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In the past, I've seen Robert Pavlis post about the danger in feeding raw beans to our birds, but I can't find any of those posts now. There's a discussion on the cockatiel forum about feeding raw green beans. I feel certain "green beans" are safe, but I want to add Robert's caution to the thread for fuller understanding of the danger of some raw beans. Does anyone have a link to relevant information?

TIA, Paca

Maybe this link will help:

http://birds.about.com/od/feeding/tp/poisonousfoods.htm

Thank you, Sue!

Paca

Raw beans are not just bad for birds. Haemaglutin is toxic also to other organisms including humans! I think some varieties of bean are worse than others. There are also other toxic substances in some varieties of beans such as soybeans.

This is another example of the simple fact that because something is a natural product that does not make it a good food!!!! In general virtually all protein toxins are destroyed by cooking. That is the case with haemaglutin.

One needs to realise that plants have defence mechanisms to keep hungry animals from eating them!!!

There are several ways to avoid being eaten if you are a plant:

I. You can have spines and be physically obnoxious

2. You can grow very fast and live your life cycle before animals have a chance to eat you.

3. You can try to minimise vital nutrients so animals that eat you get become malnourished or stave.

4. You can contain highly toxic compounds that either kill animals that try to eat you, or else they get sick so they will learn to leave you alone.

5. You can grow in times when animals do not expect you to be growing.

6. You can be tiny so animals do not notice you.

*********

In modern times you can get a human to protect you by killing or removing other animals--until the human eats you!

Thanks, Robert! I'm a believer So it isn't just dried beans that contain the toxic substance. But I'm still confused about which raw beans are dangerous enough for birds that we should not offer them. Green beans are the ones being discussed on the cockatiel forum. So many of us have fed our birds raw green beans for so many years that I doubt they are significantly toxic. Can you unravel this a bit further?

Thank you, Paca

ParrontPlus wrote:Thanks, Robert! I'm a believer So it isn't just dried beans that contain the toxic substance. But I'm still confused about which raw beans are dangerous enough for birds that we should not offer them. Green beans are the ones being discussed on the cockatiel forum. So many of us have fed our birds raw green beans for so many years that I doubt they are significantly toxic. Can you unravel this a bit further?

Thank you, Paca

I read somewhere the other day that there is very little nutritional value in green beans either! Who knew?!

I have not heard of any problems with ordinary string beans. This is especially commonly mentioned with respect to soy beans and kidney beans. One must also remember that this toxicity is not specific to birds.

By the way there is a very different toxic principle in peas and lentils. The common peas that we eat day by day have now had the toxic material bred out of them so they are completely safe.

There ARE however, strains of lentils that can cause SERIOUS problems. It is not a good idea to eat a single strain of lentils continuously as a major portion of diet.

Also do NOT ever eat nor feed the pods from decorative flower peas. They are quite toxic. (beta-aminopropionitrile, which inhibits enzymes that crosslink collagen.) This is NOT a protein, and cooking does NOT help.

Also the nuts of peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, etc. contain glycosides of benzaldehyde cyanohydrin. A couple of dozen peach nuts contains a lethal dose for humans, in fact. I suspect parrots are more resistant than we are, but it is probably a bad idea to feed these to birds. (the compound releases hydrogen cyanide.)

MANY thanks for this information, Robert!

Paca

It is generally best to cook kidney beans in a pressure cooker, whether for feeding to birds or for human consumption. Pressure cookers heat them to temperatures on the order of 115 C. Soaking them and cooking them in what my mother always called a "crack pot" is NOT a good idea, because temperatures may only rise to 75 C or so, allowing toxin to remain.

To put in perspective a half dozen single uncooked kidney beans is enough to produce illness in humans.

How to safely cook kidney beans for humans and birds:

1: Wash them with running water.

2. Cover them in pressure cooker and bring them to a boil without putting cover on. Turn off the heat. Wait at least an hour.

3. Place cover on pressure cooker and cook under pressure for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.


If you do not use a pressure cooker, they should boil at least two hours.