Who uses supplements...

[bonnies_gouldians]

I was first (and still am) a reptile owner with many of my lizards requiring a powdered calcium and D3 dust to be shaken onto the crickets/worms that they get. Have any of you used the product "Rep-Cal" for your birds? Just curious because I have a whole butt load of it for my reptiles and if it is the same thing as what the birds need, then I can just add it to their food on a regular basis like I do the lizards!

[mickp]

check with the supplier and/or the manufacturer of the product to make sure it is ok for your birds.
I cover mealworm in powdered cuttlefisht wice a week. birds dont seem to mind the different appearance of their food cos the mealworms still disappear really quick.

[gomer]

Check the active ingredients as well.D3 is D3 right?unless Rep-Cal has other ingredients,I would not think it would mater.I use things that are labeled for sheep,cattle and horses etc.as long as you know how much to give them.The one I googled was just oyster shell with calcium carbonate and D3 added.
http://www.entirelypets.com/repcalwitvit.html
I believe others on this forum use oyster shell.And I myself have used calcium carbonate and D3.
Also you might be able to use the label as a guide.

[bonnies_gouldians]

I do use the oyster shell in its own little bowl, I have actually seen the little guys eating it, though never near their cuttle bone. I will check the labels on my rep cal and make sure the ingredients are okay for birds and email the company, hopefully they will know!

With the meal worms, I offered them a few times, but they never even looked at them. I put exactly 10 in the bowl so I would know if any went missing...None, not even after a couple of days of offering them...I guess maybe they didnt know what they were, I know they could see them because it was in the bowl right next to their regular diet.

[dfcauley]

Are you talking about gouldians? Because very seldom will you have a gouldian that eats mealworms. I had one...... she loved them, but none of my others will touch them.
Every bird in my aviary LOVES mealworms except for the gouldians.

Picky little things......

[zookeeper78]

I was first (and still am) a reptile owner with many of my lizards requiring a powdered calcium and D3 dust to be shaken onto the crickets/worms that they get. Have any of you used the product "Rep-Cal" for your birds?

Where I work a couple of reptile supplements have been used to dust mealworms and waxworms that are given to the plovers, herons amd oystercatcher. One of them is ReptoCal, I don't remember the name of the other off the top of my head as I am not in that area often. The use of these has been approved by the vet. A few days ago I decided to give the ReptoCal a shot with my birds at home figuring it seems to be ok with the birds at work and I already had it at home for my reps. It does also have some additional vitamins and minerals in it also, so I am using it sparingly.

I would think it would also be ok to use the Rep-Cal since, if I remember right, it is just Calcium and D3. But I am no vet nor the manufacturer. I'd definitely be interested to see what the company has too say. Strange because I was just wondering the same thing about Rep-Cal the other day when I decided to try the ReptoCal that I had on hand.

[jamezyboo21]

I have thought about using supplements in the past but my finches are very healthy and happy just having the oystershells and and cuttlebone, and they get hard boiled eggs and avery good mixed seed diet. So ar everyone is good with that and i havent had to buy supplements.

[B CAMP]

Donna
When my gouldians are on eggs or feeding chicks there can't get enough mealworms,they love them,i think they like suck the inside out of them or ?. Most of the other birds do eat them .
But some of the gouldians don't seem to want them

[jamezyboo21]

I have tried mealworms before with success. All my finches including the goulds loved them. I havent bought any since I purchased my cordon blues and owls, i wondering if they would eat them. I heard that ppl use mealworms for cb's during breeding.

[B CAMP]

jamezyboo21
My CB will eat them more than my gouldians.I read somewhere they can eat close to a 100 a day when there feeding chicks

[bonnies_gouldians]

thats good to know about gouldians not liking meal worms as much as other species. I feel like one of the pairs that I have must never have been offered anything but seed by their previous owner because they never eat veggies or worms, or anything but their seed. They skip over even the little pellets that are mixed into the mix.

I am going to try making that birdie bread tomorrow for them though and see what they think? maybe they will eat their veggies hidden in that!

[mickp]

my cordon's eat livefood year round, but seem to have a preference for mealworm during breeding season. my gouldians though are another story, havent seen them eat livefood ever even when feeding young, they do eat green seed as quick as I put it in the aviary though

[chrischris]

Who would have thought that gouldians are able to eat oyster shells. I thought they would be too tough for them to chew and swallow/digest.

Chris

I do use the oyster shell in its own little bowl, I have actually seen the little guys eating it, though never near their cuttle bone. I will check the labels on my rep cal and make sure the ingredients are okay for birds and email the company, hopefully they will know!

With the meal worms, I offered them a few times, but they never even looked at them. I put exactly 10 in the bowl so I would know if any went missing...None, not even after a couple of days of offering them...I guess maybe they didnt know what they were, I know they could see them because it was in the bowl right next to their regular diet.

[Marigold]

What supplements (minerals/vitamins/calcium/greens/egg food) do you give your birds and how often?

Chris

I've used everything there is on the market. I must have spent thousands of dollars........ on my Lady Gouldians. I decided to make it easy on myself. So this is what I do.

I mix my own seeds. I buy each in 50 lb bags. I use only a 1/4 of the canary seeds because it is so high in fat. Fat birds don't make good breeders...

1. Red Millet
2. German Millet
3. Japanese Millet
4. Canary Millet

One day I read an article from Dr Abba. He was and still do use Red Palm Oil. I decided to give it a try. This is what I use.

1. Red Palm Oil
2. Triple Greens
3. Powder Egg Whites
4. Breeders Blend or Feather Fast

I mix 3 tbsp of RPO in 14 cups of my special seeds. Mix well let soak into seeds 24 to 48 hr. Then I add 1 heaping tbsp of the 1st 3 ingreditents. Wether if they are breeding or molting is when I use 1 heaping tbsp of Breeders Blend or Feather Fast. Both have vitamins so I don't add anymore. Mix well. I pour half into another container and add 6 cups of my special seeds to each containers. Mix well. This last a month for 100 Ladies.

I have been doing this for 2 1/2 yr and I have not had any problems. As long as I give my ladies calcium the hens do not get egg biding.

I give CalciBoost every other day. They always have charcoal, mineral grit and granuale kelp in a treat dish. Sometimes I give them Trace Minerals and egg shells.

[Marigold]

Oh I forgot I also give them liquid kelp every other month.