Harrison's JUMPSTART GREY MILLET is a premium, certified organic conditioning food for seed-eating birds in anticipation of switching the diet to a Harrison's formula. Ditch the pesticides and preservatives right away with JUMPSTART GREY MILLET!
Some birds are hesitant to change diets to a healthy formula. "Jump start" the process by replacing your bird's previous seeds with JUMPSTART GREY MILLET for 3 - 5 weeks. JUMPSTART OMEGA (a nutritious source of omega fats) may be fed during this period at 10% of the over diet until full conversion is accomplished.
When your bird is then ready to switch to a Harrison's organic formula - taper gradually until Harrison's formula makes up 75% of total daily diet by weight (with 20% organic vegetables and 5% JUMPSTART OMEGA (a nutritious source of omega fats).
JUMPSTART GREY MILLET is an organic alternative to non-organic seeds for budgies and cockatiels, etc. who remain on seeds indefinitely.
Jumpstart may be added to Harrison's Bird Bread Mix to aid with diet conversion.
Harrison's does not recommend an all-seed diet. If a bird owner is not able to successfully switch their bird to a Harrison's formula we recommend contacting an avian veterinarian to help with diet conversion. In the meantime, continue feeding JUMPSTART GREY MILLET to avoid the strong effects of chemical pesticides and preservatives known to be laced into most pet bird seed mixes.
The ability to provide a balanced diet has always been challenging. We have used large parrot protocols eliminating most if not all seed from the diet in our recommendations over the years. Adjustments in our understanding have led to a more balanced approach that favors a formulated diet and veggies but for small parrots the addition of a small amount of organic seed. The seed portion of the diet or the all-seed diet often has a variety of limitations in its classic small bird seed mix form. (1) First, the types of seeds included are often high in fat and calories, but low in micronutrients and minerals. (1) Another factor is the region in which the seeds are harvested. Seed mixes harvested from the Midwest are notorious for being iodine deficient and result in goiter formation.(2, 3,4, 5) Additionally, farming practices vary greatly and often include the use of pesticides which have a variety of effects on the body. (3,6) One infamous pesticide is glyphosate. This substance is known to accumulate in the liver and kidneys of humans and animals alike (7). At high levels, it is proven to be carcinogenic.(6,7) The use of this and other similar substances are not permitted at organic farms. Thankfully, studies have shown that the body can eliminate glyphosate from the body when an organic diet is chosen.
Jumpstart is a seed mix that focuses on the right type of seeds, rich in healthy omega 3s for our small parrots. It can be used safely as a way to transition birds from all-seed diets to a formulated diet or as the small seed portion for a bird who is on a balanced diet with pellets. The ingredients are sourced from an organic farm whose soil does not result in inadequate iodine levels. As a result of being from a farm that does not use harmful pesticides, our patients are able to benefit from the excretion of these substances from their bodies. Due to these factors, JUMPSTART acts as a reliable source of seed, whether it be for transition or enrichment.
Sources:
1- Ritchie, B. W., Harrison, Harrison. Avian Medicine: Principles and Applications. Wingers, 1994.
2-Veerle M. Darras, Thyroid gland, Sturkie's Avian Physiology, 10.1016/B978-0-12-819770-7.00021-9, (815-832), (2022).
3-Mary Ann Ottinger, Karen D.M. Dean, Actions of toxicants and endocrine disrupting chemicals in birds, Sturkie's Avian Physiology, 10.1016/B978-0-12-819770-7.00036-0, (1373-1404), (2022).
4-Peter Matthiessen, James R. Wheeler, Lennart Weltje, A review of the evidence for endocrine disrupting effects of current-use chemicals on wildlife populations, Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 10.1080/10408444.2017.1397099, (1-22), (2017).
5-Rae, Madeline. “Endocrine Disease in Pet Birds.” Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine, vol. 4, no. 1, 1995, pp. 32–38., https://doi.org/10.1016/s1055-937x(05)80007-6.
6-Suvi Ruuskanen, Miia J. Rainio, Carlos Gómez-Gallego, Otto Selenius, Seppo Salminen, Maria Carmen Collado, Kari Saikkonen, Irma Saloniemi, Marjo Helander,
Glyphosate-based herbicides influence antioxidants, reproductive hormones and gut microbiome but not reproduction: A long-term experiment in an avian model,
Environmental Pollution,Volume 266, Part 1,2020,115108,ISSN 0269-7491,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115108.
7-Grau, D., Grau, N., Gascuel, Q. et al. Quantifiable urine glyphosate levels detected in 99% of the French population, with higher values in men, in younger people, and in farmers. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 32882–32893 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18110-0