Midwest bird &exotic animal hospital

[Dean0]

Midwest Bird & Exotic Animal Hospital
1923 South Mannheim Road
Westchester, IL 60154
(708) 344-8166

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The following charts show the total amount of calcium and phosphorus in 1 CUP PORTIONS of selected foods. One need look not only at the total milligram (mg) amount of calcium, but also the Ca:P ratio. This ratio should be close to 1:0.5 for the best calcium absorption. The higher the phosphorus amount is compared to calcium, the poorer the absorption of calcium is in the body.
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Food Calc (mg) Phosp (mg) Ca:P Ratio

GOOD CALCIUM SOURCES
Turnip Greens 694 98 1:0.14
Cabbage outside
green leaves) 429 72 1:0.17
Chinese Cabbage 400 72 1:0.2
Broccoli Leaves 349 89 1:0.2
Watermelon 33 9 1:0.27
Mustard Greens 582 168 1:0.29
Kohlrabi 390 120 1:0.3
Watercress 53 15 1:0.3
Chard 300 100 1:0.33
Collards
(cooked) 14 150 1:0.4
Kale 390 134 1:0.4
Dandelion
(Greens) 168 70 1:0.4
Endive 104 39 1:0.4
Broccoli Stem 111 47 1:0.4
Beet Greens 188 80 1:0.4
Orange
or Tangerine 48 18 1:0.4
Dark green leaf
lettuce 25 14 1:0.56
Parsley 46 30 1:0.65
Spinach 156 92 1:0.6
Yellow Wax
Beans 63 46 1:0.7
Celery 44 32 1:0.7

MODERATE CALCIUM SOURCES
Cabbage
(inner leaves) 46 34 1:0.74
Rutabaga 99 75 1:0.75
Blueberries 33 26 1:0.8
Strawberries 68 56 1:0.8
Squash 36 30 1:0.8
Turnips 112 94 1:0.84
Okra 144 124 1:0.86
Carrots 90 82 1:0.9
Raspberries 82 76 1:0.93
Cantaloupe 64 60 1:0.9
Green Beans 55 50 1:1
Blackberries 43 43 1:1
Yams 44 50 1:1
Guavas 15 16 1:1
Apples 10 10 1:1
Pears 15 18 1:1.2

POOR CALCIUM SOURCES
Parsnips 120 152 1:1.3
Radish 21 29 1:1.4
Apricots 15 21 1:1.4
Plums 20 27 1:1.4
Beets 56 84 1:1.5
Cherries
(pitted) 19 35 1:1.58
Cauliflower 28 46 1:1.6
Broccoli Flowers 85 140 1:1.65
Grapes 19 35 1:1.8
Peaches 10 19 1:1.9
Cucumber 10 21 1:2.1
Pumpkin 46 100 1:2.2
Sweet Potato 19 45 1:2.4
Lettuce
(head, iceberg) 17 40 1:2.4
Asparagus 28 70 1:2.5
Tomato 11 29 1:2.6
Eggplant 22 62 1:2.8
Pineapple 12 35 1:2.9
Bananas 7 22 1:3.1
Peas 56 254 1:4.5
Brussels Sprouts 36 161 1:4.48
Mushrooms 19 131 1:6.9
Corn 16 206 1:12.9
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This is a chart of the Ca:P ratio for various foods and is not intended to be a list of best foods to feed your parrot. Many of the foods that are "moderate" or "poor" on the chart are excellent sources of other vitamins and minerals that are essential to your bird's health.

Haven't seen this before, it helps me make decisions and understand how some foods assist in bird health.

[Skyes_crew]

Thanks for that

I don't worry so much about calcium in my birds diet because they get oyster shell mixed in with their food and they get cuttlebone. I think I would worry more for calcium overkill. Especially in breeding age hens.

[Dean0]

Another tid bit of information I found.

Remove Heavy Metals

Heavy metal poisoning is a concern with birds kept in captivity. Birds can get zinc or lead poisoning from their cages, toys and other items. This recipe can be incorporated into a bird's diet in small amounts to assist the body in ridding itself of heavy metals or it can act as a preventive against heavy metal poisoning.

CORIANDER CHELATION PESTO

4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium)
2 cups packed fresh coriander leaves (cilantro, Chinese parsley) (vitamin A)
2/3 cup flaxseed oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice (vitamin C)
2 tsp dulse powder

Process the coriander and flaxseed oil in a blender until the coriander is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Store in a dark glass jar if possible. It freezes well, so purchase coriander in season and fill enough jars to last through the year.

Coriander has been proven to chelate toxic metals from our bodies in a relatively short period of time. Combined with the benefits of the other ingredients, this recipe is a powerful tissue cleanser. This pesto purportedly increases the urinary excretion of mercury, lead and aluminum, thus effectively removing these toxic metals from our bodies. It is delicious on toast, baked potatoes and pasta.