I don’t know why this occurred to me, but it did. I was thinking about zip-loc bags and the integral part of they play in storing Chop. This innocent little sandwich bag has become a big part of my life. And from the email I get, it seems to have become a staple in the lives of many other people and their birds.

Chop in Snack-sized bags

As I was thinking about how to title this post, the phrase, “Zip-loc Life” kept coming  back and with it, the song, “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from the Musical, “Annie” which shows you the direction my brain wanders every once in a while. So, seeing as we just went down Bizarre Boulevard, let’s take look in a few of the windows shall we?

First of all, I felt compelled to rewrite the first few stanzas of the song, and God forbid, if you want to sing along, here’s the link to music from the original song: Annie: The Musical

It’s the Zip-Loc Life

It’s the Zip-loc life for us!

It’s the Zip-loc life for us!

 ‘Steada Dicin’’
We unzip!

 We get kisses,

 They got no lips!

 It’s the Zip-loc life!

Got no woes to speak of, so,

It’s the Zip-loc row we know!

 Lotsa choices,

 It’s no bull!

 Comfy Bellies

 Aways full!

 It’s the Zip-loc life!

After getting that out of my system, I began thinking about some questions I’ve gotten regarding packaging Chop for the freezer.

I happen to have three Greys, so it’s easy enough to store their meals in a regular zip-loc. But I got an interesting question from a reader who has little, tiny, eensie weensie birds and only a couple of them. What is she to do when she is packaging up little tiny amounts of Chop for her mini-flock?

I ruminated about this and came up with a solution: 2×2 zip-lock storage bags:

You can find these bags at the  “Scrap Rack”

I think they would be perfect for small amounts of Chop and of course they are reusable if you wash and rinse them out, allowing them to dry thoroughly.  Of course, there are other sizes available as well, so you can not only tailor your Chop, you can modify the way you want to package it to suit your particular needs.

I guess what it comes down to is options. And the one thing you always have with Chop, are options- how to make it, what to put in it, how to package it and how to store it. If it works for you, then the more likely you are to continue making it and feeding it to your birds.

I’ve said before that Chop is a solution to the problem Liz Wilson pointed out at one time or another; that people simply have a difficult time managing their schedules to prepare fresh food for their flock twice a day, every day for decades. Chop is more of a response to a behavioral issue of humans. Yes, it’s great for the birds. But the real beauty of it lies in the fact that it sets up the environment for success. It’s difficult for most people to feed fresh food to the flock twice a day. And while making Chop is no walk in the woods, it’s easier in the day-to-day.

You may call me "Small Batch"

I don’t know what’s worse, having other people underestimate you or underestimating yourself. Both kind of blow. Sometimes you underestimate yourself, yet you find that you could indeed do whatever it was that you didn’t think you could do. That’s very uplifting and a hell of a confidence builder.

Having had other people underestimate your abilities or reach just tends to make me mad. And bitchy. Well, at least that’s how it affects me. I get kind of upset.

And then there are the things I wouldn’t dream of attempting.

One thing that always stunned me were my classmates from high school who simply picked up, got married and began having children when they were 19 or 20. How did they do that? The entire concept terrified me. Kids? A husband? At that age? I was mystified, not because the entire idea made me want to whack myself over the head with a cast iron skillet, but because it just seemed so hard. I mean, Good God, there are easier paths in life to choose than that.

I asked a classmate friend of mine who ended up with three kids, probably before she was 25 and her answer, although probably entirely truthful, stunned me. She said, “When you’re that age, you don’t know you can’t, and so you just end up just doing what you need to do.”

“So, you chose to do it?”

“Not really; it just seemed like, well, that was just what you did.”

Oh.

Then of course came the, “If I had it to do over again…blah,blah,blah…but I would never have skipped the kids! I adore my children!”

Well, of course she does.

Naturally, I thought the woman had lost her mind starting around the time she underestimated herself and decided that getting married and having kids was her only option.

I guess you’re all wondering where the “Parrot Aspect” fits into this. Well, it does and it doesn’t. Life with parrots is a part of our life. And as I’ve always maintained, if it takes up a fair chunk of your life, then you might be doing it right.

That said, I’m all for cutting down the workload and creating more spare time so you can actually have a life. Because parrots should be a part of your life. They should enhance the quality your life and make it better. More fun.

