Summer Harvest Vegetables

As summer winds down for some of us, there are still plenty of vegetables to harvest and share with our birds.  Some of my favorites are these healthy vegetables listed below. All vegetables listed are served raw unless otherwise noted in the description. 

1. Carrots

I grow carrots all year long for my birds.  I clip the feathery green carrot tops through the seasons and feed to all sizes of birds. Carrot tops are healthy and lots of fun. I rinse and weave through the cage bars and I'm not sure who gets more excited, the small birds or the large ones who enjoy stripping the leaves thoroughly. Of course you can also feed the carrot roots when they are large enough. Rinse well and serve raw tender carrots or chop into pieces.

Carrots are a rich source of carotenes, vitamin A, many B-complex vitamins and minerals such as copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus.

2. Tomatoes

Tomatoes used to be a no-no because they tended to be more on the acid veggie list. Not today though, almost all tomatoes are now low acid to no acidity. I love to grow the small patio tomatoes also known as cherry tomatoes. I don't use any pesticides so it's easy to grab a few off the vine, rinse, and serve to my larger parrots. A fav veggie to my Cockatoo Cookie.

Tomatoes are an excellent source of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, including vitamin C, potassium, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, iron (iron is not a problem as long as you are not overfeeding your bird many tomatoes every day over a long period of time), calcium, manganese and other trace minerals for healthy eating.

3. Cucumbers

Serve seeds and all.  Rinse well cut into slices or chunks and let the fun begin. My Macaw Cosmo loves digging her beak deep into a chunk of cucumber to get the seeds and tender cucumber pulp.

Cucumbers have a significant amount of vitamin K, excellent source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A.

4. Peppers

Red, green, yellow, small or large, peppers are nutritious and yummy to most birds. I love growing bell peppers in particular. Just pull off the vine, rinse well, then cut in half for the big birds. My Amazons love digging into the pepper and picking out each and every little seed as well.

Red bell peppers are super food for vitamin C, with more C than even an orange. Great source for beta carotene, folate, potassium, and vitamin B6.

5. Okra

Okra pods can be served whole or cut into pieces for the smaller birds. Okra seeds are a real treat and a great fun food time.

Okra pods have healthy amounts of vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C, B-complex group such as niacin, B-6, and vitamin K, calcium, manganese and magnesium.

6. Squash

Summer squash, yellow squash, all squash is a nutritious fun food too. Easily cut into chunks or slices and served raw or slightly cooked in a microwave.

Squash is high in beta carotene, folate, iron, copper, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C.

7. Corn on the Cob

A great foot-food for larger parrots if cut into smaller talon sized chunks. Can be easily cut off the cob for the small birds, but you might want to give them a small chunk and let them pick it off the cob themselves.  Before serving to my birds I like to boil my corn for about 5 minutes, completely cool, and then cut to size.  

Corn is a source of vitamin A, B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, folates, and some mineral such as zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese. 

8. Beans and Peas

I'm combining these two vegetables into one fun summer veggie group.  My African Greys love peeling the pods and eating the peas inside.  Makes for a fun activity that keeps them busy for quite a while.

Beans and Peas are excellent sources of vitamin A, B-12, folic acid, vitamin B-6, B-1, and vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, and manganese,

Working for their food is a great mental exercise for your birds, large and small. You may be surprised at how much your bird will enjoy digging into healthy summer vegetables in their natural whole state.