MINERAL BLOCK

CALCIUM CAKE A calcium-rich pick stone

A PVM baby.

BIOCAL

POLYSEED OIL

TURBOVITE OIL

GARLIC OIL

PELLETED FOODS

PIGEON MAINTENANCE PELLETS and PIGEON RACING PELLETS

Many fanciers will now be familiar with the new APC Pigeon Pellets that are available. Formulated by Dr. Colin Walker and supplied by the Australian Pigeon Company they have now been available for about 10 months. Two types are available, Racing pellets are a concentrated supplement designed to be added to a grain diet, while Maintenance pellets offer a complete diet and can be offered as the only food.

Why make them?
Most of the grain blends used by pigeon racers have developed as a rather hit and miss affair rather than based on any real science or knowledge of nutrition.  Pigeons do not have nutritional wisdom and simply eat the grain that for them tastes good.  Most of the grain blends are high in fat and low in many essential nutrients, in particular calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E and the amino acids methionine, choline and tryptophan.  This is probably a whole range of vitamin and protein supplements have come into being and can be used with success.  These days, 99% of qualified avian vets during their consultations recommend to the owners of pet caged and aviary birds that these birds' diets be based on one of the available pelleted rations.  The pelleted rations are like an avian Pal Meatybite and provide a much more balanced and complete base to the diet than any blend of dry grain.

The formulation of the APC pellets
The APC and Dr. Walker were given access to the full nutritional information of some of the best sources in the world. This included recommended daily intakes and the nutritional contents of each grain. From this it was a matter of doing the maths to develop the nutritional contents of the both the Racing and Maintenance pellets.

Use of the pellets
The two types of pellets are made so that fanciers can choose whether they want to feed a grain based diet or not. A diet of 40% peas, 12% wheat, 12% safflower, 12% milo, 12% corn and 12% Racing pellets provides approximately the same level of nutrition as 100% Maintenance pellets. Either feeding method provides a balanced diet. The Racing pellets are more expensive because they contain higher levels of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to compensate for the deficiencies of the grain diet.

Keeping stock birds in condition
No other supplements are required (apart from grit) when the birds are on the APC pellets. Dr. Walkers own breeding birds have been fed virtually nothing else now for over 18 months and the youngsters produced this year are robust strong young race birds. Feeding Maintenance pellets make it easy to provide a complete diet for stock birds.

Some fanciers feed a reduced ration or for example only barley to get weight off their birds prior to pairing.  It simply makes no sense to feed a deficient diet just before pairing when the birds need to be at their best.  The pellets are formulated to contain 6% fat.  Stock birds cannot become fat on this, no matter how much they eat.  The answer to keeping stock birds trim all year round is simply to feed Maintenance pellets.

Fanciers will notice that a small amount of powder forms in each bag.  This is due to the action of the pellets moving against each other in the bag and is unavoidable.  It takes about 3 – 4 days for the birds to get used to the pellets and also for the first 2 – 3 weeks the birds will drink a bit more, which makes the droppings a bit sloppy.  These signs pass quickly and are a small inconvenience for the long-term benefits of a complete diet. The pellets do not interfere with the use of medication and are made fresh regularly.

THE USE OF PELLETTED RATIONS IN PIGEONS

By Dr Colin Walker, the Flying Vet

Around the world, knowledge regarding avian nutrition has undergone quantum leaps in the last two decades.  We now have a very clear understanding of the optimal nutritional requirements of pigeons. 

Taking a quick look at the level of various nutrients in grain and the average level of these grains used in the various feed blends, it doesn’t take very long to realize that no grain blend can provide a complete and balanced diet.  This is why over time a whole range of supplements has been developed and used successfully because they do complement the deficiencies of a diet based solely on dry grain.  Further complicating the picture is that pigeons preferentially select certain grains within a mix.  This means that even if a grain-blend did provide a balanced diet, it is likely that the balanced diet would be distorted by individual birds selecting the grains they liked.  It has been shown, contrary to the opinion of many fanciers, that pigeons do not have nutritional wisdom.  They do not necessarily know what is best for them but rather they are like children.  They just eat the grain that tastes nice, and these for most pigeons are the grains that are higher in fat. 

Throughout the avian world, one of the ways of combating these problems is through the provision of pelletted rations.  Pelletted rations can be formulated to contain all the nutrients in just the right proportions and every pellet is the same.  In this way, pelletted rations combat the two problems associated with a dry-grain diet, namely that grain diets alone intrinsically fail to provide an optimal diet and the preferential selection of certain grains.  In a well formulated pelletted ration the nutritional intake and the provision of a complete and balanced diet is guaranteed.