The easier and more efficient something is, the more likely you are going to enjoy it. If you have happy, healthy, well trained parrots, then you’re going to like your life a hell of a lot more than if you didn’t. It might take some work and effort to get there, but once you do, you and your family and your birds will be happier.

It’s up to us to work out how to make that happen. And if you say you can’t, then well, I think you’re underestimating yourself.

I’m always open to new ideas about how to make life with parrots, easier, more efficient, happier, cleaner and more sane. If you have any brilliant, innovative ways of doing things, send them here! We could always use some new techniques, new methods, or a cool way to save time.

I created a video assembled from photos sent by friends and Parrot Nation Readers from all over the place. It was a small project and I did the editing in about two days, but it was a lot of fun to put together. What I wanted to do was show you that Chop is indeed a “Concept.” As available ingredients vary from place to place and from Continent to Continent, Chop is never going to be the same.

You will also find your own Chop varying from season to season.  It was a quick and dirty editing job. I didn’t have the time to spend day-after-day fine-tuning it and photoshopping it, but I made a copy so I can work on it later should I need to.  You might want to keep it on the small screen as blowing it up to full size will be disappointing. I couldn’t render the images the way I wanted them as I am still learning, but it’s not bad for two days of work.

This is your Chop. Your way. From your kitchens. With your birds. Congratulations! You’re doing a beautiful job making it your own.

Here is the Video of Chop from, well, everywhere and also from many of you. Thank you to all who sent me photos. I hope you like it:

My Office at 35,000 feet.

While I try to keep up with the forums and blogs about what the heartbeat of the avian world is up to, (meaning the average parrot owner just like me) I have a tough time keeping up with them all due to my schedule. I’m either flying for work, or flying to get somewhere to do a presentation or do research or some such reason for the journey.

And there is the ever-present floor that needs a mopping. But I do get to meet really cool people:

Concetta! (Concetta DellaRocco- Ferragamo)

But I think it’s terrific the forums are busy because that means you are all yakking up a storm, exchanging information and helping each other out.

Paula Rossow, Irena Schulz and moi at the Midwest Bird Expo

Occasionally I run across a post about the Chop Concept. And I found one particularly interesting. When the Chop Video link was put up, someone saw all of the stuff I used to make Chop and stated the following:

“wow that is like 80+ bucks in ingredients.”

The original poster responded this way:

“When I picked up the ingredients for my batch of chop, I spent about $30 and didn’t use everything….I made the batch back around the 1st of October and I still have at least half left. I feed 8 parrots and 9 parakeets with it. I don’t feed it everyday, but several times a week.”

It was posted on the 30th of December which means she got through half of her Chop in three months.

The Real Quaker Oats

Now it sounds like making Chop or Teenie Weenie Beanies is expensive. It is- the day you make it. But once you bag it up and freeze it, you won’t be making it for quite a while, so you have to look at it as “cost-per-serving” or cost per day.  I never really figured it out to the penny, but I knew I was feeding three African Greys two meals a day for less than a buck.  And because I have never fed bulk seed on any real basis at all, I have no idea what it would cost to feed my birds the seed. But I can almost guarantee it’s less than 3 plus bucks a pound you probably have to pay for seed.

Have any of you figured it out? Does any one really know how much it costs you to serve Chop as opposed to the higher-pried model? I know it’s different every time, but perhaps some of you have done the costing out? I’d love to know what you’ve come up with.

One of the things you must deal with when you have a blog is Spam. In my case it’s pretty clear cut. Word Press, the platform on which I produce my blog has this handy little program named Askimet that filters out what it believes are crap comments that are only designed to respond to posts in a generic way so that their links can be visible to the readers in hopes you will click on them. Askimet catches almost all of them. I think it’s missed three or four in the almost four years I’ve been blogging and it had the decency to scratch its head, tap me on the shoulder and ask, “Ummm, did you want me to put this comment up? Because this one looks a little fishy…”

I assure you, it gets a bit wild and wooly and I had absolutely no idea the types of websites were out there until I took a look at who was trying to get on my blog via the comments. Sheeesh! Occasionally, I take a look and need a shower shortly after reading where the comment is coming from. Some are fairly gross.

