Written by Gloria Scholbe & Chris Biro, Sherri Carpenter, all rights reserved
(These Posts First appeared on Holisticbird List)
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Everyone knows that calcium is needed to build strong bones. Calcium, however, does not work alone. Not only are other nutrients required to help in calcium absorption, but some nutrients play their own role in bone development.
Calcium - the major component in bone. found in dairy products, dried figs, greens, okra, salmon, tofu.
Vitamin A - for normal bone growth and development. found in apricot, cantaloupe, carrot, greens, kale, mango, spinach, sweet potatoes.
Vitamin C - for the synthesis of collagen, a component of bone. found in broccoli, grapefruit, guava, mango, orange, papaya, peppers.
Vitamin D - for calcium absorption and maintaining proper blood levels of calcium. found in dairy products, eggs, fish, sunlight.
Vitamin K - for aiding calcium addition to bone formation. found in asparagus, broccoli, dairy products, eggs, greens, lentils, spinach, whole wheat.
Boron - for absorption and retention of calcium and magnesium. found in dried beans, fruit, greens, nuts, dried peas, seeds, vegetables.
Fluoride - for gaining bone mass. found in milk, sea vegetables, tea, vegetables grown in high-fluoride soil.
Magnesium - regulates calcium transport. banana, dairy products, beans, nuts, soybeans, spinach, whole grains.
Manganese - helps to develop bone and tissue. eggs, greens, lentils nuts, seeds, sweet potatoes, whole grains, strawberries.
Phosphorus - balances calcium levels and is an important component of bone. found in eggs, fish, grains legumes, dairy, nuts, tofu, seeds.
Zinc - necessary for building bones. found in almonds, milk, peanuts, sunflower, tofu, wheat germ.
gloria
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Hi Tanner,
Although there are some similarities between the needs of birds and those of reptiles, there still are differences. The relationship between calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, D3 and some other vitamins and minerals needs to be balanced. If there is too much of one and not enough of another, it affects the uptake. Phosphorous is necessary for the utilization of carbohydrates and fats for energy production and for the production of protein. Vegetables contain less phosphorous and meats contain more phosphorous.
Carnivorous reptiles would probably require a non-phosphorous calcium source and vegetarian reptiles would require a more balanced calcium source...I'm just musing because I know nothing about reptile nutrition, so am over my head here. However, it is obvious from bird activity versus reptile activity levels that the metabolic rate of birds is much faster than reptiles. Therefore I would not feed a non-phosphorous calcium source to birds. I would ensure that any calcium supplement was balanced for Calcium/phosphorous/magnesium.
Preferably, I would not use artificial supplements, but would provide a varied diet and offer a mineral block free choice. I've raised many many African Greys and have never had a problem with egg binding, seizures, or any other calcium related problem. They just get whatever supplement is in the pellets that are available four days a week. The rest of their nutrition comes from the produce, bird bread (pureed eggs with shells, nuts, veggies,) and then their seed mix.
gloria
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Hello all,
> I honestly don't know the shelf life of cuttlebone. I would assume since it is a dried product (from the cuttlefish) that it would be okay as long as it looks and smells okay, but I, like you, am leery of old stuff. I use more eggshells than cuttlebone in my mixture. I sterilize the shells in the oven (just enough to kill the bad bugs), but you have to be careful not to burn them. They really smell dreadful when burnt. I think cuttlebone also has a salt content that should be addressed (at least it's salty to the taste), so it takes a remote second place to the eggshells in the mix. Oyster shell comes up last, but in light of another post re:metal content, I shall have to rethink that.
Maybe I do have a thought that I can contribute to this thread.
Calcium carbonate is the most common form of calcium supplement - and it is pretty much the same stuff the dry wall in your house is made from. If you have a concern about age of the calcium, I am not sure if minerals will "spoil" with age (I don't think so), but I do know that some mineral forms are far less absorbable then others.
Calcium carbonate is difficult for the body to absorb (maybe 2% absorbable) or discard and is one of the reasons we have chosen to feed plants that are high in such minerals - even though the lab testing would show results of much lower calcium content, the body will in the end get more calcium absorbed since said plant derived calcium is so much easier to absorb by the body. In the wild very few parrots will eat cuttle bone or oyster shell but they will eat plants that have calcium, and without, I presume, the egg binding problems our birds run into.
Plants that are high in calcium, and other supporting minerals required for calcium absorption, would include Alfalfa, kale, collards, sesame seeds (in shell), amaranth, almonds, broccoli, and I think oranges - these are the ones that come to memory, I am sure there are more. From what I understand, Alfalfa though is the best by far.
Parrots: More Than Pets, Friends For Life
Chris Biro
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I was looking up calcium in my book called Encyclopedia of Nutritional
Supplements by Michael T. Murray, N.D. and I found this to be interesting.
Several studies indicate some calcium supplements may contain substantial
amounts of lead. Lead is a toxic metal that primarily affects the brain,
kidney, and red blood cell manufacture. The level of lead in the body is
directly linked to IQ and criminal behavior. The higher the lead level, the
lower the IQ and the greater risk for delinquent or criminal behavior.
In 1981, the FDA cautioned the public to limit its intake of calcium supplements
derived from dolomite or bone meal because of the potentially high lead levels
in these calcium supplements. However, recent studies show that other calcium
sources, such as carbonate and various chelates, may also contain high amounts
of lead.
To determine the extent of the lead problem in the supplements, researchers
measured the lead level in 70 brands of calcium supplements. The results
indicated lead content is a major concern in some calcium supplement forms. They
divided 70 brands into five categories:
Refined calcium carbonate produced in a laboratory (n=25).
