Thinking about switching your bird to Harrison's? The first decision isn't just whether to feed it. It's which formula to start with, which size your bird is most likely to eat and how to make the change without assuming a bowl full of crumbs means they're actually eating.
Here's how Harrison's bird food works, where High Potency and Adult Lifetime fit, how to choose a size, how to convert your bird and how to store it once the bag is open.
Jump to What Makes Harrison's Different, Switching Your Bird Over, Choosing a Formula and Size, Storage, Fresh Food Alongside or Frequently Asked Questions.
What Makes Harrison's Different?
Before getting into the different bags, our general position is the same as it is with any bird food: there isn't one product we'd expect to do every job.
A formulated food can provide a reliable nutritional base, while fresh vegetables, appropriate fruit and other foods used for training and foraging add variety, texture and something for the bird to actually do.
Harrison's is well known for its High Potency and Adult Lifetime formulas. These are technically extruded nuggets rather than traditional pellets, although most bird owners will understandably still refer to them as Harrison's pellets.
Harrison's High Potency and Adult Lifetime foods are:
- Made with certified organic ingredients
- Non-GMO
- Made without artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
- Produced as nuggets using a low-temperature, low-shear extrusion process
The lack of artificial colouring is one reason the food looks fairly plain compared with brightly coloured pellets. The colour, texture and even the appearance of the nuggets can also vary slightly between batches because of the ingredients used.
You can see our full Harrison's bird food range here.
How Do I Switch My Bird to Harrison's?
This is usually the part that takes the most patience.
A bird that's spent years eating seed may not immediately recognise a brown nugget as food. Some investigate it straight away. Others need days or weeks before they reliably eat it.
Start with High Potency. Harrison's recommends beginning a diet change with its High Potency formula and generally keeping a bird on it for at least six months before considering Adult Lifetime.
Introduce it alongside familiar food. Harrison's recommends mixing the new food with what your bird already eats and watching whether it is actually being consumed.
Give the conversion time. If your bird doesn't switch immediately, Harrison's suggests gradually increasing its food while reducing the previous diet over a period of up to four weeks.
Offer a fresh portion each day. Don't continually top up a bowl. Starting again with a measured fresh portion makes it much easier to see what's disappearing and what's simply being broken into crumbs.
Try a different presentation. Some birds investigate new food more readily when it turns up somewhere unexpected. A foraging bowl or foraging toy can be useful, particularly once the bird has started recognising Harrison's as food.
Watch Your Bird's Weight
This matters more than how full the bowl looks.
A bird can pick up a nugget, crush it and drop most of it without actually eating very much. During conversion, Harrison's recommends weighing your bird daily on a gram scale, ideally at around the same time each day.
Also watch the amount of food being eaten, droppings and normal behaviour. If your bird is losing weight, eating very little or behaving differently, stop trying to push the conversion and speak with an avian vet.
Harrison's has its own diet conversion information here, which is worth reading before you start.
Which Harrison's Formula Should I Choose?
There are two separate decisions: the formula and the size of the nugget.
High Potency or Adult Lifetime?
High Potency is Harrison's starting formula for birds converting from another diet. Harrison's recommends remaining on High Potency for at least six months rather than changing to Adult Lifetime as soon as the bird starts eating it.
High Potency is also used by Harrison's for birds with higher nutritional demands, including breeding, moulting and weaning birds. Some birds may remain on High Potency longer term depending on species and individual requirements.
Adult Lifetime is Harrison's maintenance range for healthy adult birds once the initial High Potency period has been completed and a maintenance formula is appropriate.
If your bird has a medical condition, is breeding, is still growing or you aren't sure whether Adult Lifetime is appropriate, that's one to discuss with an avian vet rather than making the change based only on age.
What About Harrison's Spicy?
There are spicy options as well, including Spicy High Potency Fine.
It contains organic red pepper and can be useful for birds that show more interest in stronger smells and flavours. Birds respond differently to spicy foods than we do, so chilli isn't automatically something that needs to be avoided.
We'd treat Spicy as another flavour and texture option rather than assuming a fussy bird will automatically prefer it.
Which Harrison's Size Does My Bird Need?
This is less rigid than most size charts make it sound.
The same species may happily eat more than one size, and during conversion a smaller particle can sometimes be easier for a bird to investigate. Use the species suggestions below as a starting point rather than a rule.
Super Fine is the smallest option and suits very small birds such as Canaries, Finches and Budgies. It's also available as Adult Lifetime Super Fine.
Fine suits many small to medium parrots, including Budgies, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Parrotlets and Conures. Harrison's also lists this size for Quakers. There's an Adult Lifetime Fine option once a maintenance formula is appropriate.
