Arty, you know I have the utmost respect for you and your opinion. That having been said, I do have a couple of questions.

You are correct in that there are no pellets in nature. However, where do birds get sunflower or safflower seeds in nature? Safflower is one of humanity's oldest crops, but is a minor crop today, with about 600,000 t being produced commercially in more than sixty countries worldwide. India, United States, and Mexico are the leading producers, with Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, China, Argentina and Australia accounting for most of the remainder. Most of our birds, with the exception of Australia, are not indigenous to any of these areas. Safflower seeds are nutritionally similar to sunflower seeds. Both sunflower and safflower seeds are found in many of these "parrot mixes" but are not found in the areas to which our birds are indigenous.

There are not an abundance of sunflowers or safflowers throughout the world. Eclectus, for instance, are top feeders. They eat berries and flowers. Greys and Hyacinths eat Palm Nuts and palm leaves in the wild. Macaws feed on berries, poisonous seed and nectar in the wild, but instinctively they eat clay to neutralize the toxins from the berries and seeds. Amazons in the wild eat primarily nuts, fruits, seed and leaves. Amazons have also been seen eating clay to neutralize the toxins from the poisonous seed and berries. Cockatoos in the wild feed on nuts, berries, leaves and seed.

Through research, I have not seen any studies which state sunflower or safflower seed as a part of a wild parrot's nutrition. Now, I realize that pellets are not part of a wild parrot's nutrition, but I truly believe they have been formulated to provide the appropriate nutrients to fill in the nutritional gaps created by our desire to hold these birds captive. Mind you, ALL DIETS SHOULD BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES DAILY. I do not agree with a total pelleted diet - it must be supplemented with "fresh stuff". The best diet is all fresh; however for most of us, that is impossible due to our work schedules.

I have no problem with using sunflower seeds as a treat, but to feed a bird a sunflower/safflower-based diet, IMHO, is a death sentence. Not a week goes by when someone comes in to tell their tales of woe - and on each occasion, the bird has been on a sunflower/safflower-based diet. It usually hits at around 20-25 years of age.

Your turn.

Arrrrgh...this one drives me batty. Humph is a seed addict. I have worked really hard with her, but she's tough. I have read many times, though, that because she is an Australian Grass Parakeet, she can have seed as a portion of her diet, unlike other parrots, who shouldn't.
Humphrey eats the 'parrot mix', apples, carrots (ever day) and nutriberries (cockatiel size) for dinner. The 'accidentally' ingests the pellet part of the nutriberry while trying to get to those damn seeds.
One good thing is that I am able to get her to eat some heatlhy table food, in addition to the apple and carrot - she loves wholemeal toast and oatmeal.

She also loves chicken! She will climb up my husband's arm to get to a chicken leg if he's eating one. I feel kind ofweird letting her have chicken, but I do occasionally let her have a little piece.

Not all seed mixes are a bad thing. Mixes of seed and grains are good to feed. Grains are extremely nutritious. Millet is a grain not a seed and is a good food. My Budgies and Cockatiel's mix contains both. They all also get fresh vegetables and sprouts everyday. They get no pellets. The rest of my birds get a seed and grain mix three times a week. In the evening they get something cooked or birdie bread.
Grains:
Spelt Berries
Kamut Kernals
Rye Berries
Hulled Yellow Millet
Brown Rice
Oat Groats
White Rice
Quinoa
Barley
Amaranth
Red Proso
White Proso
Spray Millet

Non-Grains: Buckwheat . Kasha (roasted buckwheat)

Seed :
Canary
Sunflower
Safflower
Black Niger
Flax
Fennel
Organic Pumpkin

As far as pellets, they are a small part of my birds diet only because they are a good "emergency" food and my birds would eat them if there was nothing better. They are actually my birds least favorite of all the things I give them to eat. None of mine really like sunflower seeds.

I believe in the fundamental basics of nutrition; vegetables, fruit, grains, seeds and nuts. While I do offer pellets, they are not given to fulfill a large portion of their diet but are there if the bird feels they need them.

I just recently changed my birds dry prepared mixes that they get in addition to their fresh foods and nuts. During the day they get a 50/50 mixture of Bird Paradise Ultimate Blend and GoldenFeast Caribbean Blend. With their dinner they get Goldenfeast Caribbean Fornia ( a seed/fruit/vegetable dry mix) with some Harrison's added in.

I'm still adjusting amounts so as to cut down on waste. For those with Macaws, what amount of dry mix do you leave with them during the day?