Understanding Seeds
Part 1
Food for thought or thought on food?
What do you give your birds and why?
Understanding Nutritional facts:
Before we go into foods that we should give to our birds, I would like to say a few things about all the additives that seem to be freely given. Unless you understand what your bird is lacking or what is the correct amount of each additive how do you know you’re not harming or causing a problem?
If you are adding constantly to the drinking water and soft food, all the additives could be causing serious problems. My approach to a balanced diet: Feed the birds foods that contain their needs in a dish and let them pick out what they need instead of forcing them to have god knows what. We will look at different seeds. Most in the fancy may only feed a few seeds and they won’t really understand what their birds get from them. Here is a list and what they will get from each seed:
Energy Sources
Carbohydrates are the main energy source provided through the breakdown of sugars and starch. All budgerigars fill themselves on carbohydrates such as canary seed, buckwheat, millets and oats.
Canary Seed
This tiny grass seed constitutes at least 50% of most budgerigars diet and is their basic seed mixture. It has a pale, shiny surface, but a much darker kernel. It is grown in many parts of the world including Canada, Australia and in small quantities in the UK.
Buckwheat
This is a cereal grain, cultivated in large quantities buckwheat is now included in quality seed mixtures that fall under the small parakeet category by suppliers in the UK. It is a tri-cornered seed that is high in carbohydrates.
Oats (Groats)
This grain has been a tremendous source of nutrition for farm animals for years. It is a universally used seed with a distinctive shape; groats being the product after its double-layered hull has been removed. Oval on one side with a long depression on the other, the kernel is soft and powdery-white with very high-energy value and is a nutritional must in small quantities. Many budgerigar breeders feed their breeding pairs on small quantities of soaked oats or groats. These are soaked over night and washed clean then fed and can be mixed with the egg food.
Millets
These can be either in sprays or in bags. Millet sprays are a firm favourite amongst budgerigars and the birds will wait in anticipation if they form a regular part of their diet. Showing us again that they like a good routine.
Millets are the smallest of all seeds and are a favourite for most birds. They are harvested from grass-like plants, which are cultivated in many countries throughout the world. In the UK, mixed mixtures with four or five different kinds are available.
Available Millets include white, yellow, and panicum, red and Japanese millets. In appearance, white and panicum can be difficult to separate, but the difference is that white millet is twice the size of panicum and paler in appearance.
Yellow looks like a yellow coloured white millet and Red millet also is equal in size to white millet. The Japanese is light brown in colour, very small and appears to be crinkly.
Part 2
More on food & nutrition
Protein Sources
For protein value we have sunflower, hemp, nyger, linseed and rape, which, although high in fat oils, also contain small quantities of carbohydrates and have a very small mineral value.
Linseed
A small, oval-shaped seed with a flat, shiny surface and is available in a tan and golden colour. Linseed is usually included in a diet for smaller birds such as Finches and Canaries. It is unlikely to be found in a budgerigar prepared mixture, other than in Tonic Seed. Despite its size, it is probably the most effectively balanced seed.
Budgerigars instinctively know when to eat seeds containing fat oils, especially when the weather is cold or they are moulting. It offers great benefits for egg production and subsequent feeding when rearing a box full of youngsters.
Nyger
Nyger is a small dark seed that contains a high fat oil value. It also has a significant amount of protein and carbohydrate, but like all these seeds in this section it is low in mineral value.
Try and make sure you feed this in containers as if this seed is left on the floor it becomes rancid and goes mouldy very fast.
Hemp
Hemp is often included in small parakeet mixtures and is a small round seed that is grey/brown in colour. It is another high fat oil seed, similar to niger, with perhaps a lower mineral content. This seed can also be left to soak and sprout.
Sunflower
This is the easiest of all seeds to recognise because of its size and variety of colour. It is available in black, white and striped, and either large or small. It dwarfs the remaining seed in a normal millet based mixture. Despite being enjoyed by budgerigars, it is not regarded as a well-balanced, seed. Proteins and fats are present, but it is low in carbohydrates that must be found from other seeds.
Green beans
Bean sprouts, these can be bought and soaked for 12 hours then washed off and then left to grow and washed off twice daily, then fed to the birds. They really relish these and get so much nutrition from them and they are a great source for rearing young. As with most seeds when they are soaked and sprout their nutritional content rises dramatically.
