CALCIUM IN YOUR BIRDS DIET

We all know the importance of calcium for strong bones and well-developed eggshells but what we DON'T know can hurt our feathered friends!

As every good nutritionist knows (including the dairy industry) the absorption of calcium into the body from a food source is dependent on the amount of phosphorus found in the food. Without calcium, the bones would be brittle. A correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus found in a food will aid our birds in absorbing calcium efficiently. The intake of this mineral does not mean the mineral is being utilized to its potential. The correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus 2:1. With this correct ratio in a food source, even foods that are not high in calcium are of great benefit because most of the available calcium is being absorbed.

I've listed a few of the foods we regularly feed our birds and the calcium to phosphorus ratio found in that food.

Remember that the correct ratio is 2:1 for the ideal absorption of calcium from the food.

*Birds cannot digest lactates, so milk is a useless source of calcium for our birds

Oranges and green leafy vegetables are a very good source of calcium for our pet and breeding birds. An all seed diet will result in calcium deficiency. Variety in our birds' diet is essential for proper calcium absorption. Oyster shell, cuttlebone, eggshells and mineral blocks are also rich sources of calcium and should always be available to your birds, especially hens during breeding.

Reprinted by Pretty Birds from Kentuck-iona Cage Bird Society Dec. 1996 by Steven Funk

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