Nutrition plays a fundamental role in ensuring the health and well-being of birds and must be balanced according to the species.
In fact, birds are commonly divided based on their food preferences into: granivores, insectivores, frugivores, omnivores, nectarivores and carnivores (such as birds of prey).
The diet must also be balanced according to factors such as temperature and humidity , the number of specimens present in cages or aviaries, the age and the stage of life of the animal such as, for example, the reproductive or moulting phase which involve a particular energy expenditure.
Nutritional errors are at the root, especially for caged varieties, of many of the pathologies that affect these animals.
A proper diet must guarantee birds the nutrients they need such as proteins (which should constitute approximately 12% of their diet), carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and mineral salts.
A fundamental element that must never be missing is calcium which, together with phosphorus, represents 3/4 of all the minerals present in the organisms of birds.
90% of calcium is found in the skeleton and is therefore essential for their bone system as well as for blood clotting, the nervous system and the formation of egg shells.
Choosing a complete, quality bird food that is specific to the species you house or raise is of fundamental importance.
In this article we will see:
- How the Digestive System of Birds Works
- How to choose the right bird food
- 8 Best Foods for Granivorous Birds
- Insectivorous Bird Food: The 7 Most Balanced
- 3 High-quality feeds specifically for pigeons and doves
How the Digestive System of Birds Works
Before we look at what is the most suitable diet for your birds, it is useful for you to know how their digestive system works.
Birds do not have teeth and swallow their food whole . This ends up in a pouch called a "crop" where it is crushed by the muscles and moistened and then ends up in the two stomachs. The "glandular stomach" that digests the food and the "muscular stomach" that grinds it and replaces chewing.
Just as chickens need "shredding elements" , all other birds also need these substances that allow for proper digestion by acting both as teeth to shred food and as a source of calcium .
This is why the litter grains or common cuttlefish bones are important for your caged birds.
For granivores in general , it is important to provide Grit mineral salts, a granulate of oyster shells, molluscs, limestone and silica and vegetable carbon which naturally facilitates the crushing of the grains, improving their digestion .
How to choose the right bird food
As we have already anticipated, the choice of bird food cannot ignore the species. In addition, to guide you in your choice, you will have to take into account their life stage and some external conditions that determine their nutritional needs.
- An adult subject living in a cage will have modest energy requirements as the energy will be used mainly to maintain the right body temperature, vital functions and a fairly limited physical activity.
- A bird that lives in a very large aviary where it is free to fly will have greater needs.
- The breeding season increases the need for proteins, fats, calcium, folic acid and vitamins A, B12, D3 and E for egg laying and chick rearing.
- The period of feather formation and molting requires a greater quantity of amino acids.
Millstore, specialized in the sale of products for animals , offers you its best solutions based on the most common bird species and which must have a characteristic appearance and smell , be appetizing and of excellent quality taking into account the nutritional needs of the birds.
Before seeing them in detail, a recommendation: remember that water is essential for the life and health of animals.
Change it daily and keep the water bowls clean as they can easily be contaminated by food and feces causing illness to the birds.
8 Best Foods for Granivorous Birds
Granivorous birds (from the Latin granus, "seed" and voro, "to eat") derive their name from the fact that they feed exclusively on seeds .
Their beak is short and strong and most of the small birds that are commonly kept at home such as parakeets, canaries, budgies and exotic birds belong to this category.
Millstore solutions for this category are:
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Yellow Pastoncino for granivorous birds , a soft yellow bird food that
contains eggs and honey for a correct intake of natural nutrients and proteins essential for a complete and balanced diet. Administer it in particular during the breeding, moulting and singing phases.
- Pastoncino Rosso per canarini is a soft pastoncino for red factor canaries. It contains eggs and honey and is recommended for the maintenance and moulting of red factor canaries to ensure perfect pigmentation of the plumage.
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Pastoncino Bianco Th White Soft is a soft food, without colorants with ornithological seeds such as niger and hemp, very appetizing, suitable for granivorous birds and in particular for lipochromic canaries (those whose plumage, near the root, is light in color).
It is a highly professional, balanced, energetic and nutritious product that does not create unwanted browning phenomena on the plumage.
Inside the packaging of this bird food contains Fly Premix Patè , a compound food providing vitamins, mineral salts and essential amino acids suitable for all stages of the birds' life, in particular for weaning, moulting and maintenance. -
Parrocchetti Mix Semi is ideal for birds such as cockatiels, rosellas and rumps which guarantees your pet perfect vitality.
It is a blend of Canadian canary seed, white millet, striped sunflower, red millet, white sunflower, red sorghum, wheat, barley, hulled oats, safflower, buckwheat, hemp and flax with a balanced formulation ideal for all life stages and throughout the year. - Fly Inseparables and Cockatiels with fruit is a mix of seeds enriched with fruit that guarantees a correct vitamin intake.
- Misto Canarini is a mixed bird feed composed of 6 seeds (canary seed, black and red rapeseed, dehulled oats, flax, hemp and niger) capable of satisfying the nutritional needs of canaries.