Now we have learned the contents of seeds let’s look at some fruits & vegetables that can be added.
Vitamins
C
As many of our birds live in shaded bird rooms they don’t absorb as much sun as they should. Whole oranges cut into four can provide an added source of Vitamin C. (However, don’t feed them in the show season as they matter the birds face)
Carrot also adds vitamin C.
D
As we all eat Chickens, why not let the birds pick the left overs clean, this can add a bit of vitamin D to the birds diet.
I won’t go through the whole list of Fruit & Vegetables, as I am sure we all understand the contents of fruit and veg and what we get from them. This is a natural source instead of using all kinds of potions.
Look at all these options in small qty’s of course.
Apple, Apricot, Asian pear, Banana, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Black Elder, Blood orange, Blueberry, melon, Cape gooseberry, Cherry, Cranberry, Dried dates, Fig (fresh and dried) Gooseberry, Grape, Honeydew melon, Japanese Persimmon, Kiwifruit, Mandarin, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Japanese Pineapple, Plum, Strawberry, Tangerine.
Please do not ever offer the following fruit to your budgies:
Avocado (too fatty and toxic for birds near kernel)
Fresh dates (they contain too much tanning agent)
Grapefruit, (too much citric acid and bitter)
Kumquats (too acidic)
Passion fruit (nearly all sorts contain too much citric acid)
Japanese persimmons, unripe (contain too much tanning agent)
Lemon or Lime (too much citric acid)
Part 3 Some other Important needs
Calcium
In birds that are on a calcium deficient diet then the natural hormone systems have to work much harder. These hormone systems regulate the level of calcium in the bloodstream. Excessive levels of phosphorous or a lack of vitamin D3 can make this worse by reducing the availability of calcium from the intestine, and also the amount that can be used from the blood.
The result of this dietary imbalance leads to a number of clinical conditions. Birds may become weak, drink excessively, vomit or refuse to eat. Also the loss of fertility and the ability to produce eggs as when breeding the Calcium intake must be raised however not on a daily basis and the liquid calcium soon spoils in the light and reduces its values in the water. If Calcium is required it may be worthwhile adding it to the soft food as this is consumed faster and more readily taken than water.
(When storing Calcium in liquid form keep it in a dark container in the fridge to keep it fresh and it’s value content high)
Fragile bones are another long-term complication. Most hens have sufficient calcium reserves (in bone) but are unable to mobilise this fast enough when it is needed for eggshells. They cannot rely on food sources at this time as in most cases they are brooding the eggs in the nest! If left untreated these birds will die. An egg bound bird is an emergency. If you suffer this problem consider to implement a Calcium source for your birds before the breeding season begins. Little doses once every two weeks, two months in advance. These thoughtful steps build to a successful breeding season.
Also, if deficiencies are present at the time of breeding because the birds have not been prepped prior and their resources are low any young birds can suffer growth deformities as a result of this and be weak.
Bird’s can have deformities in their long bone structures, which can be incompatible with an adequate life. As a result of poor nutrition other issues can occur such as kidney problems and liver failure within weak un-prepared breeding stock birds.
You wouldn’t feed a racehorse a poor nutritional diet if you wanted it to win the race, you would feed it a good mixed diet full of nutritional foods.
As we hear, you only get out what you put in. We feed our birds as much as they will eat, but you have to have an understanding what they are eating, and not only that, how much and what are they getting from it.
THE THYROID GLAND
This gland is one of the glands that form the ductless glands as they are commonly known. The thyroid glands in budgerigars produce a hormone called thyroxin. They cannot produce this hormone if the bird is deficient of iodine, and should this happen the gland enlarges and eventually the bird dies. If your birds are fed cod liver oil or spinach you have no need to worry about iodine deficiency. A sign that the thyroid gland is enlarged, and they are pressing on either side of the windpipe, makes a wheezing/ chirping sound.
Excessive thyroxin can cause excessive moulting, a high state of nervousness and the incomplete growth of feathers.
Cuttle-fish bone and iodine helps, cod liver oil and Spinach also, but again not in mass amounts.
Research is a good tool when wanting to know more. Reading and research can help dramatically when you want to form a strong stud of Budgerigars for the future.
