BLESSINGS LORY/BIRD FOOD

At Lory Food Products we are a green company, powered by 56 solar panels that run our production facility. We use environmentally responsible, human grade ingredients in every formula, and we make each batch fresh to order. Our products have a one year shelf life at room temperature, and when frozen they maintain their quality for up to two years. We are now set up in South Carolina for convenient shipment pickups.

Our philosophy on protein

We believe the type of protein is the single most important ingredient in lory diets. That is why we use only soy protein isolate at 90% purity. It is more expensive, but it is the best source of highly digestible protein for lories and lorikeets based on our experience. About five years ago, we tested wheat protein isolate at 90% purity. Although it is very digestible for humans, we saw serious problems in breeding lories and found that it was not well digested by them. Three years ago, we tried pea protein, which costs about half as much as soy protein. Lab testing from a Midwestern laboratory showed that pea protein raised iron levels, which can be dangerous for lories and softbills. Those results confirmed our decision to rely on high quality soy protein isolate instead.

Why we started Lory Food Products

There are many beautiful lories and lorikeets available today, along with a growing number of foods marketed for them. Back in 2009, however, it was difficult to find a consistent supply of quality lory food. That challenge is what motivated me to start Lory Food Products.I began with Don Wells’ recipe and then spent six months in Australia learning directly from top lory breeders—my family lives there, so I could immerse myself in their methods. Adam Lock served as my mentor and coach. One key principle I learned from Australian breeders is to avoid high iron ingredients. Their mixes do not include spirulina or other iron rich components, and we follow the same rule in our formulations.

Learning from lories in the wild

While observing lories and lorikeets in Australia, I saw them feeding on pollen from flowering gum trees, grevilleas, bottlebrush, banksias, camellias, and similar plants. They also frequently visited fruit orchards and agricultural crops, which often led farmers to consider them pests.In the wild, their primary foods are flower pollen and nectar from blossoms and trees. They will also eat small amounts of seeds, along with grubs and insects. To handle pollen and nectar efficiently, they have a specialized bristle tipped tongue that is unique to this group of birds.Many products marketed for humans include bee pollen, but bee pollen is a different material than flower pollen. It is not a natural dietary item for lories and lorikeets. Bee pollen can range from about 2% to 30% protein, depending on hive health, where it is produced, and how it is processed. Because of this variability and because it is not part of the natural lory diet, we do not include bee pollen in any of our formulations.

Designing THRIVE to mimic the wild diet

Our THRIVE lory food was developed to mimic the natural diet of wild lories and lorikeets as closely as possible. It is being distributed to pet stores and distributors and is intended for everyday use with companion and exhibit birds.I worked closely with Will Peratino to refine THRIVE and make it the best food we could offer. Will has many years of experience in parrot nutrition and has been employed by major zoos, where his role included traveling to different facilities and correcting their bird diets. Together, we made and adapted the changes needed to align our food with what lories truly require.

Beyond basic testing: how we evaluate digestion

We do not believe that testing only the product itself is enough. To understand how a species uses a diet, you must know what is actually digested and what is simply excreted. For that reason, we evaluate lory stool samples to see which components are being absorbed and which are passing through. This helps us fine tune our formulas for real world digestion, not just lab numbers.Introducing a new food was not easy. Many people were accustomed to products that resembled blueberry candy. The transition required patience and education. However, once keepers switched to our food, they stayed with it. They consistently reported that their lories were more active, showed better coloration, and produced about 50% more offspring.

Our production and commitment to quality

All milling is done on site, in a clean environment, which allows us to control quality from start to finish. Because I have bred parrots for more than 20 years, I know that strong production and good health depend on using top quality food and being willing to invest in it. Cutting corners on ingredients or processing has always led to failure, so we do not compromise. Our team is dedicated to keeping your lories healthy. Everything we do, from ingredient selection to solar powered production, is designed to support the long term health, vitality, and breeding success of these birds.