For the Birds Parrot Rescue & Sanctuary 

When determining what to feed your bird and researching the nutritional values of food, remember all the value charts are developed on a 2000 calorie a day baseline. Obviously, birds require much less caloric fuel (energy), especially those who live the 'pampered' life inside your home.

 

Energy requirements have been estimated for some companion parrot species. The approximate daily, metabolizable energy (what the bird can process) for a 350g Amazon parrot would be around 100 kilocalories (kcal)/day in a "normal maintenance" situation at 70°F; a 1000g Macaw would require 220 kcal/day.

 

Lower temperatures would require more kcal/day to regulate body temperatures. A plucked or poorly feathered bird will burn more energy to regulate temperatures because they don't have feathers to perform this critical function. A young bird will require more kcal/day as would a laying hen.

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There are many interrelationships between nutrients all of which should be evaluated to protect against nutrient imbalance and interference. The objective is to ensure that the proper types and amounts of nutrients are being consumed and absorbed by your bird.