Despite these advantages the use of pelletted diets has only slowly been embraced by pigeon fanciers.  In all poultry species such as chickens and ducks, and in particular in the last few years in pet and companion birds such as parrots, the use of pelletted rations has steadily increased.  Such rations are almost invariably recommended by avian vets around the world.  The progressive veterinary-based pigeon companies around the world have in line with advances in knowledge started to manufacture and produce pellets.  

I think part of the reason pigeon fanciers have been slow to use pellets is a lack of understanding of the product. Some companies produce several types of pellet, designed to be fed at different stages of the pigeon’s life.  This is because the nutritional requirements at different life stages vary.  In a recent article, a prominent fancier was quoted as saying that when using pellets in the stock loft the raised youngsters were beautiful but when the same birds were raced on the same pellets they seemed to have no power.  This is a totally anticipated outcome.  To say that one pellet formulation can supply the requirements of a pigeon throughout its whole life is like saying that the dietary requirements of a pregnant woman, a footballer and a growing child are all the same.  In the chicken industry, different pelletted blends are produced for laying hens, young chicks, growing chicks, etc.  In pigeons, we don’t need such a variety and the provision of too many different pellet blends would make the use of pellets unnecessarily complex.   Most companies produce two blends for pigeons, one designed for the maintenance of adult birds and a second designed to be added as a proportion of the diet to a grain blend for actively racing pigeons. 

Maintenance pellets

To formulate maintenance pellets, it is simply a matter of going to the literature on the nutritional requirements of pigeons, which these days is very comprehensive and accurate.  Extensive work over many years has been conducted so that not only is the ideal level in the diet of each vitamin, mineral and amino acid (amino acids combine to make proteins)  known but also the ideal levels relative to each other.  These nutrients can then be blended together in the form of a pellet to provide a complete and balanced diet.  Many fanciers will say, “I have kept pigeons for many years.  I have always fed them grain.  They seem fine.  Why bother?”  What I feel is that many such fanciers accept certain problems that have a nutritional base as a normal part of pigeon management.  Examples here include:

1. Hens past 7 years of age no longer breeding winners – associated with decreased yolk and albumen quality, resulting in poor embryo development and the chick getting off to a poorer start.

2. Cocks and hens developing arthritic changes and gout by 8 - 9 years of age – associated with high levels of protein, too low calcium and incorrect levels of vitamin A and D3 in the diet.

3. Obesity in non-breeding hens – associated with fat contents of  over 6% in the diet.

4. Infertility in middle-aged cocks – associated with an incorrect vitamin A and vitamin E ratio in the diet.  These are both fat-soluble vitamins and are absorbed into the body via the same pathways.  Vitamin E is needed for normal sperm function (it affects lipid metabolism in the sperm head).  Giving too much vitamin A in the diet means there are no pathways available to absorb vitamin E, leading to vitamin E deficiency even if there is plenty in the diet.

5. Recurrent canker in nestlings, despite medical management – low protein levels in the diet and poor balance of nutrients predisposes to disease generally.

The list goes on and on.  Recently, a fancy-pigeon owner rang me.  He kept a breed of fancy pigeon that was notorious for poor fertility.  Traditional wisdom was that this breed was of poor fertility and that a likely cause was Salmonella.  Each year, for the previous 5 years, the fancier had paired 30 pairs together, producing only 6 – 8 youngsters per round.  He was becoming totally exasperated and ended up driving 100 miles to our clinic to investigate the cause.  The birds appeared normal in the hand and were fed grain, grit and water.  Six birds were anaesthetized and the gonads were examined with an endoscope through a keyhole incision in their left side.  There were no visible abnormalities (such as cysts, adhesions, or tumours) in any of the birds’ gonads.  Blood was drawn from each bird for a Chlamydia test (Chlamydia is the organism that causes eye-colds in young pigeons and can damage the gonads of older birds leading to irregular laying in hens and premature infertility in cocks).  The best way to diagnose Salmonella (the organism that causes the disease Paratyphoid) is to culture the site of an infection. Endoscope-guided swabs were collected for testing, taken directly from the gonads.  All test results for disease were negative.  The birds were changed to a pelletted ration.  The next year the first round from 30 pairs contained 57 youngsters.   

Fanciers asking if the pellets contain medication to control canker is common.  On pelletted rations, they found they no longer needed to treat for canker.  In Australia , it is illegal to add medication to pellets (except with a prescription).  This effect is simply due to the pellets providing a complete diet and the resultant increased ability of the healthier bird to resist disease.   

In another instance, a fancier added turkey grower pellets to his grain blend during breeding.  The high level of protein and calcium in this blend resulted in beautiful youngsters being produced.  Because of this, he kept feeding the pellets as a proportion of the diet to his stock birds while they were not breeding.  Several months later, some of these started to get sick.  One was euthanized and autopsied.  The persistently high protein, high calcium, high vitamin D3 levels in this diet for non-growing or breeding birds had damaged their kidneys and they were developing kidney failure.  Correction of the diet resulted in all remaining birds recovering within 2 weeks.

