Naturespace with Haith's

E6: John Cooper & Chris Snell: Keeping birds healthy & promoting good health – the art and science of bird-keeping.

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We (Haith's) have a duty to promote good bird health and encourage people who feed the birds to keep them healthy, and that's why we make SuperClean bird food. Cage and aviary birds rely on their keepers - it's a bird keeper's responsibility to ensure their birds live long and healthy lives.

In this episode, we bring together two leading lights in the aviculture world, veterinary Professor John E. Cooper and Champion bird breeder Chris Snell from his aviary in Lincolnshire - plus circa 250 budgies! We're talking specifically about budgerigars, but we're promoting good health for all birds - captive and wild (free-living). 

What we cover:

  • The origin of the Budgerigar.
  • Back to the 1960s and the halcyon days of bird keeping.
  • Why feeding a quality bird seed diet is imperative for bird health.
  • How to tell if a birdseed diet is dusty.
  • Why it's essential to make grit available to budgies.
  • Why keeping budgerigars can be a way of learning about the natural world and why budgies are good for people.
  • The most important thing is the well-being of a bird - a budgerigar's got to fly!
  • Budgerigars should be in flocks, or a single budgie should have close contact with its keeper.
  • Individuals who keep a single budgerigar - a companion bird.
  • The five freedoms of keeping birds.
  • The anatomy of a bird.
  • Companion/pet bird keepers.

    • For more information about our work at Haith's and how we make great bird foods, please visit our website or search for Haith's bird food. 

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    Naturespace with Haith'sBy Haith's and Simon King, FLS