spiritbird
08-23-2015, 08:44 PM
I plan on doing a series of articles on avian nutrition. This is the second in the series. Is anyone interested?
Vitamin A – an essential dietary component in your birds diet
This vitamin is essential for your bird’s health. Beta-carotene is a red/orange pigment found in some fruits and vegetables is the precursor to this important vitamin. Once your bird eats this food the liver turns the beta-carotene into vitamin A and stores it for future use. The darker the flesh of the fruit or vegetable (not skin) the higher the beta-carotene content. If you cook your birds food it is important to note overcooking can destroy vitamin content.
Vitamin A deficiency is the most common preventable avian disease that we see in parrots. A bird with vitamin A deficiency may show any of the following symptoms: sneezing, wheezing, nasal discharge, crusted or plugged nostrils, lethargy, depression, diarrhea, tail-bobbing, thinness, poor feather color, swollen eyes, ocular discharge, lack of appetite, gagging, foul-smelling breath.
Please strive to include the following in your bird’s diet:
Greens: dandelion, mustard, collard, turnip, kale, broccoli (leaves) chicory, peppers, fennel, romaine, Brussel sprouts, beet greens, cabbage and alfalfa.
Yellow/orange vegetables: pumpkin, yams, carrots, butternut squash, acorn squash, hot peppers, red peppers
Fruits: mango, peaches, nectarines, red cherries, apricots, cantaloupe, papaya, pomegranates.
Vitamin A Content
Red chili peppers (fresh) 21,000
Red chili peppers (dried) 16,000
Broccoli leaves 77,000
Broccoli flowers 3,000
Carrots (pureed) 10,000
Sweet potatoes 9,000
Turnip leaves 7,500
Collards 6,500
Endive 3,500
Dandelion greens 14,000
Spinach 8,000
Vitamin A – an essential dietary component in your birds diet
This vitamin is essential for your bird’s health. Beta-carotene is a red/orange pigment found in some fruits and vegetables is the precursor to this important vitamin. Once your bird eats this food the liver turns the beta-carotene into vitamin A and stores it for future use. The darker the flesh of the fruit or vegetable (not skin) the higher the beta-carotene content. If you cook your birds food it is important to note overcooking can destroy vitamin content.
Vitamin A deficiency is the most common preventable avian disease that we see in parrots. A bird with vitamin A deficiency may show any of the following symptoms: sneezing, wheezing, nasal discharge, crusted or plugged nostrils, lethargy, depression, diarrhea, tail-bobbing, thinness, poor feather color, swollen eyes, ocular discharge, lack of appetite, gagging, foul-smelling breath.
Please strive to include the following in your bird’s diet:
Greens: dandelion, mustard, collard, turnip, kale, broccoli (leaves) chicory, peppers, fennel, romaine, Brussel sprouts, beet greens, cabbage and alfalfa.
Yellow/orange vegetables: pumpkin, yams, carrots, butternut squash, acorn squash, hot peppers, red peppers
Fruits: mango, peaches, nectarines, red cherries, apricots, cantaloupe, papaya, pomegranates.
Vitamin A Content
Red chili peppers (fresh) 21,000
Red chili peppers (dried) 16,000
Broccoli leaves 77,000
Broccoli flowers 3,000
Carrots (pureed) 10,000
Sweet potatoes 9,000
Turnip leaves 7,500
Collards 6,500
Endive 3,500
Dandelion greens 14,000
Spinach 8,000