there will definitely be another bird (in time) both for me and winston. he was definitely happier living with anothe flock member even if they didnt directly interact. and id get another anyway because i'll always have as many pets as i can care for at a time. it will be several months away at least because i have projects that need completed and work but at least its something to look ahead for
new batch of chop. i remembered to go a lot heavier on the greens this time since he gets more than enough orange stuff (squash and sweet potatoes, since those are his favorite and i have to dilute the chop with them quite a bit still so that he likes the texture). this has some squash in it so that it blends together properly (actually a yellow one this time) but i freeze pieces of cooked squash and sweet potato separately and add more each time i give him a serving so that i can control the proportions. in theory i'm slowly decreasing the amount of added squash as he gets used to the texture of the chop, but i'm taking my time so i don't make him hate it. that he eats this at all is kind of a miracle to me.
i keep forgetting that knowing step up is not, in fact, a default state, and actually requires practice and reinforcement in a variety of scenarios if the bird is not already extremely well versed in it. so anyway, when i remember to practice he gets pretty good at it.