Now, occasionally I will get a comment from someone from a foreign country who’s grasp of English is a little sketchy, but if I understand what they are trying to say, I’ll clean the comment up for them just a tad to make it more understandable. I feel that if  I found a blog in a foreign language that I translated using Google and the translator did a fairly crappy job translating my comment, I’d want a fairly godmother to clean up what I was trying to say. So I don’t feel too bad about that.

But I’m absolutely flabbergasted by some of the links and the idiocy of most of the comments. Some are from dating websites, online casinos, drug, supplement and prescription websites, colon cleansers, carpet cleaners and porn sites, (just from the links and the descriptions posted, I was getting a rash and a bad case of the heaves.) One website obviously had no clue and left me seventeen screens worth of mindless, inane comments. Seventeen! Obviously, they had a list of pre-formatted comments written to choose from and instead of choosing one, they just shot the entire list over. Here is a sample. A very small sample: 

Thank you for your blog.Really thank you! Cool.
Im grateful for the blog article.Much thanks again. Cool.
Im grateful for the blog post.Thanks Again. Great.
A round of applause for your blog post. Awesome.
I think this is a real great blog. Much obliged.
“Appreciate you sharing, great blog post.Much thanks again.”
Thanks-a-mundo for the article.Much thanks again. Want more.
Muchos Gracias for your article post.Thanks Again. Really Great.
“Wow, great post.Much thanks again. Much obliged.”

And the websites that send these comments? Ewww. However, some of the comments are hilarious! I didn’t touch them. These comments came to me in the condition you see. Behold:

I may visit your site oftenly and introduce it to my neibourghhood.

thank you for sharing with us, I conceive this website really stands out : D.

 This service is mainly unique pokies games to folks who’re with the millionaire position.

 The words throughout those two words and phrases actually clarify themselves.

 Don’t look and feel a present horse from the mouth

 Great post about how to buy used bucket trucks. I write a blog and would love to have you write a guest post. Let me know if you’re interested. You can contact me at how to buy used bucket trucks.

Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly dont know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having sideeffects , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

Thing one (My laptop) goes almost everywhere with me.

Sometimes, the backside of this blog is kind of entertaining…

If you ever run into her, (You will eventually. If you attend any avian related events, ask Janet how she met me. She has a very funny response.) My point is, people are actually making friends and acquaintances using social media to connect. With that, they share and exchange information, swap ideas, photos and also help, encourage and console each other during the rough times. Due to this, many friendships are developing as well as a more “family-like atmosphere.” Consequently, you just might run into your “Online Uncle Max” at a bird event. You’ve never met him before, but you feel like you already know him because you know how many birds he has, their names and the fact that his African Grey can recite Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Me, Robin Shewokis of Leather Elves, Lisa Bono of Platinum Parrot, Jessica Pineda, Editor- BIRD TALK Magazine and Dr. Susan Orosz

Photo supplied by Lisa Bono

But of course, along with this are the feuds that seem to pop up in even the closest of clans. Yes, you end up with blood in the water occasionally as misunderstandings occur, differences of opinion pop up and flat out disrespect for another’s point of view roars through the pixels*.

(*Fun Fact #1: Pixel: ORIGIN 1960s: abbreviation of the phrase, picture element.)

There are the “junior high school Mean Girl” moments as well as the warm and fuzzies. But that even happens in the closest of families, so this is to be expected, I guess.

 Despite this, the information exchange has done wonders for the companion parrots of the world. As people join this ever-growing, “Global Family,” they are learning that it’s better to adopt than buy, that an all-seed diet simply blows, and that foraging and enrichment are important for our feathered buddies. And avian nutrition? Well, let’s just say that I’m working my keester off trying to ensure that Chop is the “New Black” in a parrot’s diet. I want to ensure that Chop is a standard element in feeding a healthy diet to your parrot.

Michelle Elle’s Chop: Photo by Michelle

As I keep my head down and go on typing, more and more people are learning that this is the way to go. I have other ideas and I’m trying to develop new methods and more ways to deliver the nutritional goods. And overall, I’m really focused getting that information out.

But as people become more aware of the needs and requirements of companion birds, interest in more information about how to care for them has grown exponentially across all areas of companion parrot care. Because of this, the demand for website content, more research and answers to the growing questions about caring for the little buggers has increased. The realization and insight people have gained through the internet about the subject of Avian Husbandry has had a positive impact on everyone.

