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Learning topic: Provide advice on health and nutrition

Feeding birds

All animals have the same basic nutritional requirements, which are:

energy—supplied by fats and carbohydrates

protein

vitamins

minerals

water.

Each species then has its own means of meeting these requirements:

Different species of birds have adaptations to their anatomy and physiology that allow them to use different types of food to fulfil these needs. Two main examples of bird types are:

Nectivores tend to have long beaks and brush-like tips to their tongues to enable them to obtain nectar from flowers.

Granivores have a gizzard that grinds the seed before digestion.

This information is available in textbooks and from welfare societies, eg WIRES, zoos, nature parks and breed societies.

Some species have special requirements, eg the glossy black cockatoo has a diet based on Casuarina nuts.

Natural food groups

Dry seeds are a good source of energy

are the usual diet mix of seeds for a granivore—eg parrot

Seed type Amount fed in diet

Canary seed readily accepted by most granivores

generally have a higher protein content than most other millet seeds

10%

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Millet the most common types fed are: White, Red, Japanese, Panicum

80%

Others oil seeds—higher fat and protein content—eg sunflower, safflower, niger, peanuts, almonds

carbohydrate source seeds—eg hulled oats, wheat

10%

composition of ‘others’ depends on the size of the bird, eg budgies can have their 10% made up of smaller seeds like sunflowers/oats

larger parrots—eg Major Mitchells—will have their 10% made up of larger seeds/nuts like almonds and peanuts

Greens Good examples of greens that can be fed to birds include silver-beet,

spinach, thistle, dandelion, lucerne, chickweed, milk thistle. These are all are EXCELLENT choices.

Lettuce has little nutritional value, being mostly water.

Cabbage, broccoli, caulis and sprouts can all have antithyroid effects.

You should wash all greens thoroughly to remove insecticides.

Do not source greens from roadsides due to the lead levels present in them and other toxins from vehicles or from herbicides used to keep roadside plant growth under control.

If fed to excess, the birds will have watery droppings that look like diarrhoea.

You must not feed birds when you are worming through the water supply as they will then use the water in the greens as their water source and not drink

Seeding plants and grasses Chickweed, wild oats, panic, milo, dandelion, dock, milk thistle,

clover, Shepherds purse, groundsel, Johnson grass, spinifex grass, couch grass, panic veldt grass, rye grass, summer grass and winter grass are all good choices for feeding to birds.

Feed as the seed head begins to ripen.

Do not collect food for birds from along busy roadways where there may be high concentrations of lead from car exhausts.

Avoid areas where dogs may have urinated.

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Avoid plants that may have been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.

Sprouted seed Sprouted seed is when seed is sprouted in a tray before being fed to

the birds.

These tend to have a high protein content and are usually well liked by the birds.

Due to moisture, it is important to prevent fungal growth by using strict hygiene when cleaning the trays between batches.

Fruit Apple, pear, orange, banana, grapes, currants, peaches, nectarines,

plums cherries, loquats, figs, paw paw, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, rock melon, watermelon, kiwi fruit, passionfruit and apricots are all good choices for feeding to birds.

Fruit can all add good variety to a bird’s diet.

Fruit has a high water content so it needs to be withheld if medicating via the water supply, especially if the medication tastes funny, as the birds can go without drinking for days if they are getting water from the food they eat.

Avocado is toxic and should not be fed to birds.

Live food Mealworms, maggots, termites and earthworms are all good

additions to bird’s diets.

Any invertebrates you may find on plants, in compost heaps, under rotting timber or around outdoor lights at night or in insect traps are all appropriate.

Don't use insects that have been killed with pesticides as these can poison birds.

Live food you can breed Mealworms, earthworms, cockroaches, mud guppies (in a fish tank

or outside in an old bathtub) and mice can all be bred as food for birds.

Maggots can be bred by hanging a piece of liver, lung or heart in a large metal box or tin that has a thick layer of bran in the bottom.

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Blowflies will lay eggs onto the meat, the eggs hatch into larvae (maggots), which then drop into the bran for easy collection.