Kevin Addison
Food for thought or thought on food?
What do you give your birds and why?
Understanding Nutritional facts:
Before we go into foods that we should give to our birds, I would like to say a few things about all the additives that seem to be freely given. Unless you understand what your bird is lacking or what is the correct amount of each additive how do you know you’re not harming or causing a problem?
If you are adding constantly to the drinking water and soft food, all the additives could be causing serious problems. My approach to a balanced diet: Feed the birds foods that contain their needs in a dish and let them pick out what they need instead of forcing them to have god knows what. We will look at different seeds. Most in the fancy may only feed a few seeds and they won’t really understand what their birds get from them. Here is a list and what they will get from each seed:
Energy Sources
Carbohydrates are the main energy source provided through the breakdown of sugars and starch. All budgerigars fill themselves on carbohydrates such as canary seed, buckwheat, millets and oats.
Canary Seed
This tiny grass seed constitutes at least 50% of most budgerigars diet and is their basic seed mixture. It has a pale, shiny surface, but a much darker kernel. It is grown in many parts of the world including Canada, Australia and in small quantities in the UK.
Buckwheat
This is a cereal grain, cultivated in large quantities buckwheat is now included in quality seed mixtures that fall under the small parakeet category by suppliers in the UK. It is a tri-cornered seed that is high in carbohydrates.
Oats (Groats)
This grain has been a tremendous source of nutrition for farm animals for years. It is a universally used seed with a distinctive shape; groats being the product after its double-layered hull has been removed. Oval on one side with a long depression on the other, the kernel is soft and powdery-white with very high-energy value and is a nutritional must in small quantities. Many budgerigar breeders feed their breeding pairs on small quantities of soaked oats or groats. These are soaked over night and washed clean then fed and can be mixed with the egg food.
Millets
These can be either in sprays or in bags. Millet sprays are a firm favourite amongst budgerigars and the birds will wait in anticipation if they form a regular part of their diet. Showing us again that they like a good routine.
Millets are the smallest of all seeds and are a favourite for most birds. They are harvested from grass-like plants, which are cultivated in many countries throughout the world. In the UK, mixed mixtures with four or five different kinds are available.
Available Millets include white, yellow, and panicum, red and Japanese millets. In appearance, white and panicum can be difficult to separate, but the difference is that white millet is twice the size of panicum and paler in appearance.
Yellow looks like a yellow coloured white millet and Red millet also is equal in size to white millet. The Japanese is light brown in colour, very small and appears to be crinkly.
Part 2
More on food & nutrition
Protein Sources
For protein value we have sunflower, hemp, nyger, linseed and rape, which, although high in fat oils, also contain small quantities of carbohydrates and have a very small mineral value.
Linseed
A small, oval-shaped seed with a flat, shiny surface and is available in a tan and golden colour. Linseed is usually included in a diet for smaller birds such as Finches and Canaries. It is unlikely to be found in a budgerigar prepared mixture, other than in Tonic Seed. Despite its size, it is probably the most effectively balanced seed.
Budgerigars instinctively know when to eat seeds containing fat oils, especially when the weather is cold or they are moulting. It offers great benefits for egg production and subsequent feeding when rearing a box full of youngsters.
Nyger
Nyger is a small dark seed that contains a high fat oil value. It also has a significant amount of protein and carbohydrate, but like all these seeds in this section it is low in mineral value.
Try and make sure you feed this in containers as if this seed is left on the floor it becomes rancid and goes mouldy very fast.
Hemp
Hemp is often included in small parakeet mixtures and is a small round seed that is grey/brown in colour. It is another high fat oil seed, similar to niger, with perhaps a lower mineral content. This seed can also be left to soak and sprout.
Sunflower
This is the easiest of all seeds to recognise because of its size and variety of colour. It is available in black, white and striped, and either large or small. It dwarfs the remaining seed in a normal millet based mixture. Despite being enjoyed by budgerigars, it is not regarded as a well-balanced, seed. Proteins and fats are present, but it is low in carbohydrates that must be found from other seeds.
Green beans
Bean sprouts, these can be bought and soaked for 12 hours then washed off and then left to grow and washed off twice daily, then fed to the birds. They really relish these and get so much nutrition from them and they are a great source for rearing young. As with most seeds when they are soaked and sprout their nutritional content rises dramatically.
