When it comes to feeding breeding birds, there are a few key factors to consider in order to provide them with adequate nutrition during this demanding time. In the opening paragraphs, we’ll provide quick answers to some common questions about feeding breeding birds before diving into more details later in the article.
Quick Answers
What are the nutritional requirements for breeding birds? Breeding birds need extra protein, calories, calcium, and other nutrients to support egg production, nesting, and raising young. Aim for a high quality diet with 15-20% protein and 10-15% fat.
Should you change their normal diet? Yes, it’s best to gradually transition breeding birds to a diet higher in protein and calcium a few weeks before breeding season starts.
What foods provide good nutrition for breeding birds? High protein seeds like sunflower, safflower and hemp, soaked legumes, sprouted seeds, cooked eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, insects and pelleted feeds made for breeding birds.
How much should breeding birds eat? Allow breeding birds free access to food so they can follow their appetite. Increase portion sizes and feeding frequency compared to the non-breeding season.
Should calcium supplements be provided? Yes, offer a calcium supplement like oyster shell or cuttlebone to allow birds to self-regulate calcium intake.
Can too much protein be harmful? Excessively high protein diets above 25% can put strain on kidneys and cause other health issues. Aim for 15-20% protein from varied natural sources.
Key Nutritional Requirements
Providing excellent nutrition is crucial for breeding birds to stay healthy and successfully produce and raise young. Here are some of the key nutritional requirements to focus on:
Protein: Breeding birds have higher protein requirements to support egg production, fetal growth, lactation, and feeding nestlings. Aim for diets with 15-20% protein from sources like seeds, legumes, sprouts, meat, eggs and insects. Avoid excessive protein over 25%.
Calcium: Calcium is essential for proper egg shell formation. Supplement with oyster shell, cuttlebone or a grit specifically for breeding birds. The calcium content of the diet should be 2-5%.
Fats & Calories: Higher fat diets help fuel the demands of breeding. Aim for 10-15% fat which also provides more calories per gram than other nutrients. Good fat sources include nuts, seeds and vegetable oils.
Vitamin D: Critical for calcium metabolism and absorption. Ensure breeding birds get full spectrum lighting or direct outdoor sunlight. Supplements can also be used.
Carotenoids: Pigments like lutein and zeaxanthin support egg production. Provide colorful fruits and veggies.
Choline: Supports fat metabolism. Offer seeds like millet and rapeseed.
Tailor the diet to meet the unique nutritional demands during this energy-intensive time. Feed a diverse diet so birds can self-select the nutrients they require.
Transitioning the Diet
Don’t wait until eggs show up to improve your breeding birds’ diet. It’s best to gradually transition them to a higher protein, higher fat and more nutrient dense diet a few weeks prior to the start of breeding season. Here are some tips for transitioning:
- Slowly mix in more high protein seeds like sunflower or hemp seeds into the normal diet over a period of 1-2 weeks
- Introduce high fat nuts, sprouted legumes, pellets and other foods richer in fat and calories
- Offer calcium supplements like oyster shell or cuttlebone
- Increase portion sizes gradually to allow for higher intake
- Monitor body condition and adjust diet to maintain ideal weight
The goal is to ensure breeding birds are well-nourished before egg production begins. Their nutritional reserves will be tapped heavily during breeding, so it’s ideal for birds to be in peak condition right from the start.
Recommended Foods
There are many excellent food choices to include in a breeding bird diet. Here are some top options:
High Protein Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds: Extremely high in protein and fat. Help stimulate breeding condition.
- Safflower Seeds: Also contain high protein and fat levels. Rich source of energy.
- Hemp Seeds: A superfood seed with complete protein, omega fatty acids, and minerals.
- Chia and Flax Seeds: Provide protein and omega fats. Best freshly ground.
Legumes
- Sprouted Lentils, Beans & Peas: The sprouting process increases protein, enzymes and vitamin levels.
- Cooked & Mashed Legumes: Makes digestible for birds. Excellent protein source.
