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Seeds can be a good and important food in the diet of pet birds. As with any food, their use depends upon their nutritional value.
Because of the enormous variations in nutrient content from one seed to another,
and to avoid misuse of seeds, certain facts should be considered.
Seeds can be an excellent food for pet birds when used as part of a total nutrition program. The nutritional value of seeds can well be compared to grains-oats, corn, wheat, etc. These are all excellent foods and have an important role in supplying the nutritional needs for humans. No one, though, would remain healthy living on just oats and corn, or some combination of grains. There is no single natural for people or birds.
Seeds, in general-like grains, are incomplete foods lacking in certain vitamins, minerals and proteins.
If a diet is based on a certain variety of seeds and other foods, then all the food offered needs to be eaten at each meal. If only part is eaten, likely the nutritional value will be lacking.
As with any foods for birds, each meal needs to be a balanced diet.
Birds will always eat seeds, it's more than just tradition. Birds like seeds and always seek them out. Nature seems to have taught them that when other foods are not available, to eat seeds. In times of drought, famine and winter weather, seeds are an important exclusive dry seed diet can be thought of as a "hard times" or "survival" diet. usually eaten by wild birds when other foods are not available. These may appear nutritious, but ordinarily lack many of the nutrients needed for life and health.
"Good times" diets are found in the wild during spring and summer. At this time of year nature's restaurant provides an abundance of foods that appeal to birds' appetites and provides balanced diets.
Some of the foods that comprise nature's menu are bugs,
insects, spiders, caterpillars, worms, larva, fish, sea life, ripe fruits and pollen, etc.
These foods contain the nutrients needed for maintenance, reproduction, raising young and molting.
Placing a variety of seeds and other foods in a dish and expecting a bird to
pick out a balanced choose a balanced diet from a cafeteria of foods.
Free choice feeding a loose mixture of seeds and other food encourages birds to become picky eaters. Birds will approach their food dish as if more concerned about what not to eat,
rather than what they should eat. Picking and pecking, spilling out, sorting through and finally selecting food, make up their daily routine. This highly undesirable situation fosters nutritional deficiencies in addition to wasting food.
The future of seeds as a food for birds will probably be their incorporation into cakes,
bars, nuggets and in mixes with pellets, crumbles and granules.

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editor note: NCS does not promote Lafeber brand bird food over other brands.