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Bird Food Portion Calculator

Daily calories and grams of pellets, seed, vegetables and fruit for your bird.

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How this is calculated

Diet proportions follow the Merck Veterinary Manual: larger parrots ~80% pellets with vegetables and some fruit; small birds (budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds) 40–50% pellets with 30–40% seed. Calories use an allometric bird metabolic-rate equation, so treat grams as a starting point and adjust to keep weight steady.

Source-based educational tool; not independently reviewed by a veterinarian. Cited guidance does not imply endorsement by its authors.

Formula

BMR = 78 × kg^0.75 (parrots) · 129 × kg^0.75 (finches/canaries)
Daily energy = 1.5 × BMR
Diet split (Merck): large parrots 80% pellets · 10–15% veg · 5–10% fruit
Small birds 40–50% pellets · 30–40% seed · 10–15% veg · 5–10% fruit

Assumptions

  • •Healthy adult, not breeding or moulting
  • •Energy density: pellets 3.5, seed 4.0 (hulled), veg 0.3, fruit 0.6 kcal/g
  • •Grams are food actually eaten (no hulls or waste); offer a little extra
  • •Individual needs vary widely — published bird energy equations can under- or over-estimate; adjust by 10% to keep weight steady

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