VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

FEEDING MANAGEMENT

• Most bird diets consist of seeds, except for the fruit and nectar-consuming birds.
• Seeds consumed by the birds are of two types; cereal seeds and oil seeds.
• Cereal seeds contain a higher proportion of carbohydrates compared with oil; examples of cereal seeds are canary seed, millet, corn, and dehusked oat kernels.
• Oil seeds are high in fat and low in carbohydrates; examples of oil seeds are sunflower seeds, peanuts, safflower, pine nuts, rape, maw, niger, and linseed.
• Both cereal and oil seeds can be purchased separately and mixed together to provide variety.
• The seed must be clean and free of dust and dirt.
• The seed should also be dry and free of moulds; both shelled and unshelled peanuts should be examined for mould, Peanuts are attacked by a mould that produces strong toxins that can cause liver damage; fed over a period of time, they can cause the death of a bird.