jcz@sas.UUCP (John Carl Zeigler) (10/18/88)
Here are some notes from a lecture given by Tom Rowdybush (PhD in Avian Nutrition from Univ. of Cal. at ?) at North Carolina State School of Veternary Medicine on Cockatiels. Dr. Rowdybush sells a pellated parrot diet. My wife took these notes, I thought the net might be interested. ------CUT HERE------- NUTRITIONAL NEEDS Nutritional classes: hatching to fledeging maintenance reproduction -egg laying, incubation, and chick feeding Feed Content: soybean oil, crude cellulose CaCO3 CaHPO4 vitamins minerals choline chloride (60%) isolated soybean protein (87%) DL-methionine corn starch modified food starch Vitamins: B12 menadione niacin riboflavin E folic acid thiamine biotin A D3 pyridoxine pantothenic acid Minerals: MnSO4*H2O CaSO4*5H2O Co(C2H3O2)2*4H2O KIO3 MgSO4*7H2O KCl K2HPO4 Na2MoO4*2H2O NaSeO3*5H2O ZnO FeSO4*7H2O PROTEIN high protein = high growth optimun protein levels found to be 20% Defficiencies cause growth depression and transient behavior problems; from nervous, fidgetty birds to screaming, aggressive, regurgitating birds. Signs of protein defficiency: lg. head compared to body size small, pink (unpigmented) feet poor feathering high mortality excessive begging, biting underweight increased incidence of geardia and clamydia infections The best prevention is to weigh the birds regularily and keep clear records. Watch for lack of weight gain rather than weight loss. Cockatiels are capable of maintaining a weight for a week at 0% protein intake. The bird may be well into it's second week of a problem before a weight loss is seen. LYSINE Optimum lysine levels are .8% of total food intake A common cause for diagnosis of lysine defficiency in poultry is acromatosis (lack of pigment). In cockatiels, however, those birds feed a lysine deficient diet showed no signs of acromatosis. Low levels of lysine tend to restrict growth. CHOLINE Acromatosis does occur in choline defficient diets in the form of yellow areas in the tail and wing areas. These birds display acromatosis at choline levels that would be considered lethal in poultry. RIBOFLAVIN Also causes acromatosis (often diagnosed by abnormally curled toes, but does not apply in cockatiels). PANTATHENIC ACID Defficiency causes sparse feathering on breast and back area. FAT Abnormally high fat levels (62%) result in the same growth rates as normal diets. Birds have a greasy appearance, and are more prone to a putrification process (similar to sour crop) through increased bacterial growth. The condition results in a very strong odor and approx. 50% mortality rates. A Word About The Sunflower Seed Argument Sunflower seeds have been accused of containing an addictive drug detrimental to avian health. The substance in question is papavarine, a smooth muscle relaxant poorly absorbed by mammels, found in the opium poppy. Tests carried out in forensic laboratories have found that, if present AT ALL, papavarine is present in less than .5 ppm (the smallest identifiable portion). In making up a seed diet, you should be aware, however, that the darker the seed, the higher the fat content. Single Seed Trial When test groups of birds were fed diets consisting exclusively of either white millet, canary seed, sunflower seeds, or safflower seeds, the only diet found to be seriosly detrimental was the safflower diet, which caused reduced growth rates, trembling, and death. The Vitamin C Discussion Although some advanced mammals (humans, primates, fruit-bats), gueinea pigs, an occasional passerine (red vented bulbo), and a few galliformes (willow ptarmagin) require dietary vitamin C, it is generally accepted that psittacines do not. Water:Solids Ratios Very young hatchlings have relatively small crops and should be fed free choice (as opposed to force fed) with a low water:solid ratio (7% solids) until the crops have enlarged. The mixture should then be increased to 30% solid to increase growth rates. Low solid syndrome includes: poor weight gain crops emptying at a lower rate increased begging effort complete crop shutdown increasingly dark droppings increased rate of crop infections At this older age, feeding is facilitated by holding the head of the bird and force-feeding a measured amount of food. Things To Aviod In The Avian Diet Lactose- milk, whey other simple sugars- corn