Australian native plants Eucalyptus, hakea, grevillea, leptospermum (tea tree), banksia,

acacia (wattles), melaleuca (paperbarks), callistemon (bottlebrush), include leaves, flowers, nuts, berries—these are all good choices for bird diets.

Water Change water daily and keep container clean of algae.

Position in the water supply in the aviary to keep clear of droppings both from overhead perches and wild birds that may sit on the roof of the aviary.

Cuttlebone (calcium) Cuttlebone provides many minerals for maintenance, growth and egg

laying.

Birds that won't eat this tend to suffer shell abnormalities.

Cuttlebone is used by birds to keep their beaks trimmed.

Grit Grit is used by seed eaters for the proper functioning of the gizzard.

Use shell grit for finches, budgies and rock grit for larger parrots.

Shell grit is available in different sizes from small to large, so provide grit in a size that is appropriate to the bird.

Withhold grit from sick birds as they tend to overeat it and cause gut impaction.

Food you can store or growThe table below identifies the different type of food for birds that you can store or grow:

Food to store in the pantry

Examples include chicken starter crumbles, parrot seed mix, budgie or canary seed mix, shell grit, tinned baby foods (meat and vegetables, fruit).

Food to store in the An example of food that may be frozen is excess mealworms.

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freezer

Food to plant This includes native flowering shrubs, dandelions, milk thistle and any fruit and vegetable from the lists above that you have time and space for.

Food to breed This includes mealworms and cockroaches.

Native Australian birdsLook at the tables below which list the balanced ration for different types of birds.

Canaries and finchesNatural diet mainly seed, also fruit and greens

insects taken in breeding season

Captive diet Seed mixture:

50% canary seed

25% rape seed

25% mixed millet - two parts yellow millet - one part white millet - one part red millet

a seed treat of niger seed, poppy seed, flax seed, sesame seed, oats, and anise is available commercially and can be offered periodically; however, these seeds are fattening

Greens fresh, washed kale, lettuce, spinach, or dandelions should be offered daily

Protein cooked egg

cooked egg combined with biscuit mix

Carbohydrate plain biscuit—crumbled

For parents feeding young

sprouted seed

seeding grasses

live food—maggots, mealworms, termites, drosophila (fruit flies)

egg cake

Lorikeets (rainbow, purple crowned, little, varied etc)Natural diet mainly pollen, nectar, flowers and fruit

may be supplemented with insects and seeds

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Captive diet Wombaroo lorikeet mix or a mix of baby cereal, warm water, honey or malt extract and Petvite (or similar vitamin supplement)

fruit such as apple or pear

greens such as greens or sprouts

An alternative diet prepared by Taronga zoo

a wide variety of ripe fruit, such as grapes, rockmelons, pawpaws, oranges, pears and apples

a seed mixture such as those sold for budgies

mixed greens

a nectar mix made up of one part honey, three parts Heinz High Protein baby cereal and ten parts water, plus one teaspoon Petvite per cup of nectar mix. (The baby cereal.

Note

People who feed them only honey or sugar water on and bread unintentionally contribute to dietary imbalance in lorikeets. This causes problems for young lorikeets, ranging from poor feather growth to limb deformities.

Lorikeets will prefer the artificially sweet nectar mix to the other foods and so cause a dietary imbalance themselves. For this reason, it is important to feed the nectar mix sparingly, at a rate of one teaspoon per bird. The other foods may be given freely.

The nectar mix should not be left out for longer than six hours, especially in summer, as it will sour and may cause illness in the birds.

Lorikeets bottle feeding

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Cockatoos, galahs and corellasNatural diet Seeds, nuts, fruits, roots, shoots, nectar, insects and larvae

Captive diet large parrot seed—sunflower, corn, wheat, oats, peanuts

apple or pear

gum branches

soaked corn, greens

glossy blacks will primarily need Casuarina nuts, supplement with sunflower seeds

Babies Give them a high protein dried cereal with a small amount of rolled oats for roughage. Pour boiling water over, squeeze out the water, and feed the bird the mash. Dry rolled oats are only suitable for older birds.

