Download Hand Rearing Birds

Nutrition for Hand Rearing Birds
To give young birds the best start in life they must be raised with a quality hand
rearing diet. A substitute rearing food must contain ingredients that provide suitable
amounts of all essential nutrients. Unfortunately some commercially available hand
rearing foods lack adequate levels of vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids (for
protein) and fatty acids (omega-3 & 6). If these ingredients are not listed on the label,
then there may be cause to question the nutritional quality of the product. Similarly,
the products should contain an analysis stating the levels of protein, fat, fibre & salt.
This way you know what you’re getting in the product and can make an educated
decision about its suitability as a hand rearing food for your bird.
Before feeding a baby bird you must determine the bird’s nutritional requirements.
From a dietary point of view, birds can be broadly divided into two groups based
upon their requirement for either carbohydrate or protein as the main source of
energy. The dietary requirements of these two groups of birds are quite different, and
it is important to supply a hand-rearing food that satisfies the needs of your individual
bird.
BIRDS THAT USE CARBOHYDRATE AS THE MAJOR ENERGY SOURCE
These birds eat carbohydrate rich foods such as seeds, grain, fruit and nectar. We
refer to these species as being granivores (grain-eating) or nectarivores (nectareating). This group includes parrots, cockatoos, lorikeets, finches, pigeons, doves
and quail. This includes many of the birds that are commonly kept in captivity
(cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds and canaries) as well as some of the species that are
commonly rescued as wild birds (eg rosellas, galahs, lorikeets and pigeons).
A typical analysis for a hand rearing food for granivorous and nectarivorous birds is:
Protein 20-25%, Fat 7-10%, max Fibre 5%, max Salt 1%, plus vitamins, minerals,
and omega-3 & 6 fatty acids.
Two quality products that suit this analysis are Passwell Hand Rearing Food and
Wombaroo Granivore Rearing Mix.
BIRDS THAT USE PROTEIN AS A MAJOR ENERGY SOURCE
These birds eat protein rich food such as insects, meat and fish. We refer to these
birds as being insectivores (insect-eating) or carnivores (meat-eating) and include
magpies, kookaburras, wrens, willie wagtails, birds of prey and sea birds. Even
though these species are not often kept as pet birds, they are quite often rescued
from the wild and therefore require a specialised diet.
A typical analysis for a hand rearing food for insectivorous and carnivorous birds is:
Protein 50-55%, Fat 12-15%, max Fibre 5%, max Salt 1%, plus vitamins, minerals,
and omega-3&6 fatty acids.
A suitable commercial product developed for these birds is Wombaroo Insectivore
Rearing Mix.