Rolf C. Hagen INC. was started 44 years ago and funds the Hagen Avicultural Research Institute(HARI). Mark Hagen is the director of HARI. Mark Hagen does much of the research of this institute himself. He went out in the field and monitored the intake of the foods the birds ate. As they ate it and dropped it he picked it up and tested it. He also tested the droppings. All this to determine what nutrition the bird was actually getting from the foods it ate. Now remember, these are just very brief notes of everything I heard from a speaker (Melanie Allen) at a bird club meeting. So this mentioned process is not exact.

    Tropican Granules are an extruded diet. This means that all the ingredients were pulverized and then pasteurized at very high temperatures which allows a better mix of ingredients for more efficient bonding of nutritional elements. Test were ran before and after the process to determine the nutritional losses during the process then an over abundance of vitamin and minerals were added to compensate for the losses. AAFCO, (Association of American Feed Control Officials)is the FDA of pet foods and the labeling must be accurate. The measurements for the label are tested for after the extrusion process. Their food does not have the chemical preservatives in it that other foods have. Tropican is packaged with a special air barrier bag with a CO2 flush and vitamin E. This is why their foods have an expiration date on them. Every batch made is tested. Hand feeding formula goes through a double extrusion process and every batch made is tested after each process.

     Ms. Allen stressed that the ratio between protein and calories must go together for the body to recognize all other ingredients of the food properly. If the body does not recognize the particular food ingredient then it won't be sent to the proper organ in the body for usage. Hagen is very high in Choline. Choline sorts fat by distributing essential fatty acids to organs; and, when the birds diet contains sufficient levels of Choline, Choline helps to flush the extra, unnecessary fat from the liver. This may help prevent birds from reaching a toxic level of fat in the liver. Tropican contains more Choline by comparison of popular manufactured foods for birds. (Source: "Feeding Your Pet Bird, Petra Burgmann, DVM)

    All natural colors are used. All foods are fed to the HARI stock of 350 + pairs of birds.

    Prime vitamins were specially designed for seed eating birds.

Recommended book on nutrition: "Feeding your pet bird" by Petra M Burgmann DVM"

    For more information please check out the HARI web site.