Natural Calcium for
Your Birds
Sources and Absorbability
by Cathy DeHaan
"Twin Beaks® neither encourages nor discourages the
use of medicines, supplements or vitamins. We have just
alternately chosen to practice prevention and provide naturally and
organically, rather than manufactured."
While most bird keepers are aware of the
repercussions of a calcium-deficient diet, many are uninformed
of the dangers of too much calcium. Excess calcium from
supplements, fortified foods and high-calcium diets, can cause
the "milk alkali syndrome," which has serious toxicity and can
be fatal. Excessive calcium intake can lead to hypercalcaemia
(an elevated calcium level in the blood), complications of which
include vomiting, abdominal pain and altered mental status.1
High calcium intakes can lead to constipation, an increased
chance for developing calcium kidney stones, and may inhibit the
absorption of iron and zinc from food.2 Too much calcium can
cause the shell glands in the uterus to over-produce calcium,
sometimes making the shells to adhere to the uterus, making it
difficult (if not impossible ) for the hen to lay the egg.
Symptoms of Hypocalcaemia (low calcium) are:
- Poor eggshell formation
- Poor bone health
- Unhealthy heart
- Seizures
- Nervousness
Symptoms of Hypercalcaemia (elevated calcium levels) are:
- Calcification of the kidneys
- Proventriculus
- Lameness
- Chicks unable to hatch out of shell
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain
Twin Beaks® Aviary’s practice of allowing
birds free choice (what, when and how much) is especially
conducive in regards to proper calcium intake, as problems can
arise from both providing too little and too much calcium
in their diet.
Food sources of Calcium for your bird are:
- Dark green, leafy vegetables
- Broccoli
- Yogurt
- Tofu
- Dandelion (found in abundance in
Herb Salad™)
- Oatstraw (found in abundance in
Herb Salad™)
- Marshmallow root
Popular supplemental sources of Calcium for your bird are:
- Eggshell*
- Oyster shell
- Cuttlefish bone
- Mineral block
*Transporter proteins in eggshell calcium
significantly enhance bioavailability making eggshell calcium
20% more absorbable than other forms of calcium carbonate. In
addition, natural ultra-refined eggshell calcium avoids typical
digestive discomfort.4
Adequate vitamin D3, phosphorous and magnesium intake is
necessary to enable proper calcium absorption. Commercial
supplements and additives are one way of providing these
nutrients, a natural and organic diet plus sufficient sunlight,
is another.
Several rich sources of magnesium for your bird are:
- Sunflower seed
- Nuts
- Dark green, leafy vegetables, i.e. broccoli, spinach
- Soybean
- Corn and cornmeal
- Apples
- Oatstraw (found in abundance in
Herb Salad ™)
- Plantain (also found in abundance in
Herb Salad ™)
Vitamin D is naturally available in only a few foods. It can
be difficult to get all the vitamin D needed from food alone.
Full spectrum lighting such as blacklights and Vita-Lites
provide effective and adequate supplementation to sunlight.
Sources of Vitamin D are:
- Sunlight*
- Full-spectrum lighting**
- Fish oil
- Egg yolk
*While window glass absorbs a lot of the
necessary ultraviolet radiation needed to form Vitamin D,
sunlight does pass through glass. The Sun emits ultraviolet
radiation in the UVA, UVB, and UVC bands, but because of
absorption in the atmosphere’s ozone layer, 98.7% of the
ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface is UVA.
Ordinary glass is partially transparent to UVA but is opaque to
shorter wavelengths. Ordinary window glass passes about 90% of
the light above 350 nm, but blocks over 90% of the light below
300 nm. UVA (sunlight, blacklight) falls in the 400nm – 320-nm
range.5, 6, 7
**Incandescent lighting marketed as full
spectrum can produce the same beneficial lighting as that
produced by specially designed fluorescent bulbs. This is
untrue: Incandescent lights provide a general lighting solution
for work areas and living spaces. They are not full spectrum.
"Successful bird-keeping and breeding is quite possible
through proper housing, complete, balanced, and natural-food
diets, and appropriate mate selection."
References:
Ilan Gabriely et al, N Engl J Med, 1 May 2008, 358(18):19521.
9/04 AZ1042 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
TUCSON, ARIZONA 857212.
Daengprok W, Garnjanagoonchorn W, Naivikul O, Pornsinlpatip
P, Issigonis K and Mine Y: Chicken 3. eggshell matrix proteins
enhance transport in the human intestinal epithelial cells. (J
Agric Food Chem 2003, 51:6056-6061)
Schaafsma A and Beelen GM: Eggshell calcium is a comparable
or better source of calcium than purified 4. calcium carbonate.J
Sci Food Agric 1999, 79: 1596-1600)
"Soda Lime Glass Transmission Curve"
www.sinclairmfg.com/datasheets/sodalimecurve.html5.
"B270-Superwite Glass Transmission Curve"
www.pgo-online.com/intl/katalog/curves/B270_kurve.html6.
"Selected Float Glass Transmission Curve"
www.pgo-online.com/intl/katalog/curves/whitefl_kurve.html7.
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