Fanciers often add iron to the diet or copper sulphate to the drinker (to combat canker).  These are both heavy metals that are quickly absorbed into the system but only slowly excreted.  With repeated low doses, these birds look fine but as the minerals accumulate in their bodies they have a variety of effects.  The most common of these in the stock loft is reduced fertility.  It can be hard for the fancier to relate the dead-in-shell youngsters, clear eggs and non-laying hens experienced during breeding to these treatments, which may have been given months earlier.

With the nutritional knowledge available and the expertise used in making maintenance pellets, to me it makes no sense not to use them.  Often they are also cheaper than grain.  

Racing pellets

The other type of pellet made is what is termed a racing pellet.  These are designed to be added to a grain blend.  They are a more concentrated blend of vitamins, minerals and amino acids and designed to complement the deficiencies of the grain. 

Racing pellets are made for two main reasons. 

1. A maintenance pellet cannot provide the fluctuating nutritional requirements of competing race birds.  Fat and energy requirements for a race bird fluctuate depending on how much work it is having, the distance of the race for which it is being prepared, and the weather.  Grain blends need to be modified to cater for this fluctuating need.  The fat and energy content of the diet is usually increased with cold weather and increased work load through the provision of high fat (e.g. safflower, hemp, linseed) and high carbohydrate (e.g. maize, wheat) grains and lowered during warm weather and times of less work.  The experienced and astute fancier can determine the exact level through watching his birds’ behaviour and monitoring weight changes through handling.  If the birds appear a bit tired or light, the fat and energy content should be increased provided the protein level stays above 12% of the total diet.  Total protein levels of less than 12% can lead to loss of muscle bulk.  
2. Food is a principal reward for a pigeon on return from a race.  As pellets are not as palatable as grain, providing only pellets on return may compromise the reward principle unless the bird is very hungry.  Racing pellets allow the provision of a grain-based diet but still allow the fancier to provide a complete diet.

To produce racing pellets, the level of each vitamin, mineral and amino acid can be calculated for the average grain blend.  Where deficiencies or imbalances are identified, a pellet can be produced to correct these and create a balanced and complete diet when added to the grain mix at a particular proportion.  Most racing pellets are designed to be added to a grain blend at around 10%.  With the use of pellets (be they racing or maintenance pellets) there is no need to provide any other supplement – in fact, their use just distorts the correct diet. The only additional food items the birds need are grit and water.

Disadvantages of pellets

So what are the disadvantages:

1. Palatability – Pigeons that are not accustomed to pellets initially do not like them and will select grain every time.  Usually racing pellets are accepted more readily than maintenance pellets.  It takes most birds 2 – 3 days to become used to them.
2. Watery droppings – Birds fed pellets initially drink more.  This makes their droppings wet.  Usually within 2 – 3 weeks water intake becomes normal and the droppings improve.  Usually however birds on the maintenance pellets, but not racing pellets, have droppings that are not quite as tight as those fed grain.
3. Wastage in the bag – Because the pellets rub against each other in the bag, some powder is produced.  This leads to a small amount of wastage. 

These disadvantages have got to be offset against the enormous advantage of providing a complete nutritious diet.  Advantages such as healthier more fertile longer-lived stock birds, increased disease resistance, and improved race performance.  I would strongly encourage fanciers to consider the use of pelletted rations. 

>>Back

GRITS

HEALTH GRIT

CALCIVITE PLUS

Liquid calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium supplement
For caged and aviary birds

Calcivite Plus has been developed by avian veterinarians and aviculturists to supplement the diets of pigeons that may be deficient in calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium. 

The diets provided for birds, particularly those based on dry seed, often contain low levels of calcium. Calcium deficiency can lead to thin bones, poor growth in babies and reproductive problems including soft-shelled eggs, poor quality eggs, egg binding and post laying paralysis. The calcium in Calcivite Plus is in its proteinated (organic) form, making it water-soluble and more easily absorbed from the bowel.

Vitamin D3 is necessary for absorption of calcium from the bowel.

The levels of calcium and magnesium in the body are related, with levels of calcium in the diet affecting the magnesium requirement. As the level of calcium in the diet rises, this increases the requirement for magnesium. It is therefore useful to also provide magnesium in a calcium supplement.

Calcivite Plus is a fully water soluble, clear liquid that is readily taken by the birds. It can also be added to wet mixes and soft foods, such as fruit or soaked or sprouted seed.