These folks who never really grasped some basic elements of the diet requirements for parrots before, are now beginning to wake up and smell the quinoa. They are beginning to ask questions and search for information as they run into others who seem to have a better grasp on how to care for their flocks. They are starting to understand that while an all-seed diet might be easier, it sure as hell is more expensive, more dangerous and will lead them and their wallet down that ugly road to Avian Vet hell.

Michelle Elle’s got it down! Photo by Michelle.

Pictured:  flax seeds, rolled oats. barley and wheat baby cereals, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sesame seed, wheat germ, chia seeds

Enter the Chop Concept. Good news: It’s spreading like STDs at a Florida senior citizens social center. If dietary requirements are met, foraging opportunities are presented, training is done, and a clearer understanding of the needs and prerequisites of keeping birds is acknowledged, the birds are going to get a better shot at staying put. The bird is happier and healthier which certainly plays into their behavior. And if their behavior is easier to deal with and their needs are met, we’re less likely to want give up our birds.

This certainly would ease the strain on the shelters and the adoption and rescue organizations which would free them up to present educational seminars and social gatherings; a far more positive pursuit.

But me being me, it seems as though it’s not enough. When I was at lunch with some of the attendees after my presentation at the Phoenix Landing event on January seventh, I called for a toast. I thanked everyone for coming and helping me out. I then stated that I simply couldn’t wait to see Phoenix Landing go out of business. They laughed and held up their glasses. Because I don’t think they can wait for that day either.

Actually, I think that’s what we all want.

For the most part, The Houston Parrot Festival 2012 was a smaller, quieter and more subdued event than in past years. I think it’s primarily for two reasons:

1.) The economy blows.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s getting better, but it still blows and people are spending their time trying to make house payments and getting their kids through school rather than picking up and flying off to Houston to attend this amazing event.

It’s a shame, but you can see it and feel it everywhere, so it is going to be palpable and obvious in Houston as well. It has hit this industry like a sledgehammer. Suffice it to say, it’s a bit difficult to keep your parrot when you’re living in a car.

 2.) We’re getting older.

This whole “keeping parrots” business is waning in popularity with the younger generations because it’s expensive and they simply don’t have the money. (see #1…) The younger generation has witnessed firsthand what many members of the baby boomers did to screw themselves financially. They have no intention of making the same mistakes and this begins with embarking on an expensive lifestyle choice.

With the way things are going, the “Party in Parrot-dise” should probably start at about four of five in the afternoon just when the “Early Bird Specials” hit their busy times in Palm Beach and should wind down about ten p.m.

As it is, I for one had to go upstairs for a quick “lie down” before gearing up for a party after wandering around and talking with people all day.

So trust me, I’m not exempt from this whining desire that the party start earlier. Now that that has been stated, we can move on…

As you can see, I had a blast:

 Despite the fact that I had a cold, I managed to uhhh, medicate myself with aspirin, nasal spray, naps and a bloody mary or two to keep the nasty symptoms at bay.  There were of course familiar faces and people I knew very well, but we also had new people. And among those new faces a at the Festival were a few good friends of mine who had never before attended. With a little incessant whining, I managed to convince Jacque Johnson of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Parrot Garden and Janet Holt Hilton to come to the Festival.

Jacque and Janet. Great jacket on Janet she picked up from the Antique Beak!

I also had a riot getting together with Jessica Pineda, my Editor at BIRD TALK Magazine.

I just love saying that: “…my editor…” It’s like having a net when you’re on a trapeze. You might not need it, but it sure as hell makes you feel better.

Anyway, hanging with Jessica and ripping ideas around is always fun. And of course I dragged my feather scarves along to see if they could raise a little cash for the cause:

And they did. My feather work raised 380.00 for the NPRPF. I wish it was more but it’s a respectable amount.

Here’s a shot of me with Concetta DellaRocco-Ferragamo and the third scarf fabricated from African Grey feathers:

And toys. Did I mention the vendors had toys all over the place? And food? And samples? And artwork? God the artwork was amazing this year! While the entire event was smaller and more intimate, it certainly didn’t lack in the quality of items being sold.

The speakers were excellent and Susan Friedman was on hand to give her presentation of “P-A-R-R-O-T Do Tell” Six principles of effective teaching strategies and behavior management.

Jacque Johnson on the left, Starbird Toys Owner, Bonnie Jay on the right and Susan and I in the middle.

