCE - Picea
STAGHORN SUMAC –
STRAWBERRY TREE - Arbutus like Madrone
SWEET GUM
SYCAMORE
THURLOW
TREE FERN
VIBURNUM
VINE MAPLE - Acer
WEEPING WILLOW - Salix
WIEGELA
YUCCA
Please note: Use common sense when it comes to adding wood/plants to your bird’s habitat. Scrub everything well with hot water. Do not use if anything has been sprayed, is near a road (Exhaust fumes and road salt/chemicals can be toxic) or has obvious mold, mildew or insects.
Bad (Unsafe) Woods
ALDER - red
ANDROMEDA -Pieris, Lily of the Valley shrub
APRICOT
ARROWHEAD VINE
AUSTRALIAN FLAME TREE
AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
AVACADO
AZALEA - Related to Rhododendron
BANEBERRY - Actaea
BEANS -castor, horse, fava, broad, glory, scarlet runner
BLACK LOCUST - Robinia
BOX ELDER
BOXWOOD - Buxus
BUCKTHORN - Cascara / Alder Buckthorn
BRACKEN FERN
BURDOCK
CACAO
CAMEL BUSH - Trichodesma
CANARY BIRD BUSH - Crotalaria
CANNABIS
CASTOR BEAN
CEDAR - Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus
CHALICE - trumpet vine
CHERRY
CHINA BERRY TREE - Melia / Texas umbrella tree
CHINESE MAGNOLIA - uncertain for safety
CHINESE POPCORN / TALLOW
CHINESE SNAKE TREE - Laquer plant
COMMON SAGE
CORIANDER - Cilantro
DATURA
DAPHNE - it's the berries
DATURA STRAMONIUM - Brugmansia - angel's trumpet
DIEFFENBACHIA
ELDERBERRY
EUONYMUS - Includes burning bush and more
EUPHORBIA
FELT PLANT - Kalancho baharensis
FLAME TREE
FIRETHORN - Pyracantha
FLAME TREE - Brachychiton / Sterculia
FOXGLOVE - Digitalis (pharmaceutical source)
GOLDEN CHAIN TREE - Laburnum
GROUND CHERRY
CROWN OF THORNS
HEATHS
HEMLOCK - Tsuga
HOLLY - Ilex
HONEY LOCUST - Gleditsia
HORSE CHESTNUT - Aesculus
HUCKLEBERRY - leaves bad: evergreen & deciduous
HYDRANGEA
JASMINE
JUNIPER - Juniperus
KALMIA: also called Mountain Laurel
KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE
LANTANA - red sage
LAUREL - Prunus
LEUCOTHOE
LUPINE
MANGO - (fruit okay: not wood or leaves)
MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
MOCK ORANGE
MONSTERA - big hunker of a house plant
MOUNTAIN LAUREL - Kalmia latifolia
MYRTLE - broadleaf evergreen, not crape myrtle
NECTARINE
NUTMEG
OAK - Quercus - all parts / tannins
MISTLETOE
OLEANDER
PEACH
PEAR - some sources lean toward safe
PENCILTREE
PITCH PINE
PLUM
PRARIE OAK - safety uncertain
PRIVET
RAIN TREE
RED MAPLE
RED SAGE - Lantana
REDWOOD - Sequiadendron, Metasequoia, Sequoia
RHODODENDRON
RHUBARB
SAND BOX TREE - sap was used to poison fish
SOLANUM - Jerusalem cherry or pepino
SOPHORA - includes Japanese pagoda tree
SUMAC - not all sumacs are bad: see paragraphs
TOBACCO
TANSY
TOMATO
UMBRELLA TREE
WALNUT
WEEPING FIG - Ficus benjamina > Ficus elastica safe
WHITE CEDAR - China
WITCH HAZEL - Hamamelis
WISTERIA
YEW – Taxus
Sumac note: The okay species have upright, dense, conical fruits, covered with crimson hairs.