Unrefined calcium carbonated derived from limestone or oyster shells (n=25).
Calcium bound to barious organic chelates like citrate, gluconate, lactate,
etcetera (n=13).
Dolmite (n=9).
Bone meal (n=9)
Here are the results (micrograms of lead per 800 milligrams of calcium):
Refined calcium carbonate, 0.92.
Calcium chelate, 1.64.
Dolmite, 4.17.
Unrefined calcium carbonate, 6.05.
Bone meal, 11.33.
Chelated calcium, especially calcium citrate, is better absorbed that calcium
carbonate; therefore, products that feature a calcium bond to citrate, gluconate,
or some other organic molecule are best.
Avoid natural oyster shell calcium, dolomite, and bone meal products unless the
manufacturer provides reasonable assurance that lead levels are negligible.
Although refined calcium carbonate has the lowest lead content, the body absorbs
calcium chelates more efficiently.
Sherri
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Hi Sandy,
The refrigerator is not really a good place to store things that are susceptible to moisture because the humidity is high in refrigerators. Mold grows readily in refrigerators. Most bread makers recommend either freezing bread, bagels, and other bakery long-term or keeping it in the breadbox on the counter short-term. Refrigeration is not recommended.
When manufacturers say 'store in a cool dry place', they don't mean the refrigerator. The only time you could use the fridge for hydrophilic (attracts moisture and is sensitive to it) material is if the material is in a moisture-proof container.
I have cuttlebone that has been stored in a box in the garage for about 4 years. I stopped using cuttlefish bone because of concerns about heavy metal contamination, that's why it's still sitting in the box. If I were not concerned about metal/mercury contamination, I would have no hesitation about serving it even now. It doesn't have an expiration date and shouldn't spoil unless it is exposed to moisture. If your cuttlebone had an odor, it was spoiled as you suspected. It's a good thing you didn't use it. :-)
gloria
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Hello Gloria & Carolyn,
Carolyn Wrote: The recommended ratio may be incorrect for birds. Stop and think about
it some time. If the natural diet of many birds is seeds and nuts, What species
eat exclusively seeds and nuts?
Gloria Wrote: The calcium/phosphorous ratio normally recommended for 'all'
bird species may be incorrect. Consider that the natural diet of 'some' bird
species consists mainly of seeds and/or nuts. I am not saying their diet is
exclusively seeds and nuts because I'm certain that they must be consuming other
foods also in their daily foraging. However, if the major diet of birds like
grass parakeets, rosellas, cockatiels, and some macaws consists of seeds and
nuts, then the calcium/phosphorous ratio of their evolutionary diet differs from
that recommended by today's avian nutritionists.
I am glad to see this calcium ratio issue come up again, I had wanted to respond
earlier but was too busy at the time.
One should ask where the "recommended 2:1 calcium/phosphorous ratio"
comes from in the first place. As I understand this issue, this concept comes
from lab tests that compare body content of components - that means basically
that they burn the body and then analyze the mineral content of what is left
over. By the way, this is a similar process by which lab tests are done on foods
to determine calcium, phosphorous and other mineral levels - notice that this
does not tell us anything about the source or even type of calcium (some being
much more absorbable than others). I believe the human body contains
calcium to phosphorous at about the ratio of 2:1. However most of that
calcium is contained in our bones which does not need to totally replenish
itself often - even though the calcium in the bones is in a constant state of
flux and serves as a "battery" storage source of calcium that is often
used by the rest of the body.
The big mystery then is by what is it established that we need to consume
calcium and phosphorous in ratios equal to what our body consists of these
elements? One might lab test our poop and see if we really are
flushing through that same ratio - though I seriously doubt it. I highly doubt
that we actually need to consume calcium and phosphorous equal to the amounts
contained in our bodies, meaning that I also seriously doubt that the 2:1 ratio
is needed in our foods for our bodies to sufficiently absorb calcium and I
believe the same is true for our birds.
What is more important in my mind is how much calcium is PRESENT and what other
needed elements are actually present which are needed to absorb calcium by the
body, those other elements needed to make the calcium AVAILABLE to the body?
Just because calcium is present does not mean the body can absorb it. In fact
some forms of calcium the body not only has a tough time absorbing but even has
a tough time getting rid of - thus we see problems associated with too much
calcium (visceral gout?). Much depends on the type of calcium that is present.
You can eat lots of alfalfa, which is very high in calcium, until you cannot
even stand to see alfalfa anymore and your "udder" seems ready to
burst and you start mooing <grin>, and still not overload yourself with
calcium, but if you over supplement by eating, by comparison, fairly small amounts
of calcium supplements (mostly calcium carbonate, what dry wall is made of)
you'll get sick pretty quickly. The point being that the type of calcium is very
important, with plant based calcium sources being the best, most available, and
the least likely to cause problems if large quantities are consumed.
The amount of calcium needed by the body will determine how much of the other
elements are needed also. Gloria's post about the needed elements associated
with absorbing calcium helps us understand what other nutritional elements are
needed to be ingested at a similar time to the source of calcium. Ideally the
other elements are contained in the same plant as is the calcium, or at least
eaten in some other plant at about the same time. I believe most of the calcium
rich plants we eat have at least a little of these elements present so some
calcium is available to be absorbed, even if in small quantities. Some plants of
course will have more calcium and the supporting elements present - available
calcium - than others. Plants such as alfalfa, kale, collard greens, broccoli,
carrots, oranges, natural in shell sesame seeds, almonds, just to name a few,
are all good sources of calcium.
Parrots: More Than Pets, Friends For Life
Chris Biro