I didn’t get much of a chance to talk with Susan. Susan turns nearly every encounter into a learning opportunity so she was extremely busy answering questions and discussing the power of positive reinforcement. Susan’s agenda is education and she takes every opportunity to help people understand Applied Behavior Analysis. Here is her Training and education Facebook Page: “Behavior Works” I can tell you this much; if you haven’t read her work, attended one of her conferences or training sessions or signed up for “LLP: Living and Learning with Parrots,”   you are missing out. She has some really cool ways of teaching. This for instance: Check out this rap song! Just click on the Banner and get ready to rock. It’s really clever and I just love the thing, but then, I love education with some entertainment thrown in:

The cool people at Chirping Central were there. Chirping Central endeavors to inform and raise awareness on a number of levels, but most of all they are about avian conservation. Well! You should some of the freakin’ artwork they had! Janet Hilton won the 400.00 shopping spree drawing sponsored by BIRD TALK  and she selected this wonderful huge print of a Lear’s Macaw by artist, Mark McDowell:

You really need to check out their website and see the prints they have available. I’m not to much into avian art, but what they have available is gorgeous! All in all it was a raucous and fun festival. Granted, it was smaller, but it was a ton of fun as usual. I really hope we can “reboot and reboost” the attendance on this event. It’s really so much fun and with the new products and educational forums available, I simply feel that the Festival is an event you shouldn’t miss. I hope to see you next year.

I got back from the D.C. area after an incredible time last weekend with the Phoenix Landing Organization. A little background is called for here:

I’ve known Ann Brooks since 2005 when we both attended the Natural Encounters Companion Parrot Training Class, or “Birdy Boot Camp” as I called it.  Ann’s a tad on the quiet side and I was sick as a dog having come down with some truly heinous bug I picked up from some guy who coughed on me on the way back from Haiti. Despite my feeling like ten miles of bad road and due to Ann’s ability to put up with this virus monster sitting next to her for days on end, we got along just great. I just had a feeling that she was going to accomplish something amazing. And I was right.

Ann has a fascinating background. Ask her sometime time about drinking Norwegian Glogg somewhere near the North Pole. I found Ann introspective, shrewd, extremely dedicated and very, very sharp.  Ann knew that she wanted to work with birds and well, she did it. And that’s a pretty tall order.

We managed to maintain a cyberspace relationship through the years and I would help Phoenix Landing as much as I possibly could. Being the southernmost outpost of PL didn’t give me much opportunity to help, but I did what I could here and there. I wish I could have done more, and hope to do more in the future.

Not long ago, she asked me if I wanted to do a presentation on Chop for the January Phoenix Landing get together. “Sure! Why not?” was my response.

So this past weekend, I flew up there with my “Got Chop?” T-shirt and hopped around in my “5 seasons-ago Non-Prada  boots” talking about Chop. Please forgive some of the photos, but when you’re talking and someone shoots your photo, invariably a few are going to make you look like a goldfish:

I made a slide show for you about the event.

Behold:

Needless to say, I had a blast! I haven’t had that much fun since traveling to Raleigh Durham to do my Chop Presentation for the Raleigh Durham Caged Bird Society.

The people I got to meet and the new friends I made was amazing. And I also got to meet people I’ve known on the internet and finally got to meet in person! Here’s Eileen:

And here’s Melissa!

I also met a ton more people I knew here and there and also got to see people I already knew, so it was just a wonderful gathering. We talked, we had lunch, we made plans…it was all good. (Vicky:”Up the stairs and to the right.” Is that correct?)

If you live in the area of D.C. or Virginia, or are around the Ashville, North Carolina area, you should really get involved with this non-profit. It’s a great group of people and they are making a HUGE impact on thousands of people and thousands of parrots. They are smart, savvy, incredibly well versed in applied behavior analysis, all things parrot and above all, they get the job done.

And it’s not about a lot of sitting around talking about their birds. They bring in speakers, organize projects and are proactive in the community with education about aviculture, training, adoption and of course they help people who are in need of assistance.

Please join these people for their wonderful warmth, their love of birds and their dedication to adoption, education and the welfare of birds. We can all learn from them. I loved my visit to Phoenix Landing and hope to come back soon. You can visit the Phoenix Landing website here. Just click on the PL logo. And if you can, please get involved. It’ll make you a better person. And I know that from experience.