If very young, it should be fed about three times a day—about two tablespoons full of food are required by each bird per meal. Make sure, through observation or touch, that the little crop is full of food after each meal—add two drops of Vitemol per day for young birds.

As the bird gets a little older, give boiled pigeon peas, put them into the beak one at a time, and make sure that they go down into the crop. When the bird can take hard food, put a small tin of seed in the cage containing canary seed first, then introduce adult feed, as listed below.

Adults Equal parts of whole corn, wheat and millet seed with some canary seed, and just a LITTLE sunflower seed. Add a pinch of salt to the seed occasionally.

They also like some raw apples and greens such as lettuce or spinach. All food must, of course, be given fresh. It is suggested that you mix your own seed ration. Buy a quantity of the above seeds from a reliable produce merchant and mix it yourself. In this way, you will probably get the seed much fresher than if you buy the ordinary packet food for birds.

Give daily, if possible, a small green branch with the bark, leaves and gumnuts attached, taken from any Eucalyptus trees; in the wild, birds eat a great deal of this food.

Always provide plenty of grit, wood, charcoal and water.

Parrots and rosellas

Their diet is similar as for cockatoos but substitute a smaller sized parrot seed—sunflower, hulled oats, millet, cracked corn, wheat.

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Ducks, geese and swansGeese and swans natural diet: grasses, herbs, sedges, aquatic plants and

seeds

Omnivores natural diet: variety of plants supplemented by insects, molluscs, crustaceans and larvae

Insectivores natural diet: mainly insects, crustaceans and larvae; some large algae and other plant matter

Captive diet (for all the above)

poultry breeder pellets

seed—cracked corn, millet, wheat, cats

greens—lettuce, spinach, sprouts, celery and grass

bread—wholemeal

mealworms or insects if birds don't have access to them

note, for geese and swans, greens should make up a large proportion of their diet—always ensure good supply

insectivores—benefit from inclusion of pupae, daphnia etc

smaller species—crushed pellets—do not include wheat and oats in seed

Exotic birds that are kept in AustraliaThe tables below list the balanced ration for exotic birds kept in Australia:

Parakeets, lovebirds, small conures and dwarf parrotsSeed mixture The basic seed mix contains canary seed, millet and

hulled oats:

Canary seed should be increased in juvenile rations, while millet should be increased in the adult ration. A commercial seed ration, which contains millet and canary seed in either a 60/40 or a 40/60 ratio, is available. Also, spray millet is very popular with

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parakeets. Parakeets will consume 1-18 grams of seed per day.

Protein supplement Crumbled, hard-cooked egg yolk is appropriate.

Greens Chickweed, spinach, cloves, dandelion, carrot tops, rye grass, sowthistle, alfalfa, beet tops, watercress, brussel sprouts, celery leaves, cabbage, broccoli or kale are all appropriate.

Feeding greens presents a dilemma which, you and your bird will have to work out together.

When presented with greens, some birds will wolf down every leaf in sight and develop diarrhoea. The solution is to offer small amounts over a long period of time.

Offering greens once daily for 0.5-1 hour and then removing them, as recommended by some experts, may be an answer to this problem. More often than not, it just teaches the bird that he had better eat while he can, so he consumes a lot in a short time and develops diarrhoea.

Vegetables Carrots, beets, turnips and parsnips are all good choices.

Fruits Apple, orange, grapes, figs, grapefruit, banana, pineapple and pear can all be offered.

NEVER leave fruits in the cage overnight. They will spoil quickly and cause diarrhoea if ingested.

The Amazon, African grey and macawSeed mixture This comprises mainly large canary seed, mixed

sunflower and safflower seed and mixed cereal seeds and nuts.

Protein supplement Either: small amounts of ground or chopped meat, either fresh or from a can of all-meat dog food;

Or: non-medicated chick starter ration—poultry food. The bird may not eat it unless it is chopped and cooked egg or a freshly grated carrot is added.