With the calcium in its proteinated form and also containing vitamin D3 and magnesium, Calcivite Plus represents an extremely useful way for the aviculturist to provide essential calcium to caged and aviary birds.

Active constituents: Calcium as calcium proteinate 33g/l; vitamin D3 25,000 iu/l; magnesium sulphate 0.5 g/l.

ELECTROLYTE P180 oral electrolyte and glucose supplement for racing pigeons

Category: Electrolyte replacer

Active ingredients: Sodium ions, potassium ions, bicarbonate ions, chloride ions, glucose

Guaranteed analysis
Per 3-g measure:
Sodium ions 370 mg
Potassium ions 614 mg
Bicarbonate ions 981 mg
Chloride ions 556 mg
Glucose ions 468 mg

Countries of registration: Australia (NRA CRIS No. 54082), New Zealand 

Available sizes: 200 g

Directions
Add 3 g (using enclosed measure) to 4 litres of clean water.  Mix thoroughly.  Remove all other sources of water from the loft.  Provide a fresh solution daily. 

Treat for 24 hours as required

Notes
Electrolyte P180 is a water-soluble powder containing essential body electrolytes and glucose.  When in solution, it is a palatable source of energy and electrolytes for birds.  Used as directed, it will assist racing pigeons to recover from the exertion associated with racing and training

Storage: Store below 30°C (room temperature) in a dry place
 

HERB TONIC

Field studies have shown that some free-flying birds, such as rosellas, may consume 80 or more different types of plants per day. Captive birds are not able to forage and so are totally dependent on their carers for their nutrition. The more closely the captive diet mimics that in the wild, then one would expect that not only the health of the birds would be better but also their reproductive performance.

Recently, evidence has started appearing in both the veterinary and aviculturalist literature that supplementation with certain herbs may be of benefit. For example, chlorophyll, which is always present in wild diets, has been shown to improve crop emptying time in hand-raised cockatoos. Dandelion and milk thistle have been shown to decrease cholesterol levels and help to prevent fatty liver (a degenerative condition associated with primary liver disease and a high-fat diet) in lorikeets. Echinacea has been shown to be an immune stimulant.

Some herbs contain high levels of important nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Dandelion, for example, is rich in vitamin A and calcium. Wheat grass is high in beta-carotene and chlorophyll and contains a multitude of other trace nutrients as well. Rick Jordan in his well-known book on hand-raising parrots records that a noticeable difference in the overall plumage colouration is seen, in particular the reds were more brilliant, when the birds were supplemented with wheat grass powder. Spirulina is another useful natural supplement for birds. It contains beta-carotene, chlorophyll, vitamin B, calcium, amino acids known to be low in seed diets, plus many other nutrients. The minerals found in plants are in a proteinated (or organic) form, which enhances their uptake from the bowel. The vitamins are often in their precursor form. As the precursors are only converted to the active form and absorbed if the body actually needs them, there is little risk of an overdose.

In Herb Tonic, the herb extracts are carried in a lactulose base. Lactulose is a good base for herb extracts. It is a complex carbohydrate, which does not react with the ingredients in the extracts, even with prolonged storage. Lactulose is not absorbed from the bowel but when acted on by the body’s digestive enzymes is turned into acetic acid. This helps to ensure that the pH of the stomach and bowel is weakly acidic, which is the situation in health. The weakly acidic conditions in the stomach and bowel of birds help to protect them from disease.

Herb Tonic contains:
Grapefruit seed extract, 12 mg/ml
Dandelion extract, 12 mg/ml
Milk thistle extract, 12 mg/ml
Echinacea extract, 24 mg/ml
with added chlorophyll, wheat grass powder and Spirulina in a lactulose base.

MULTIBOOST

Developed by avian veterinarians Multiboost is a fully water-soluble liquid containing 11 vitamins and 8 amino acids. It provides a nutritious supplement that the birds drink readily.

Multiboost is added to the water at a rate of 0.5 – 1 ml per litre or one drop per 100 ml of water. In dilution, it can also be added to soft foods or alternatively soaked or sprouted seed. Multiboost contains no sugar in order to decrease the risk of bacterial or fungal contamination.

Supplementation with any nutrient lacking in the diet can be expected to improve fertility, resistance to disease and health generally. Specifically formulated to address the needs of finches and parrots, Multiboost is rich in vitamins A, B and E and contains the amino acids known to be low in a dry-seed diet. In particular, the amino acids methionine and tryptophan, which Multiboost contains, aid in the formation of the lipoproteins that help to prevent fatty liver.

Multiboost is ideal for use in finches, budgerigars, canaries, cockatiels, cockatoos, rosellas, grass parrots and other birds.