- Fly Cocorite is a mix of 5 seeds (straw millet, canary seed, red millet, hulled oats, hemp) specifically designed to provide quality nutrition to your cockatiels.
- Fly Exotic Bird Food is a mix of 5 seeds (panic, straw millet, canary seed, red millet, niger) to meet the specific needs of your exotic birds (such as zebra finches, Gouldian finches).
Ensuring your parakeets, canaries and cockatiels have the right diet is the first step to having lively, happy and healthy birds at home.
Insectivorous Bird Food: The 7 Most Balanced
As can be easily understood from their name, insectivorous birds are those whose diet consists of insects .
They are characterised by their thin, pointed beak which they use to hunt for food in nature.
This category includes wild birds such as blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales and woodpeckers.
Let's see which foods are best suited for them.
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Patè Insecta is a specific food for European and exotic insectivorous birds that you can offer to animals throughout the year. Its use is particularly indicated in phases of high need (singing, reproduction, moulting) for omnivorous and frugivorous birds as an energy supplement.
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Patè Mix is a universal soft food for insectivorous and omnivorous cage and aviary birds (blackbirds, thrushes, fieldfares and nightingales, etc.) and is suitable for both breeding and recalling.
This food contains fish, eggs, insects and crustaceans which make it rich in proteins .
You can use it all year round, especially during the singing and reproductive phase, alone or mixed with other products from the same line, such as Paté Insecta. Alternatively, soften it with apple juice in 1/3 doses . -
Fly Raggio Di Sole Ventisette is a complete micro-pellet food for the maintenance of insectivorous singing and decoy birds, formulated to meet their nutritional needs.
It contains high biological value proteins from various origins including fish, which also provides Omega 3 and Omega 6.
The balanced content of 6 essential plant and animal amino acids , fat- and water-soluble vitamins and trace minerals makes the product ideal for all stages of your birds' life.
Its very fine grinding improves digestibility and the assimilation of nutritional principles , with obvious advantages for the well-being and vitality of animals.
During the breeding, moulting and resting seasons, use it in combination with Doremì and Piumì (see below). -
Piumì is a complementary food in micro-pellets for insectivorous singing and decoy birds.
The balanced presence of plant-based proteins, fish, eggs and pupae and the complete supply of vitamins and trace elements make this bird food perfect for the moulting phase .
The high concentration of sulfur amino acids is in fact precious for the development of feathers and plumage. Piumì is also indicated for debilitated or convalescent birds.
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Doremì is, like the previous one, a complementary food in micro-pellets for insectivorous singing and decoy birds .
Rich in proteins of different origins (animal and vegetal), vitamins and trace elements, Doremì is ideal for the reproductive and singing phases which require a significant energy expenditure. -
Pastoncino Gammarus Fruit is a food with fruit and shrimp suitable for all life stages of insectivorous and frugivorous birds.
Rich in particularly digestible noble proteins, you can use it daily, during the moulting, reproduction and singing periods , together with the maintenance food.
- Fat balls from the Fly Wild line are food for free-roaming wild birds that can provide an important energy intake, especially in the coldest seasons. You can hang them, for example, directly on a tree or other external support.
These feeds are able to guarantee insectivorous birds the same nutrients that they would find by hunting for food in nature.
3 High quality feeds specifically for pigeons and doves
Although in the collective imagination they may seem like different animals, when we talk about doves and pigeons we are actually referring to the same animal.
In nature they feed on seeds they find in the fields , integrating them, depending on the season, with berries, vegetables, fruit and small invertebrates.
They do not like broken seeds so, in captivity, their staple food is a mixture of whole seeds.
For them Millstore suggests:
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Pigeon Mix , a mix of grains (alred corn, white and red sorghum, wheat, white pea, oyster shells, broad beans, vetch, small sunflower) for feeding hobby and competition pigeons, suitable for all stages of breeding.
The presence of oyster shells facilitates the crushing and digestion of the seeds. - Fly Allevamento is a mix of grains for hobby and competition pigeons, particularly suitable for the reproductive phase.
- Colì Super Pigeon and Dove Mix , a complete natural feed composed of selected cereals in berries for a complete and balanced diet of broad beans, corn, hibiscus, peas, red and white sorghum, wheat and vetch enriched with mineral salts.
Remember that hygiene is a fundamental aspect both for the health of pigeons and for that of the humans around them. To protect you and your animals, you can use specific products such as Neo Foractil Spray against mites and lice that commonly infest birds.
Therefore, be sure to thoroughly clean the cage at least two or three times a week, while feeders and drinkers where waste and excrement fall must be cleaned every day.
Need advice? Contact the experts
We have seen how a correct diet for birds must necessarily take into account the food category (granivores, insectivores, etc.), the species to which they belong and the life stage they are in.
We also mentioned how the very structure of the digestive system of birds requires the presence of grinding elements that aid digestion.
If you breed birds, host some in your home or if you are planning to do so and are looking for someone who can advise and guide you in choosing the most suitable bird food, turn to a competent and reliable dealer.
The Millstore team of experts is at your disposal to provide you with all the information and support you need not only on nutrition, but on all the products necessary for the care of your animals.
