Harrison's Organic Bird Food Info

HARRISON’S BIRD FOODS Premium, Certified Organic Formulas because the single most important thing you can do for your bird is to feed it right.

About Our Formulas Today, formulated bird foods are the choice of educated modern families because they know malnutrition is the leading cause of death in companion birds. But what they may not know is what is in the formulated diet that they are feeding. Or better yet, what is left out.

Harrison's Bird Foods contain: • No chemical insecticides, herbicides or fungicides • No preservatives • No artificial colors, sweeteners or flavors • No double-dosed vitamins • No bacteria or mycotoxins

Premium Ingredients Harrison's Bird Foods are made from premium, human grade whole grains and legumes, not pieces, parts, milled flours or by-products.

Easy and Economical The use of Harrison's Bird Foods changes the way you look at feeding your bird: • No supplements or vitamins to buy • No foods to clean and chop • No time needed to prepare—just pour and go • Less volume of food needed • No seed hulls, kitchen mess or cage mess • No fuss, no worry

What You May See After Switching • Increased life expectancy • Enhanced appearance • Increased energy and vitality • More vocal and playful nature • Decreased biting, yelling, picking • Increased affection • Increased resistance to common bacteria.and yeasts • Increased quality and quantity of offspring • Healthier and happier bird

HARRISON’S IS THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST IMPROPER NUTRITION Improper nutrition is the cause of 90% of health problems and the leading cause of death in pet birds.

It involves all of the systems of the body and is seen as: abnormalities in body weight and shape; unusual appearances of feathers, nails, beaks and skin; undesirable behavior; and disturbances in all the body's systems. Nutritional deficiencies appear to accelerate the aging process of birds, primarily through the loss of moisture and tissue elasticity.

Often, the signs of improper nutrition in pet birds go completely overlooked by the owner.

The value of a proper diet over the life of the bird is monumental. Birds fed a poor diet will become malnourished, which will start a chain of events leading to a decline in the bird's overall health. The digestive system suffers first. The bacterial population of the digestive tract becomes unbalanced.

Once this has occurred, opportunistic pathogens find it easier to invade, and gram-negative rods and yeast counts increase. This opens the door for bacterial infections and other ailments related to the immune system.

Over time every part of the body will reflect the condition of the bird's health. If the bird reaches the latter stages of malnutrition, damage to internal organs may be so severe that it is too late to save the bird. All of this can easily be avoided if you choose to commit to the health of your bird by feeding a high quality, nutritional diet and maintaining an ongoing relationship with an avian veterinarian.

Any change in your bird's eating habits, behavior or personality could be due to illness; it is important to discuss these changes with your veterinarian. Your bird's health may depend on it.

Improper nutrition in the early stages often shows no signs at all. But if it is allowed to continue, you will start seeing the following:

Skin: dryness, flaking, long nails and overgrown beaks Respiratory system: sinusitis, sneezing, liths in the nose, air sacculitis, aspergillosis Digestive system: enteritis, hepatitis (shows up as dark green-colored droppings), pancreatitis (diarrhea or not eating, no droppings)

Reproductive system: egg binding, infertility, weak chicks, chronic egg laying Behavioral abnormalities: feather picking, screaming, biting, aggression

In addition to following the strict organic guidelines specified by the USDA we have some high standards of our own to ensure the very best quality product for your bird. • Premium grains and other ingredients are contracted by HBD to be grown on fertile organic farms throughout North America. • A third party organic certifier verifies the certification of the raw ingredients, making sure they meet the requirements designated under the USDA's rules regarding organic certification. • All grains and other ingredients are tested throughout the manufacturing process for mycotoxins and rancidity. • For the extrusion process, the ingredients are ground and thoroughly mixed. Then the various sized and formulated nuggets are extruded, toasted, cooled and then packaged under careful supervision. • An outside laboratory performs even more testing in the way of post-production analysis. The finished products are checked to verify that the protein, fat and mineral contents are consistent with those listed on the label. The lab also cultures for bacteria. Periodic batches are analyzed for vitamins, fatty acids and amino acids. • Our state-of-the-art packaging (the Harrison’s bag) protects the freshness of the products, which have only natural tocopherols as preservatives. • The foods are then shipped to and stored at the HBD Distribution Center in Brentwood, Tennessee. The products remain in this climate-controlled environment until being shipped for customer orders.

WHY ORGANIC? Harrison's Bird Foods are certified organic by third party certifiers and carry the official seal of the USDA's National Organic Program. The term "certified organic" cannot be used casually. In this country, there are strict guidelines set up by the United States Department of Agriculture (as well as private certifying agencies) in order to authorize a facility to use the term "certified organic." And being part of the organic culture demands a significant commitment to the entire system.

In today’s market people use the terms “all natural,” “organic” and “certified organic” interchangeably, when there really is a significant difference. Only “certified organic” has been approved by a 3rd party agency after a thorough study of the entire process of growing the ingredients and manufacturing the final product to ensure that all steps have been performed within the strict guidelines.

In order to qualify as "certified organic," all products must adhere to the following standards: • Crops must be grown without the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides. • There is generally a required conversion period to organic methods, being two years (for ground crops) or three years (for perennials). • In order to break the cycles of pests and diseases, appropriate crop rotation is practiced for ground crops, which also helps to maintain soil fertility and structure. • No post-harvest chemical treatments are allowed. • Fertility is provided by natural organic manures, composts and fertilizers -- the use of synthetic chemicals is prohibited. • The use of genetically modified (GM) seeds or other materials is not permitted. During the production phase, all organic producers must: • Be certified by a recognized certification body and undergo a rigorous annual inspection by qualified inspectors. • Adhere to very strict standards that cover every aspect of food production, such as growing, packaging, processing and transport. • Maintain fully audited records of every stage of production to ensure complete traceability from farm to table. • Provide official certification numbers or logos of each certification body on the packaging, as this is the consumer's guarantee of authenticity.

If foods are to be processed, the manufacturers must also be: • Certified by an organic certification body. • Keep all ingredients used in organic products separate from ingredients for use in conventional products at all times. • Maintain detailed routine records, including cleaning and processing schedules, which must be made available for audit by certification inspectors at all times. • Any business that packs, processes or re-labels organic products out of the sight of the customers must also be certified. • The stringent controls associated with the production and processing of organic products ensure consistent adherence to guidelines set up by the recognized certification bodies.