MULTIVITE PLUS - 'The Golden Boost' A water-soluble vitamin/mineral powder

NUTRIGRIT- YELLOW

NUTRIVET - Seed Booster

WATER- SOLUBLE VITAMIN, MINERAL AND AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENT

Pigeons are essentially seed eating birds and have an obligate requirement for grit. Seeds form the basis of a balanced diet and supply protein, carbohydrate and fats. We know however that it is virtually impossible to supply all the nutrients that pigeons require if fed only a dry seed diet even if the variety of grains given is quite large.

Basically dry seed diets are too high in fat and low in protein. They also fail to provide many essential nutrients. In the grains used in most seed mixes, the following vitamins are usually limiting: vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamin K and vitamin E. The most limiting amino acids in most seeds are lysine, methionine and tryptophan, while the minerals likely to be limiting are calcium, manganese, sodium, and in some cases, copper, zinc, iodine and selenium.

A grain diet can be supplemented and improved with greens (such as silver beet), yeast products (eg ID Yeast) and fatty acids (eg Polyseed Oil) to make the diet better. The challenge for avian veterinarians and pigeon racers is to provide a complete and balanced diet to our birds. Poor nutrition will suppress the birds ability to resist disease, compromise growth and feather quality, prolong recovery from exertion or illness, decrease reproductive results and of course compromise racing performance.

A further important consideration in the feeding of grain is the effect of the annual harvest. Seeds grow in spring and are harvested once a year, leading to a cycle of progressively older seeds until the next harvest. At some time during the year, at least a portion of the seeds are one year old or older. The nutrients that are most affected by aging are the vitamins, which lose activity owing to oxidation and fats, which become rancid. This aging process can lead to a reduced nutrient concentration. In this way, the level of many other micronutrients becomes reduced with time.

Nutrivet is a palatable, water- based supplement that specifically contains the vitamins, minerals and amino acids known to be lacking in a dry seed diet. All nutrients are provided at the correct levels relative to each other, and the minerals are in their proteinated form to make them soluble in water and more easily absorbed from the bowel.

Nutrivet specifically addresses the problems associated with a diet based on dry grain. Formulated by avian vets and nutritionists with the Australian Pigeon Company it enables the provision of a more complete diet. With no possible adverse effects it can be routinely used in the loft.

PROBAC

Category: Probiotic

Active ingredients: Moxidectin, praziquantel

Guaranteed analysis
Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus thermophilus, Allicin 

Countries of registration: Australia (APVM Approval No. 56494/200/1203)

Available sizes: 200 g

Directions
Add 2 g (1 measure) to 2 litres of water for 24 hours as required.  May be used several times weekly.  A fresh solution should be mixed daily and provided in a clean drinking vessel. 

Can be added to the food at the rate of 1 gram (1/2 measure) to 1 kg of grain after moistening with a seed oil, e.g. wheatgerm oil at rate of 1 – 2 ml/kg. 

Keep medicated water out of direct sunlight.  Remove all other sources of water

Notes
Probac is a concentrated, water-soluble blend of live microbes with added garlic extract (Allicin), which benefits birds by improving the intestinal microbial balance.  Everyday use of Probac helps maintain a balanced digestive system, thus optimizing digestion of feed and enhancing your birds’ health, naturally.  These microbes are safe, non-toxic and residue-free.  Garlic extract, the second natural active ingredient, supports the effects of probiotic bacteria.

The normal bacteria found in the bowel are necessary for nutrient absorption and aid in the protection of the bowel from disease.  Stress disrupts these normal beneficial bacteria.  Probac is a palatable water-soluble powder that will quickly restore the correct balance. 

A probiotic preparation made for use in pigeons.

At last a concentrated (180 million CFU/g) probiotic preparation made specifically for birds.

Probac can be added to the drinking water at the rate of 1 teaspoon to 4 litres or added to the grain (after first moistening with a seed oil, ½ - 1 ml per kg) at the rate of 1/3 teaspoon (1 gram) to 1 kg.

Probiotic preparations flood the bowel with beneficial bacteria. These bacteria produce acids such as lactic acid, that keep the contents of the stomach and intestine weakly acidic, thus favoring the growth of ‘good’ bacteria and inhibiting the growth of ‘bad’ bacteria. They also preferentially occupy receptor sites so that they are not available to disease causing bacteria and produce protective slime layers. Probiotics also have an appetite-stimulating effect, producing digestive enzymes and B vitamins. They also stimulate general immunity. Probac has the added advantage of also containing allicin, the natural immune stimulant found in garlic.