Coarse is intended for medium to large parrots such as Pionus, Amazons, Cockatoos and Macaws. Adult Lifetime Coarse is also available for appropriate adult birds.
Don't worry if your bird doesn't follow the chart. A Cockatiel may prefer Super Fine, while another happily eats Fine. Acceptance matters more than making the bird fit neatly into a size category.
How Should I Store Harrison's Bird Food?
Harrison's doesn't use artificial preservatives, so the way you store an opened bag matters.
- Keep the food in the original Harrison's bag rather than transferring it into another container.
- Squeeze excess air from the bag after use and reseal it properly.
- Keep it somewhere cool and dry.
- Harrison's says refrigeration after opening may help maintain freshness.
- Use the contents within 12 weeks of opening.
Refrigerating the bag doesn't extend that 12-week recommendation, so buying a size you'll realistically use is still more useful than buying the biggest bag available.
Writing the date you opened it on the bag is an easy way to keep track.
Our guide to storing bird food in Australia covers seed and other dry bird foods in more detail.
Do I Still Feed Fresh Food with Harrison's?
Yes.
Harrison's is intended to make up the majority of the diet when fed according to the manufacturer's directions, but that doesn't mean every other food disappears.
Fresh food adds different textures, smells and opportunities to forage. We'd put the emphasis on vegetables, with fruit and higher-energy foods offered more deliberately.
- Vegetables such as leafy greens, Capsicum, Broccoli, Carrot, Pumpkin and other suitable vegetables. See our guide to bird-safe vegetables.
- Fruit can add variety in appropriate amounts. Our guide to bird-safe fruit has more.
- Sprouted and soaked seed can add another texture and work particularly well as part of a varied fresh-food routine. See our sprouting guide and soaking guide.
- Nuts and seed can be useful as treats, training rewards and foraging foods rather than something a bird can simply fill up on first. See our guide to bird-safe nuts and seeds.
The important part is proportion. Adding fresh food shouldn't turn a carefully formulated diet back into a bowl where the bird fills up on its favourite seed and leaves everything else behind.
What About Lorikeets?
We wouldn't use Harrison's as our first choice for Lorikeets.
Lorikeets are specialised feeders whose natural diet centres heavily around nectar and pollen, so their feeding requirements differ from those of many other parrots.
We'd choose a food formulated specifically for Lories and Lorikeets instead, such as Vetafarm Lorikeet Nectar Pellets. Our guide to feeding lorikeets covers their diet properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Harrison's a pellet?
That's what most bird owners call it, but Harrison's High Potency and Adult Lifetime foods are technically extruded nuggets. Harrison's now also produces a separate range of traditional pellets.
Which Harrison's formula should I start with?
Harrison's recommends beginning with High Potency in a size your bird can comfortably eat.
How long should my bird stay on High Potency?
Harrison's recommends at least six months during the initial diet change. After that, many healthy adult birds can move to an appropriate Adult Lifetime formula, while others may remain on High Potency depending on their species or requirements.
What's the difference between Super Fine, Fine and Coarse?
The main difference is particle size. Super Fine is the smallest, Fine suits many small to medium parrots and Coarse is intended for medium to large parrots.
Which Harrison's suits a Budgie?
Super Fine and Fine are both options for Budgies. Super Fine is particularly useful for birds that prefer a very small particle.
Which Harrison's suits a Cockatiel?
Fine is a common starting point for Cockatiels, although some prefer Super Fine.
Which Harrison's suits a Macaw or Cockatoo?
Coarse is the usual starting size for larger parrots such as Macaws and Cockatoos.
What is Harrison's Spicy?
Spicy High Potency Fine is a High Potency option containing organic red pepper. It gives birds another flavour to investigate and can be worth trying if the standard food isn't getting much interest.
How long does it take to convert a bird to Harrison's?
There's no fixed time. Some birds accept it quickly and others need a much slower introduction. Harrison's provides a gradual conversion method that can extend over four weeks where needed.
Can I mix Harrison's with seed?
It can be mixed with the existing diet during conversion. The important part is making sure the bird is actually eating the Harrison's rather than simply picking out its favourite seed.
How long does Harrison's last once opened?
Harrison's recommends using an opened bag within 12 weeks.
Can I keep Harrison's in the fridge?
Yes. Harrison's says refrigeration after opening may help maintain freshness. Keep it tightly sealed in the original bag, and remember that refrigeration doesn't extend the 12-week recommendation.
Can Lorikeets eat Harrison's?
We'd choose a diet formulated specifically for Lories and Lorikeets instead.
Still Not Sure?
If you're unsure which Harrison's formula or size to start with, get in touch and we can help narrow down the options for your bird.
For a bird with a medical condition, unusual weight changes or specific dietary requirements, speak with an avian vet who can assess the individual bird rather than relying on general feeding advice.