Now we have learned the contents of seeds let’s look at some fruits & vegetables that can be added.
Vitamins
C
As many of our birds live in shaded bird rooms they don’t absorb as much sun as they should. Whole oranges cut into four can provide an added source of Vitamin C. (However, don’t feed them in the show season as they matter the birds face)
Carrot also adds vitamin C.
D
As we all eat Chickens, why not let the birds pick the left overs clean, this can add a bit of vitamin D to the birds diet.
I won’t go through the whole list of Fruit & Vegetables, as I am sure we all understand the contents of fruit and veg and what we get from them. This is a natural source instead of using all kinds of potions.
Look at all these options in small qty’s of course.
Apple, Apricot, Asian pear, Banana, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Black Elder, Blood orange, Blueberry, melon, Cape gooseberry, Cherry, Cranberry, Dried dates, Fig (fresh and dried) Gooseberry, Grape, Honeydew melon, Japanese Persimmon, Kiwifruit, Mandarin, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Japanese Pineapple, Plum, Strawberry, Tangerine.
Please do not ever offer the following fruit to your budgies:
Avocado (too fatty and toxic for birds near kernel)
Fresh dates (they contain too much tanning agent)
Grapefruit, (too much citric acid and bitter)
Kumquats (too acidic)
Passion fruit (nearly all sorts contain too much citric acid)
Japanese persimmons, unripe (contain too much tanning agent)
Lemon or Lime (too much citric acid)
Part 3 Some other Important needs
Calcium
In birds that are on a calcium deficient diet then the natural hormone systems have to work much harder. These hormone systems regulate the level of calcium in the bloodstream. Excessive levels of phosphorous or a lack of vitamin D3 can make this worse by reducing the availability of calcium from the intestine, and also the amount that can be used from the blood.
The result of this dietary imbalance leads to a number of clinical conditions. Birds may become weak, drink excessively, vomit or refuse to eat. Also the loss of fertility and the ability to produce eggs as when breeding the Calcium intake must be raised however not on a daily basis and the liquid calcium soon spoils in the light and reduces its values in the water. If Calcium is required it may be worthwhile adding it to the soft food as this is consumed faster and more readily taken than water.
(When storing Calcium in liquid form keep it in a dark container in the fridge to keep it fresh and it’s value content high)
Fragile bones are another long-term complication. Most hens have sufficient calcium reserves (in bone) but are unable to mobilise this fast enough when it is needed for eggshells. They cannot rely on food sources at this time as in most cases they are brooding the eggs in the nest! If left untreated these birds will die. An egg bound bird is an emergency. If you suffer this problem consider to implement a Calcium source for your birds before the breeding season begins. Little doses once every two weeks, two months in advance. These thoughtful steps build to a successful breeding season.
Also, if deficiencies are present at the time of breeding because the birds have not been prepped prior and their resources are low any young birds can suffer growth deformities as a result of this and be weak.
Bird’s can have deformities in their long bone structures, which can be incompatible with an adequate life. As a result of poor nutrition other issues can occur such as kidney problems and liver failure within weak un-prepared breeding stock birds.
You wouldn’t feed a racehorse a poor nutritional diet if you wanted it to win the race, you would feed it a good mixed diet full of nutritional foods.
As we hear, you only get out what you put in. We feed our birds as much as they will eat, but you have to have an understanding what they are eating, and not only that, how much and what are they getting from it.
THE THYROID GLAND
This gland is one of the glands that form the ductless glands as they are commonly known. The thyroid glands in budgerigars produce a hormone called thyroxin. They cannot produce this hormone if the bird is deficient of iodine, and should this happen the gland enlarges and eventually the bird dies. If your birds are fed cod liver oil or spinach you have no need to worry about iodine deficiency. A sign that the thyroid gland is enlarged, and they are pressing on either side of the windpipe, makes a wheezing/ chirping sound.
Excessive thyroxin can cause excessive moulting, a high state of nervousness and the incomplete growth of feathers.
Cuttle-fish bone and iodine helps, cod liver oil and Spinach also, but again not in mass amounts.
Research is a good tool when wanting to know more. Reading and research can help dramatically when you want to form a strong stud of Budgerigars for the future.
Kevin Addison