So when can the fancier use probiotics to his advantage:-

After any stress - It is well known that stress induces a disruption of the normal bowel bacteria and that the beneficial bacteria are the first ones to be lost with stress. Once these beneficial bacteria are removed from their normal environment by stress, many more are lost from the digestive tract and are replaced by an overgrowth of non-beneficial bacteria. This can result in diarrhoea, loss of performance, decreased appetite and in the stock loft, inhibited growth and limited weight gain in the youngsters. Probiotics restore the balance of beneficial to non-beneficial bacteria. They are best given as soon as possible after the stress or just before the time of the stress. By doing so, disease or performance problems may be avoided.

In the stock loft - Use probiotics regularly in the stock loft as part of routine management, particularly during the breeding season. Use two to three times weekly when the stock birds are feeding youngsters. This helps the birds resist E. coli (often associated with wet nests) and ensures that the birds get the maximum nutrition possible out of their seed at a time that often puts real demands on them. Probiotic use will help the parents produce vigorous robust young.

In the race loft - Probiotics can be used in the race loft to both treat and prevent E. coli and Candida infections. Stress disrupts the bowel bacteria, giving E. coli and yeast the opportunity to cause disease. In lofts where these are a problem, probiotics can be used whenever E. coli or yeasts are seen under the microscope, when the droppings become green or green and watery, or when there are weather conditions that favour E. coli, in particular when the weather is cold and damp or humid. In such lofts, it is a good idea to give probiotics routinely as part of the loft’s disease management program, with the focus here being on disease prevention rather than waiting for disease to appear. When E. coli and yeast flare-ups are a problem, our challenge is to identify the stress that caused the flare up while at the same time helping the birds clear the E. coli and yeast through use of probiotics. With no on-going stress, the droppings will appear normal within 24 hours of the start of probiotic use.

Postrace - The stress of racing itself causes disruption to the normal bowel population. Fanciers will have noticed that the droppings of birds that have raced often take 24 - 48 hours to return fully to normal. With my own birds, I find that if they come home to probiotics, then the next morning it is much more likely that the droppings will be normally formed and brown and that the bird will continue with a feather down drop. Probiotics can be combined with electrolytes and vitamins.

Postweaning - At this time, we don’t want to use drugs. We want to develop a strong natural immunity. Probiotics specifically stimulate this.

Following antibiotic use - Particularly during racing, probiotic use after antibiotics hastens the re-establishment of the normal bowel population.

Moulting - Maintaining a healthy bowel during moulting aids in on-going nutrient delivery to the developing feather in the feather follicle and decreases the chance of fret marks, etc.

In the show loft - Probiotics can help birds resist Salmonella. Although all pigeons are susceptible to Salmonella, clinical disease is seen more commonly in fancy breeds rather than racing birds. Certain breeds are particularly susceptible, e.g. Modenas, Show Homers and the high flying breeds, especially Doneks. The way an outbreak is managed depends on the severity of the problem. Regular probiotics have been shown to help birds resist the disease.

Probiotic use can never be harmful as we are simply flooding the bowel with beneficial bacteria that should always be there. Their use has many advantages and should be encouraged.

USE OF PROBIOTICS In Caged & Aviary Birds

By Dr Colin Walker  BSc, BVSc, MRCVS, MACVSc (Avian health)

The bacteria-host relationship
Through evolution, bacteria and warm-blooded animals have closely associated themselves to form a closed system for mutual benefit. By trial and error, over millennia, populations of bacteria have evolved that are indigenous to their animal host. The animal host receives the benefits of aid in the digestive process, manufacture of essential nutrients, protection against other undesirable bacteria, assistance in control of water in the body and other metabolic advantages. The bacteria in return receive temperatures favourable for their growth, a constant supply of nutrients, and essential substances in the form of the body’s secretions. Because of the exact nature of this relationship, there are bacterial populations that are the most favourable for the host animal.

Changes
Each member of this mutually beneficial relationship is profoundly influenced by the other. When certain changes occur in the host, corresponding changes are reflected in bacterial populations in the bowel. Bacterial changes may occur as a result of stress, diet change, antibiotic therapy and other factors. Conversely, as the resident bacterial population changes, there are subsequent changes in the animal’s activity. These include alterations in the host’s ability to digest its food and its ability to protect itself from bowel disease. The animal host then has the problem of getting back to an ideal relationship with its normal resident population of bacteria. Hopefully it can accomplish such a relationship before subsequent challenges again upset the ideal state.

Where animals are not stressed, have an appropriate diet, are not crowded, are not given drugs, do not contract infection or metabolic diseases and live in a clean environment, an ideal level of intestinal bacterial population may be maintained on a rather steady basis. In fact, no differences are generally reported in numerous trials under these ideal conditions.

Imbalance
The conditions described above, however, do not fit the environment under which many birds are kept. Even in the best aviaries, under the best care, birds are subjected to various stresses. This means that disruption of the normal balance of intestinal bacteria can be a common event. If an ideal state is not maintained, utilization of nutrients is not optimal and resistance to harmful organisms is reduced.

