Patricia’s Budgie Bread

Patricia Phillips of Ontario, Canada, said that she has been making this recipe for her parakeets for more than 10 years. This recipe is easy to make.

Ingredients
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup nonfat, powdered milk
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 large eggs (with shells)
• 1 tablespoon Blackstrap molasses
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 hulled millet seed
• 11/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sugar-free applesauce
• 3/4 cup seven-grain cereal
• 11/2 cups water

Directions
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

When you make birdie bread, you can add pellets to the recipe to encourage your pet bird to try them.

2) Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3) Add in the eggs, molasses, applesauce and water.

4) Pour into a bread pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center.

5) Cool and cut into squares or cubes, and serve to your budgies. Freeze the extra portions and thaw when needed.

Phillips said that her budgies love this recipe. This recipe also handles substitutions well if you are cautious about any of the ingredients.

Excerpt from the Popular Birds Series magabook Parakeets with permission from its publisher, BowTie magazines, a division of BowTie Inc. Purchase Parakeets here.