Im wondering about crude proteins in pellets and if it could be linked with beak overgrowth. Anyone have any input on that?

Leigh, the only thing I have seen mentioned about beak over growth is malnutrition and/or liver problems and lack of chewing.

You may be able to get some information by submitting a question to Dr. Harrison.

LINK: Harrison's Bird Foods

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3: Review the over 3000 existing responses on our online FAQ Database.

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The Database will keep you reading for hours. It's an eye opener to read about all the problems malnutrition causes.

Is your beak becoming overgrown???? LOL

We fixed that a few years ago!! lol..

Yes, Leigh, an excess of protein in a bird's diet will cause a beak to become overgrown (along with liver malfunction). Pellets have too much protein to be free-fed, same as seeds.

Bea, I have searched endlessly to find articles and research that was done to determine the proper levels of protein that a large Macaw (or any parrot) should have in their diet and have never found anything. Can you point me in the right direction. Thanks!

Me too! I feel like I have to have a constant source of food in the cage.

Have to agree with Karen on this "Leigh, the only thing I have seen mentioned about beak over growth is malnutrition and/or liver problems and lack of chewing.
"

I would tend to say no to your question ,based on my own experience. I have a friend who had a an Ekkie that was fed nothing,but seed and his beak was always over grown.It took finding some toys that he liked to chew and then he kept it in shape better.Here in my own home Nicky had FLD and his beak was forever growing way too long.MY AV wanted him off seed and only on pellets for that.

You haven't found any studies because there aren't any! Not a single one! At least, not that I've been able to find. I don't think that anybody knows what any species-specific diet composition should be in terms of protein/fibre/carbs ratio. Everybody, including all the manufacturers of bird pellets, seed mixes and prepared foods, are guessing. Oh, they sent you studies when you ask for them but all they do is compare one kind of commercial food to another (theirs been always the better one, of course!) and the results are all measured in terms of breeding: fertility rate, average clutch, infant mortality, etc. Not a single long term study comparing a commercial diet to a wild diet in terms of general health.

The only things we have to go by are field studies observing birds feeding ecologies in the wild and analyses of crop contents from necropsies of wild birds. That's it. And very, very little of the later and not that many of the former, either. And, although I do have some studies in my computer, I have no access to the links because it conked out and it's been fixed (I am using my husband's and I might never be able to recover the hundreds and hundreds of reference links I've accumulated over the years -sigh!). And I don't need to tell you that they never found sunflower seeds, peanuts and soybeans in wild birds crops. But those are the three main ingredients of most commercial bird foods, including pellets.
What we do know is that the larger psittaforms are canopy feeders and that the largest portion of their diet in the wild is raw plant material. That translates into relatively low protein and that's why I am always so obsessed with the amount of protein most parrots eat in captivity. All those pellets, seeds, meat, eggs, beans, nuts, etc that people feed them all the time... Not good, not good. Protein overworks the liver and the kidneys until they start to fail and, when they do, the entire system collapses. Worst part is that a liver can be over 65% toxic and not a single off-value will appear on the bird's blood work until it's too late. Scary, isn't it?

Oops, sorry, Leigh, did not answer your comment. Yes, they should always have access to food. No doubt about that, birds are not meant to fast. Not ever! But the food should be low protein like gloop or any other kind of cooked dish, veggies, fruits, greens, etc.