What is a probiotic?
The bacteria that are normally found in the bowel of healthy non-stressed animals can be cultured and prepared as a medication. In this form they are called probiotics. The probiotic concept involves the refeeding or reintroduction of these bacteria to an animal. Many studies in many countries have shown that, although these bacteria can control and exclude other harmful bacteria, they are in fact the most likely to be disrupted by stress. Most probiotic products consist of naturally occurring living cultures of specific strains of Lactobacilli and enteric Streptococcus (Enterococcus). 

Restoring the balance
Once it was established that the feeding of certain live bacteria to animals has the potential to produce beneficial effects under certain circumstances, i.e. when the normal bacterial balance has been disrupted, the actual delivery of these organisms from the laboratory to the animal became the next hurdle. Pharmaceutical companies have now overcome this. The large Japanese pharmaceutical company Yakult manufactures a human probiotic (Lactobacillus casei) as a milk-based drink in Victoria. This is distributed through the eastern States of Australia. One million bottles are consumed by Australians every week. Fourteen million are consumed in Japan every day! Interestingly, in people, studies have shown that individuals who drink ‘Yakult’ and are exposed to diseases such as Salmonella are much less likely to become unwell. Probiotic use in people has also been shown to decrease the chance of bowel cancer. As many of the harmful bacteria produce toxins that are carcinogenic, i.e. can induce cancer, their exclusion can decrease the risk of this disease.

In birds, there are gel preparations of probiotics for individual dosing and also water-soluble powders to treat the flock. These provide selected beneficial live bacteria with excellent stability when protected from extreme heat and moisture. Because of the intimate relationship between the host animal and its bacterial population, it is important that the correct organisms are supplied in probiotic preparation for any given species. Probiotic supplements need to be prepared with particular species in mind and the more types of normal bacteria that can be provided, the better. For use in birds, therefore, multistrain avian-origin probiotic supplements are used.

Recent Studies
At the seventh European Association of Avian Veterinarians conference held in April 2003 at Loro Parque in Tenerife, an interesting paper was presented on probiotic use in cockatiel chicks. This paper described work done at Louisiana State University by a team headed by Dr. Tom Tully. Cockatiel chicks were removed from their parents at 12 days of age and hand rearing commenced. They were divided into several groups, some of which received probiotic supplementation, and some of which did not. During the hand raising, weight gain and the ability to resist disease were monitored.

Results showed that there was no difference in weight gain in healthy chicks on a good diet. The team went on to state “Although not significant in benefiting healthy babies being fed an adequate diet, in all likelihood babies being fed marginal diets by inexperienced feeders, stressed and or diseased birds should benefit from an avian specific probiotic supplement fed on a daily basis”.

During hand raising the birds were deliberately infected with disease-causing bacteria (Pseudomonas sp, E. coli). Testing of the birds after infection with these bacteria showed that the probiotic-supplemented group was less likely to be pathogen positive. Subsequent blood tests showed less of an inflammatory response (lower white blood cell count) and subsequent histopathology showed less infection in the intestines.

At the AU convention in October 2003 in Chicago research work was presented by Star Labs. Star Labs are based in Missouri and manufacture a probiotic preparation called “PrimaLac”. Two large trials had been conducted with this product. In one trial involving over 20,000 Bob White quail chicks it was shown that probiotic-supplemented birds, when compared to non-probiotic-supplemented birds, had improved growth, improved feed conversion, and improved feather quality, and were more likely to survive. They also exhibited an enhanced immune (antibody) response. The second trial involved approximately 15,000 pheasants. These birds were also divided into probiotic-supplemented and non-supplemented groups. Both groups were then deliberately infected with Salmonella typhimurium (a disease causing bacteria) and then later Newcastle disease (caused by a paramyxo virus). In both instances approximately 25% more of the non-probiotic-supplemented birds died.

Mode of action
And so how do probiotics work?
Competitive inhibition – The normal bacteria found in the bowel of some birds during health, e.g. Lactobacillus sp., produce lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic and other substances that help keep potential pathogens under control. In health the lactic acid produced by the normal bacteria keeps the PH of the contents of the stomach and intestine low i.e. acidic. Loss of these normal bacteria, secondary to stress, leads to an increase in PH. As a general rule, most pathogenic bacteria do not multiply well in an acidic environment and so a rise in PH creates a window of opportunity for disease causing bacteria to invade. As many aviculturalists are aware, likely potential invaders include E. coli, Pseudomonas, Candida (yeast or thrush), Salmonella and Yersinia. Often these organisms act as opportunists, waiting to cause disease whenever birds become stressed. In addition to weakly acidifying the bowel, probiotics do much more to help the bird, in that they produce protective slime layers that coat the bowel lining and also preferentially occupy receptor sites on the bowel wall, in the process excluding bacteria such as E. coli. They can offer an effective natural way of combating the problem without the need for antibiotics. By treating the birds, we are simply flooding the bowel with beneficial bacteria, which, through their normal activity may re-establish health.