syrup, sucrose, honey, molasses (can increase incidence of candida) Causes Of Crop Stasis yeast diet too dilute diet separation mechanical damage systemic infection incorrect brooding temp. Webby Feed cause: moth larvae cure: Bacillus thuringiensis (sold as Dipel or Thuricide) This bacteria causes an epidemic among the catepillars so that uniform mixing is not critical. Treat with 125 ppm, or 1 tsp./50 lb. bag. The spores will not germinate below a pH of 9.0, and so will not germinate in the GI tract of the bird. Calcium Requirements For Egg Laying Ca availability affects: egg production shell thickness conductance (rate of water loss) hatchability Ca deposits can be removed from skeletal bone, and high producing hens will do so to their own deficit. Requirements are MUCH lower than previosly thought, max. 1-1.2%, maintenance levels .3% Seeds Vs. Pellets There are three basic responses to the introduction of pellets to seed eating birds: no weight loss small weight loss, quickly regained weight loss leading to death There is a 90% acceptance rate at each introduction, so all birds CAN be switched to a pellet diet. It is necessary for the bird to be made aware that the pellet form is a food source. Weaning definition: parent or hand-fed to self-fed a change in response to hunger (non-weaned hunger response - begging weaned hunger response - eating) 1) cockatiels begin eating at 3 1/2 weeks 2) feed restriction with food available = wt. loss, begging 3) protein restriction = wt. loss, diarrhea Earliest weaning is found in birds that had the most rapid growth rates, the criteria being that the bird has maintained it's body weight for 3 consecutive days without being hand fed. COCKATIEL STATISTICS adult wt. 80-110 g egg wt 5-8 g clutch size 4-8 eggs chick wt. 3.5-5 g fledge 4 weeks wean 7 weeks sexual maturity 8-12 months ENVIROMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING REPRODUCTION factors tested for: photoperiod (max.) light intensity (min.) temp. (min.) diet (min.) presence of nest boxes (max.) misters (min.) Cockatiels are sensitve to refractoryness - stimulation to breed has been present for a long period and the birds no longer respond. To induce breeding, birds should be put through a winter period (short day period) and then simultaneously exposed to a spring period (long days) and breeding boxes. Summary: 1) stimulatory environmental conditions a. increased % pair production b. increased clutch length c. increased egg production d. increased hatch wt. 2) environment exerts little influence on a. % of pairs inspecting nest boxes b. rate of ovarian developement 3) diet prior to environmental stimulas did not affect reproductive performance Time elapsed between stimulation and egg laying is fixed - approx. 14 days. PARENT REARING VS HAND REARING REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE Worst possible pairing - hand raised male x parent raised female Best - parent raised male x hand raised female The other 2 crosses produce mediocre results. Summary 1) Rearing influence (hand vs. parent reared) strongly influenced adult sexual behavior a. pairs containing parent reared males were more likely to be fertile, inspect nest boxes, and therefore produce more chicks b. pairs containing hand reared females were more likely to produce eggs 2) The results may be due to a failure of hand raised males to imprint on cockatiels as sexual partners and on nest boxes as nest sites. Likewise, the greater egg production of handreared females may reflect how caretakers and experimenters are perceived. MISC. NOTES Pair-bonding can be broken and re-formed, even in close proximity to the previous partner, if the birds are put through a refractory period (6 weeks) and introduced to a new partner in the "spring". Imprinting: cross-fostering causes courting of the foster species, unless the foster species is not present, in which case same-specie courting will occur. Use drugs and treated foods only for specific treatments and only under veterinary supervision, not as a cure-all, or preventative. NOTES TAKEN FROM A SEMINAR GIVEN BY TOM ROWDYBUSH NCSU SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, 10/8/88 SHARON Y ZEIGLER -- --jcz John Carl Zeigler SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC 27511 (919) 467-8000 ...!mcnc!rti!sas!jcz