Fruits and vegetables Every bird prefers a different combination; attempt to vary the combination to prevent a ‘narrow’ ration from developing.

Fresh foods, eg apples, oranges, bananas, plums, grapes, pears, grapefruit, figs and dates, are good choices.

Dried fruits may be substituted for the above fresh fruits.

Grasses and leafy vegetables, eg chickweed, spinach, cabbage, endive, lettuce, plantain, dandelion leaves, carrots, should be given.

Nuts Macaws love to crack open and eat a variety of nuts, especially Brazil nuts. Other large psittacines also like nuts, each bird preferring a specific kind. Amazons and African greys love peanuts.

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Positioning of food in an aviaryRemember these tips about where to place the food in the bird aviary:

Food should not be placed underneath perches or under an uncovered section of roof.

Dry seed should be kept under cover so it is protected from rain.

Perishable food can be offered out in the open, as it should be removed at the end of each day.

Keep water and dry food separate.

There should be enough feeding stations, so all the birds can feed without competition.

Ideally, feeding stations should be accessible through a trap door from outside, to reduce the amount of times a person has to enter the aviary. Each time a person enters, they run the risk of allowing birds to escape and increase the possibility of bringing in disease on their shoes. Also, birds in aviaries—especially during breeding season—can be very flighty and easily stressed by constant 'invasions' into their territory.

Note

Never forget to wash insecticides off fresh vegetables. Keep birds away from flowers and houseplants, especially geraniums, philodendrons and cacti.

Do not feed birds candy, biscuits, etc.

Remove all uneaten fruits and vegetables at the end of each day, to prevent ingestion of spoiled food and soiling of plumage.

Two methods of feeding1 Free choice: This is where the bird is offered food, usually in a dish,

and they select what they want to eat. These birds are either offered their natural diet, which they are used to eating or a captive diet that they have been adapted to and taught to eat. As a carer, you must be sure the bird is actually eating the food of its own volition, before using this means of feeding, as many birds will starve to death if offered food they do not recognise.

2 Force feeding: Before force feeding any bird, they must be checked over for injuries that could prevent force feeding—eg beak deformities or fractures—and identified correctly. This could effect the food that they eat, eg carnivore, granivore etc, because feeding the wrong diet can also kill the bird.

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Ways of delivering foodFood needs to be kept in good condition as long as possible to ensure its acceptance and palatability. This usually means keeping perishable food out of direct sunlight, high temperatures, vermin and ants and preventing soiling by faeces. Non-perishable food also needs to be kept in as good a condition as possible, as it is not unusual for this type of food to only be replenished as it runs out. The most common form of non-perishable food are seeds and grain, which need to be kept out of the rain and away from vermin.

Feeding stations in large aviaries that hold fruit should be positioned above the ground, out of reach of vermin. It should also have a roof to prevent spoilage by sun, rain and bird faeces. The tray for the fruit should also be removable to facilitate good cleaning.

A substitute nectar mix can be supplied using a dropper bottle hanging on the side of the aviary.

These bottles can also be used to deliver water.

Ways of delivering waterThere must always be a constant supply of fresh clean water. This can be achieved a number of ways:

self-filling systems

automatic waterers—troughs and bowls

bowls that need cleaning and replenishing daily.

Self-filling systems

The devices in the photo below are self-filling waterers, where the white part is filled with water and keeps the yellow bowl full as it is being emptied. These well for large numbers of birds, as they keep a constant supply of water, supplied in a narrow dish that birds cannot bath in. They can be placed on the ground for small birds or hung above the ground for larger birds, which helps prevent soiling.

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Automatic bell waterer

These are used in the chicken industry. They are gradually raised as the birds grow to prevent them being able to soil the water.

Water bowls

Two ceramic water bowls placed on bricks at the bottom of an aviary

These are located away from perches and the aviary roof above is solid so there is no risk of birds defecating into the water. Being shallow and ceramic, the bowls are easy to clean and there is little risk of birds drowning.

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