Month: August 2019

Pellets are processed food

Pellets are processed food

Standard disclaimer: I’ve never advocated a 100% seed diet for birds. I do believe they can part of a healthy “real food” diet for birds that can contain vegetables, fruits, insects, nuts, and other wild foods.

Whether intentional marketing or not, the pet food industry has always used words like “kibble” for processed dog and cat food and “pellets” for processed bird food.

First off, let’s look at one of the most comprehensive studies on processed food consumption from the British Medical Journal. This article defines what it calls “ultra-processed food” and documents the downsides.

Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little, if any, intact food. [Editor note: Pellets are powdered food and additives, which are then extruded]

Participants in the highest quarter of ultra-processed food consumption had a 62% relatively higher hazard of all cause mortality compared with those in the lowest quarter.

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Aviary 2.0

Aviary 2.0

NOTE: This is not an endorsement of any particular style of building an aviary. I present this as a design I found compelling enough to use and the things I learned over time.

Two years ago, I built an aviary in the backyard. Just last month, with the help of a carpenter this time, I finished a significant renovation and expansion. I incorporated a large number of changes based on my first design. For those not interested in my detailed description of the new aviary, here is a photo gallery.

The original aviary was approximately 128 square feet, while the new one totals around 192 square feet. But because of the layout, there is a much longer flight path the birds can take so it seems much more enjoyable to them.

Purpose

The main purpose for this aviary is that birds come into rescues and shelters aren’t suited for living indoors.…

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Weighing risk of disease

Weighing risk of disease

This article was motivated by interactions with my local bird rescue. Using three examples, I attempt to illustrate the importance of weighing the risk of disease with the likliehood of it happening. The goal would be maximizing the happiness of as many birds as possible, perhaps finding ways to mitigate risk rather than just refusing to take it on, losing benefits to birds in need.

If fostering and adopting birds feels like walking through a minefield, people will be less likely to become involved. We need to present people with risks that that have some probability of actually happening. Think of all the possible ways a child could get injured. Do we want to make sure a child is never exposed to any situation where they might become injured? What kind of life is that?

Newcastle disease

In 2019, Virulent Newcastle Disease made a comeback. In Northern California, a single case was reported on March 15 in a backyard chicken.…

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