Avian Medicine: Avian Nutrition:
Expert panel on companion bird nutrition
Regulators of the pet food industry rely on data from expert panels to determine minimum nutrient requirements for small animals. In 1998, an expert committee met to discuss the nutritional needs of companion birds. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and develop nutrient profiles for companion birds, focusing on profiles for formulated feed.
The expert panel developed maintenance guidelines for two broad groups of birds: psittacines and passerines (regardless of size or genus). These conservative, generalized guidelines are extrapolated from the National Research Council requirements for poultry and may be found in Table 1. The panel members also agreed that crude protein levels should be relatively low for pet bird food. Levels ranging from 12-15% crude protein were recommended for long-term feeding.
These guidelines have an important limitation. The amount of energy available to the body from feed ingredients such as corn and soybean meal after loss from eliminations and heat production (or metabolizable energy) is unknown in pet birds. Therefore the panel used gross energy levels instead of metabolizable energy.
Table 1. Nutrient profile recommendations for companion birds
| Psittacines | Passerines | ||||
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | ||
| Gross energy | kcal/kg | 3200 | 4200 | 3500 | 4500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total protein | % | 12 | 14 | ||
| Unoleic acid | % | 1 | 1 | ||
Amino acids |
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| Arginine | % | 0.65 | 0.75 | ||
| Lysine | % | 0.65 | 0.75 | ||
| Methionine | % | 0.3 | 0.35 | ||
| Threonine | % | 0.4 | 0.46 | ||
Vitamins |
|||||
| Vitamin A | IU/kg | 8000 | 8000 | ||
| Vitamin D3 | ICU/kg | 500 | 2000 | 1000 | 2500 |
| Vitamin E | ppm | 50 | 50 | ||
| Vitamin K | ppm | 1 | 1 | ||
| Biotin | ppm | 0.25 | 0.25 | ||
| Choline | ppm | 1500 | 1500 | ||
| Folic acid | ppm | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| Niacin | ppm | 50 | 50 | ||
| Pantothenic acid | ppm | 20 | 20 | ||
| Pyridoxine | ppm | 6 | 6 | ||
| Pyridoxine | ppm | 6 | 6 | ||
| Thiamine | ppm | 4 | 4 | ||
| Vitamin B12 | ppm | 0.01 | 0.01 | ||
Minerals |
|||||
| Calcium | % | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| Phosphorus | % | 0.3 | 0.5 | ||
| Ca:P ratio | 1:1 | 2:1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | |
| Chlorine | % | 0.12 | 0.12 | ||
| Magnesium | ppm | 600 | 600 | ||
| Sodium | % | 0.12 | 0.12 | ||
Trace minerals |
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| Copper | ppm | 8 | 8 | ||
| Iodine | ppm | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| Iron | ppm | 80 | 80 | ||
| Manganese | ppm | 65 | 65 | ||
| Selenium | ppm | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||
| Selenium | ppm | 50 | 50 | ||
| * Total vitamin A activity is listed meaning vitamin A plus carotene. ** Total dietary phosphorus is listed as opposed to the more difficult to analyze, non-phytate phosphorus. |
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Reference
Association of American Feed Control Officials. Nutrition expert panel review: new rules for feeding pet birds. Feed Management 49(2): p. 23-25, 1998.
Written by Christal Pollock, DVM, Dipl. ABVP-Avian; Lafeber Company veterinary consultant on December 12, 2007.
