LPM 222: Diversified poultry production and current concepts in poultry management and marketing [Livestock Production Management (Regional Interest)] (1+1)

SOFTBILLS 

• The term 'softbill' is applied to a wide variety of birds that do not feed essentially on seed, but on other items, such as fruits nectar and insects. There are thus various subdivisions within this group in,11, such as the nectivorous softbills, which include hummingbirds, and the frugivorous species like many tanagers.
• As a general rule, the insectivorous softbills are the hardest to acclimatize successfully, since, in most instances, they need to be weaned on to inert foodstuffs that will then form the major proportion of their diet.
• Although these divisions are useful as a basic guide to the dietary needs of particular birds, they should not be relied upon totally. Indeed, it is doubtful if any bird survives exclusively on fruit, and small insects such as fruit flies are vital in the diet of nectivores.
  The management of softbills is much more straightforward today than at any stage in the past.
• Complete balanced diets and livefood suitable for the diverse needs of all species am available - by mail-order if necessary - from specialist suppliers. There is no longer any need to spend considerable time mixing and preparing complex softbill food from the basic ingredients, and this in turn has led to a greater interest in this group of birds.
• Many softbills are colourful, and some are talented songsters. They vary in size from diminutive hummingbirds to hornbills, for example, that may be over 60 cm (2 ft) in length. Certain species are suitable for inclusion in a mixed aviary, whereas others need to be kept on their own in individual pairs.
• Partly as a result of improvements in the diets available to these birds, breeding results are being achieved with much greater frequency. The vast majority of softbills will not become pets in the same sense as parrots, the mynahs are a notable exception, and can also prove talented mimics.