Appetite stimulation - Probiotics appear to have a strong appetite-stimulatory effect. They are known to produce digestive enzymes and B vitamins. These effects help the birds to get the maximum nutrition from their diet.

Immune stimulation – Recent work indicates that probiotics stimulate general immunity.

Interestingly, it appears human probiotic preparations are being developed to target specific bacterial infections. In humans, a bacterium Bacillus cereus causes gastroenteritis. This infection is not fatal but is responsible for many lost days of work annually in the population. Rather than being prescribed antibiotics, in the future patients may be prescribed a specific probiotic ‘yoghurt’ that controls the infection. According to the companies involved, with this technology now in place, more difficult organisms like E. coli, which have a large number of strains and mutate more readily, will be tackled. Once available, these preparations will be beneficial and useful to aviculturalists as they will mean that such infections can be managed without resorting to antibiotics with their associated risk of side effects.

Use of probiotics
Although probiotic preparations have been available for several years, there still seems to be some uncertainty about their use. As always when new products become available, it is easy for misinformation to be spread. The situation is complicated by the fact that not all birds have the same or even similar populations of bowel bacteria. Birds with caeca, such as chickens, carry large numbers of what are called gram-negative bacteria, which are capable of causing disease in other species. In birds such as parrots with no caeca, the number of gram-negative bacteria is very low, but large numbers of gram-positive bacteria are normal. In lorikeets, virtually no bacteria are found, while in many passerines such as canaries and Australian finches, no permanent population of bowel bacteria exists, with the bacteria found in droppings being regarded as transients.

Although not a miracle cure, it does seem that probiotics can be beneficial in certain situations to help maintain the health of our birds.

So when can the aviculturist use probiotics to his advantage?

After any stress - Stress predictably disrupts the population of bacteria found in the bowel with the beneficial bacteria being the first ones to be lost. Once these beneficial bacteria are removed, an opening is created for an overgrowth of disease causing bacteria or yeasts. This can result in diarrhoea, decreased appetite and a vulnerability to disease. Probiotics restore the balance of beneficial to non-beneficial bacteria. They are best given as soon as possible after the stress or just before the time of the stress. By doing so, disease problems may be avoided.

During breeding and moulting – Often, despite the best of care, breeding or moulting birds can become “run down”. Probiotic use is likely to protect the parents and, during breeding, the babies from disease.

Following purchase and transport – Catching and confinement can be extremely stressful particularly in naturally nervous species. Interrupted feeding and drinking patterns provide further physiological stress.

Following antibiotic use – Many antibiotics not only target disease-causing bacteria, but also kill the beneficial bacteria of the bowel. When antibiotic treatment ceases, the bowel can re-populate with bacteria from the birds’ immediate environment. Probiotics can help protect the birds from disease during this time.

After fledging – Less disease can be expected after weaning if birds are probiotic-supplemented until they are feeding properly and have established themselves in the aviary.

Note on Probiotic Use
In some metropolitan areas, the addition of fluoride or chlorine to drinking water may interfere with the action of probiotics. In metropolitan areas, treatment plants are situated throughout the water-distribution network. According to Australian authorities, the concentration of fluoride and chlorine throughout most of the network is too low to exert an effect. However, the concentration in the water of aviculturalists close to a treatment plant may be high enough to kill the probiotic organisms. These substances will, however, evaporate from treated water if it is allowed to stand for 24 hours. Aviculturalists in any doubt are best to set aside water to be medicated with probiotics for 24 hours before use. Simply standing the required volume of water in several buckets awaiting use is adequate. Alternatively, rainwater or distilled water could be used. Most water-soluble probiotic preparations can be added to the feed. Indeed, with some preparations, this ensures a more immediate and effective delivery of the probiotics to the digestive tract.

Yeast being added to the grain

ID YEAST

PICK POTS
>>Back

OTHER

F10

What sets F10 apart from other ‘strong’ disinfectants on the market is its broad spectrum effectiveness and its unmatched safety.  TGA- and APVMA-approved, it is effective against viruses (including circo virus), bacteria and fungi.  The product is non-corrosive, non-toxic, biodegradable, non-tainting, non-irritating, totally safe to handle and not hazardous.  It is highly effective at low concentrations.  No rinsing is required after use.  Simply apply and leave to dry.  The disinfectant will not affect birds adversely, even if fogged into lofts.

NESTBOWLS

PERMETHRIN
>>Back