Cooked or Raw Eggs
- Hard Boiled, Poached, Scrambled Eggs: One of the highest quality protein sources for birds.
- Raw Eggs: Raw eggs must be extremely fresh. The whites contain an antiviral protein.
Fruits & Vegetables
- Chopped or Shredded: Provide a variety of different colored fruits and veggies. Brightly pigmented foods contain carotenoids.
- Sprouted Seeds: Sprouting dramatically increases vitamin content.
Pellets & Supplements
- Breeding Bird Pellets: Formulated to meet nutritional needs. Makes balancing diet easy.
- Calcium Supplements: Cuttlebone, oyster shell and calcium blocks provide needed calcium and minerals.
- Vitamin Supplements: A, D3, E and B supplements support reproduction and chick health.
This covers some of the top diet options to consider when feeding breeding birds. Variety is key to providing a well-rounded nutritional profile.
Ideal Diet Composition
As a quick reference, here are the ideal nutritional composition percentages to target in a breeding bird diet:
| Nutrient | Percentage of Diet |
|---|---|
| Protein | 15-20% |
| Fat | 10-15% |
| Calcium | 2-5% |
| Fiber | 5-8% |
| Moisture | 10-15% |
These percentages provide ideal nutrient levels. Monitor your birds’ body condition and adjust as needed if they become too lean or obese.
Meeting Increased Energy Demands
Breeding birds require significantly more calories and energy. Their metabolism ramps up to support higher levels of activity and production. Here are some tips on meeting increased energy demands:
- Allow free choice feeding so birds can consume according to their appetite
- Increase portion sizes of the daily ration by 30-50%
- Offer high fat nuts and seeds to boost calorie density of the diet
- Provide food at several locations to reduce competition
- Increase feeding frequency to up to 3-4 times per day
- Supply higher energy soft foods like soaked seeds, sprouts and pellets
- Ensure close, easy access to food and water at nest sites
Monitoring body condition is important to confirm birds are getting adequate nutrition. Weighing birds periodically can also help assess if energy needs are being met.
Special Care for Egg Laying
Additional nutritional considerations come into play once a hen begins laying eggs. Here are some tips for this stage:
- Increase calcium sources such as oyster shell and cuttlebone
- Continue feeding high protein foods for egg production
- Soak seeds and sprout legumes to provide moisture for egg formation
- Ensure diet contains at least 16% protein, 10% fat, and 2.5% calcium
- Let birds free-feed to encourage intake
- Provide nesting foods like softened high protein pellets
- Supplement with additional vitamin D3 if birds lack outdoor sunlight
Meeting calcium needs for egg shell formation is critical. Supply oyster shell or grit specifically formulated for layers. Avoid over-supplementing calcium to prevent potential kidney damage or issues associated with hypercalcemia.
Caring for Chicks
Once chicks hatch, the nutritional emphasis shifts to providing for the rapidly growing young birds. Here are some pointers for this stage:
- Supply a high protein soft food made for chicks
- Offer boiled, scrambled or poached egg pieces
- Provide finely chopped greens, veggies and fruits
- Continue feeding high fat seeds and nuts to parents to help with chick feeding
- Make sure parents have easy access to calcium sources
- Provide species-appropriate nesting foods for parents to regurgitate
- Supplement chicks directly with vitamins A, D3 and E
Parent birds play a key role feeding chicks but may need nutritional support themselves. Keep parents well fed with energy and nutrient dense foods so they can produce crop milk or regurgitate easily swallowed foods for chicks.
Conclusion
Providing excellent nutrition throughout the breeding process is crucial for helping birds successfully produce and raise healthy chicks. Tailoring the diet to meet protein, calcium, energy and vitamin needs during each stage of breeding gives birds what they require. Focus on quality foods like seeds, legumes, sprouts, eggs, greens and supplements formulated for breeding birds. With a little extra nutrition and care, your birds will be in prime condition to breed and continue the avian life cycle.
