Diet as Preventative Medicine

[lovezebs]

TailFeathers
I sense some antagonism there, my dear.....
As mentioned above, I love a good argument, but not when people get too hot under the collar.

And lol, no one has ever called me Ma'am, in that tone of text before. My name is Elana (lovezebs)

PAX!!!

~Elana~

[lovezebs]

cindy
So when did they discontinue this crazy practice?

~Elana~

[debbie276]

cindy
So when did they discontinue this crazy practice?

~Elana~

Sadly there are still some old time breeders out there still doing it. And to set the record straight you don't throw the bird in and shake the livin daylights outta them. You place the bird in and gently "pop" the bag up and down so the bird flaps it's wings to make a sevin powder cloud in the bag. Not a good practice and over time I'm sure you will hear of more whack-a-do ideas.

[TailFeathers]

TailFeathers
I sense some antagonism there, my dear.....
As mentioned above, I love a good argument, but not when people get too hot under the collar.

And lol, no one has ever called me Ma'am, in that tone of text before. My name is Elana (lovezebs)

PAX!!!

~Elana~

Elena,

No antagonism intended or implied. Sorry, if I upset you.

[cindy]

cindy
So when did they discontinue this crazy practice?

~Elana~

Sadly there are still some old time breeders out there still doing it. And to set the record straight you don't throw the bird in and shake the livin daylights outta them. You place the bird in and gently "pop" the bag up and down so the bird flaps it's wings to make a sevin powder cloud in the bag. Not a good practice and over time I'm sure you will hear of more whack-a-do ideas.

people were still doing this back in the 90's.... I still see breeders telling others to do it now a days....there are so many other products out there that are safer to use.

[lovezebs]

TailFeathers
Not upset in the least. Didn't want to 'ruffle feathers' however, over a subject that is obviously a touchy subject, and really nothing to do with our birds.
Warm regards.

~Elana~

[lovezebs]

debbie276 & cindy.
Thanks for clarifying this. I still think it sounds .
I sincerely hope that these practices will eventually fall by the way side, as better and safer means come along and become astablished as the norm.

~Elana~

[cindy]

I second that!!!!

[TailFeathers]

Just a warning, you don't want your birds to get too fat from all these fatty seeds which will cause a whole nother set of problems.

http://iiumedic.net/imjm/v1/download/Vo ... p13-18.pdf

Here is a link to one study. There are a few more clinical studies where it was tested in humans. It actually causes weight loss. So if your birds are fat, this may help.

So far all my birds have consumed it and are doing well without any sign of illness or abnormal activity.

[cindy]

Also bear in mind how we metabolize foods or medications is not the same as birds, and each species can metabolize foods differently. Using a human study to say something is safe for birds is skewed.

Debbie, I agree.

By the way and this come directly from two of my avian vets.... fatty seed not only puts weight on birds but the fat in seed can spike a hormonal spike in hens and cause them to go into an egg laying mode often to excess. If your birds are fat, cut out the fatty seed, feed a seed low in fat, pellets along with veggies....provide your bird with flight space. If the bird still appears sluggish and has yellow masses in the abdomen then there may be an underlying issue/illness... seek a vets help.

My daughter works for our avian vet, I have had many discussions with both the avian vets I use.... both see the results of people thinking they can use all sorts of "human" things to cure their birds when in fact they made it worse. The vet then has to help them undo the harm they caused their birds. Just because it is safe for a human and has a specific effect on humans does not mean it may have the same effect on birds, dogs, cats, etc.

[Sally]

One thing to keep in mind is that TailFeathers says he has experimented with keeping his canaries in fairly cold conditions. Under those circumstances, feeding more fatty or oily seed may be called for. In winter, I put out niger seed for the wild finches in my yard, and they consume huge amounts of it. I wouldn't want to feed large amounts of niger to my caged birds in my 70 degree house. However, many if not most finch seed mixes do have small amounts of the oily or fatty seeds.

Nigella sativa is a common seed in India, Pakistan, and the Mideast. A local Mideastern grocer told me that this seed is used in his country for many illnesses such as digestive problems, supposed to have special curative powers. Many people use natural herbs for healing rather than use commercial products. It is a personal choice. One is not necessarily better than the other. A study on using nigella sativa for diabetes in rabbits doesn't help me decide whether it is good for my birds or not. Just my two cents.

[cindy]

One thing to keep in mind is that TailFeathers says he has experimented with keeping his canaries in fairly cold conditions. Under those circumstances, feeding more fatty or oily seed may be called for. In winter, I put out niger seed for the wild finches in my yard, and they consume huge amounts of it. I wouldn't want to feed large amounts of niger to my caged birds in my 70 degree house. However, many if not most finch seed mixes do have small amounts of the oily or fatty seeds.

Nigella sativa is a common seed in India, Pakistan, and the Mideast. A local Mideastern grocer told me that this seed is used in his country for many illnesses such as digestive problems, supposed to have special curative powers. Many people use natural herbs for healing rather than use commercial products. It is a personal choice. One is not necessarily better than the other. A study on using nigella sativa for diabetes in rabbits doesn't help me decide whether it is good for my birds or not. Just my two cents.

Sally, good point regarding birds kept indoors vs outdoors...yes if outside in cold weather birds need extra carbs and fat in the diet but birds indoors do not. When the weather warms for those with outdoor birds the fat content of seed and foods should naturally be decreased.

Caution as I mentioned above, a seed diet high in fat can set off a hormonal shift in hens causing them to start egg laying when not breeding (as per our avian vet)

[debbie276]

Over-weight birds can also have fertility problems among other things.
Fatty seeds have their place especially in cold temperatures, I wouldn't feed year round though.

[TailFeathers]

One thing to keep in mind is that TailFeathers says he has experimented with keeping his canaries in fairly cold conditions. Under those circumstances, feeding more fatty or oily seed may be called for. In winter, I put out niger seed for the wild finches in my yard, and they consume huge amounts of it. I wouldn't want to feed large amounts of niger to my caged birds in my 70 degree house. However, many if not most finch seed mixes do have small amounts of the oily or fatty seeds.

Nigella sativa is a common seed in India, Pakistan, and the Mideast. A local Mideastern grocer told me that this seed is used in his country for many illnesses such as digestive problems, supposed to have special curative powers. Many people use natural herbs for healing rather than use commercial products. It is a personal choice. One is not necessarily better than the other. A study on using nigella sativa for diabetes in rabbits doesn't help me decide whether it is good for my birds or not. Just my two cents.

Hello,

I just wanted to give a quick update and respond to this without any argumentative intentions.

If anyone has given broad base antibiotics .. Then those same medications are also used on humans. The issue isn't giving them something that works for humans and thinking it works for birds, the specific point about nigella sativa is that it's consumed by birds in the wild and it has extremely low toxicity with little to no side effects as an herbal medicine. Therefore, this is an excellent seed, In MY own opinion to give. Not only that, I have met others who also give this seed to their birds and it allows me to feel safer using it.

[TailFeathers]

Update to honey.

Honey is safe to use in my opinion. I just read the quicko brand red food ingredient list and honey is used in the mix. They also add sugar to it, which is mixed in there for another ingredient. And so far, no one has really complained about their product to my knowledge.