Written by Gloria Scholbe, all rights reserved
(First appeared on Holisticbird List)
Hi,
If you give the enzyme lactase along with dairy products, then the milk sugar
lactose will be broken down.
Many breeders have used milk-soaked bread to give to parent birds feeding young
and for weaning babies....without the benefit of lactase. The calcium is
absorbable.
I don't believe that cheese will build up in a bird's digestive tract unless you
feed an unreasonable amount of it. Cheese is mostly fat and protein. To tell the
truth, I have a niggling doubt that it contains
much lactose after it has been processed into cheese. Yogurt, of course, doesn't
contain any because the bacteria that ferment milk into yogurt use the lactose
as part of the fermenting process.
I think the story about birds being unable to tolerate milk is the same as many
stories. Someone starts it and other people pass it on as truth without checking
their facts first. Then it becomes a myth: something not necessarily true that
people accept as truth.
Birds did not evolve with the ability to digest lactose, because milk is not
part of their ancestry. However, if they can't digest lactose will it cause them
digestive problems or will it pass on through?
There are other foods that birds can't digest. Notable among these are many
kinds of seeds. The acids of the digestive tract help to dissolve the outer
coating of the seed, which allows the seed to germinate after it passes out of
the bird in its dropping. Without the help of birds, many plants would not grow.
When humans are lactose intolerant, because of their ancestry, it causes
digestive tract upset, gas, loose stools, etc. Birds and humans have different
digestive tracts. The intestinal tract of humans is miles long. It takes much
longer for indigestible matter to pass through the human digestive tract.
The digestive tract of birds is much shorter. Undigested food passes through
quickly. Because of this, there is less opportunity for bacteria in the
digestive tract to ferment the undigested lactose.
Does anyone have a documented source of information stating that birds do
actually develop digestive problems because of lactose intolerance when
consuming dairy products? I'm not talking about someone 'saying so'. I'm asking
for the facts.
I would think that noted aviculturists who have used milk in their breeding and
weaning program would have ceased to do so upon observing such problems...if it
were true.
This is not intended to encourage people to feed dairy products to their birds.
I especially frown on ice-cream, whipped cream, sour cream, etc.
However, I don't have a problem with an occasional piece of cheese for a bird
that is not overweight..or a splash of milk in their oatmeal...assuming that the
individual bird doesn't have a problem with it. Milk contains good nutrients. It
may not be biologically appropriate for birds, so it's best not to allow them to
indulge very often.
jmo, gloria