For the Birds
Pelleted Birdie Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups pellet “flour”*
1/2 cup Barley
1/2 cup Oats (Natural)
1/2 cup Wheat Flour
2-3 jars of baby foods (1 vegetable.
and 2 fruits)
1/4-cup brown sugar
4 eggs with shells**
1/2-cup peanut butter
1/8-teaspoon cinnamon
1/8-teaspoon nutmeg
Add approx. 1/2 cup each of the following:
Raisins
Cranberries
Speckled Butter Beans
Collard Greens (May add more of this one)
Broccoli (Finely Chopped)
Corn
Nuts (various, sliced almonds work great)
Parsley
Cilantro
Tarragon
Red and Orange Bell Pepper
Directions:
Mix together and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle top with additional pellet and extra egg shells (Optional, of course) Bake at 400 degrees for one hour. Check for doneness after 45-55 min by inserting a toothpick into center of bread. If toothpick comes out clean, bread is done.
*Pellet flour can be made quite easily in a food processor. Simply pulse pellets of your choice until they are of a very fine consistency. Just be aware that this is extremely loud!
**Using egg shells in a recipe comes with a risk of bacteria. If you choose to do so, make sure to wash the egg well before use and cook thoroughly.
For the Humans
Chewy Cocoa Powder Brownies
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Powdered sugar (Optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Combine granulated sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.
Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.
Bird of the month
Budgerigar
Recognized by nearly everyone who sees them, Budgerigars are the most commonly kept bird in America. Known most commonly by the name “Parakeet” the Budgie is a readily available predominantly green parrot with scalloped markings on the head, back and wings. The name “Budgerigar” has its origins in the aboriginal language, meaning, “good eating”.
A baby budgie has black striping that goes all the way to the cere, the fleshy nostrils of the budgie. These stripes disappear with the first molt around 6 months of age.
It is usually easy to tell the sex of a Budgie over 6 months old, mainly by the cere colors but behaviors and head shape also help indicate Budgie's genders.
Mature males' ceres are usually light to dark blue but can be purplish to pink in some particular color mutations (Dark Eyed Clears, Danish pieds aka Recessive pieds and Inos) and usually display much rounder heads. Males are typically cheerful, extraverted, highly flirtatious, mostly peaceful social and very vocal.
Females' ceres are pinkish as juveniles and switch from being beige or whitish outside breeding condition into brown (often with a 'crusty' texture) in breeding condition and usually display flattened back of heads (right above the nape region). Females are typically highly dominant and more socially intolerant.
Often bred in large numbers and not being handled as babies can make it difficult to find a hand tame budgie. If one is able to get a very young baby however, it is possible to tame them quite quickly.
Though they speak in tiny voices, the males will often have huge vocabularies. The Guinness book of World Records for the bird with the largest vocabulary is a budgie.
Despite their size, budgies are true parrots. They have the same requirements for nutrition, enrichment and cage quality as larger birds, just on a smaller scale.
Mostly seed eaters in the wild, captive budgies cannot thrive on a seed only diet. Prone to fatty tumors and fatty liver diseases, these little guys need a balanced diet. A high quality natural pellet, greens and a small amount of seed is most often recommended. Speak to your avian vet to see what they recommend.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying a tiny cage for a budgie. Just because they sell them does not make them appropriate. The recommended minimum cage size for a single budgie is 18x18 inches. This is a minimum, and larger is always better. Bar spacing is also very important. 3/8 inch spacing is ideal. These birds can and will try to stick their heads through the bars. If they panic, they could be injured or killed.
Budgies like toys they can pick at and manipulate, like sisal, beads and clapper type bells. They should have at least three toys at all times, and rotating them with different toys in new positions keeps it fun for the birds. Perches of different textures (not EVER sandpaper) and sizes will keep feet healthy.
A healthy budgie from a good breeding line can live 10-20 years. Appropriate diet plays a HUGE part in a long life
Feisty and fun to watch, these birds make wonderful often devoted avian companions.