Understanding bird food labels is one of the keys to ensuring your pet bird is getting the nutrition he needs. Proper bird food is one of the most important aspects of responsible bird ownership. You can directly control what goes into your bird, and only you can make sure his nutritional needs are being met. The proper type of food depends on the breed of your bird and your understanding of bird food labels. In general, birds need fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in their diet to provide energy sources. They need amino acids to help them stay strong, and vitamins and minerals to build bones and muscles and aid their immune systems. Birds also need sufficient fatty acids in their diets, to maintain healthy skin and feathers, and to reproduce successfully. Most of these fatty acids will take the form of lipids in the bird’s diet. Lipids also play a vital role in helping birds absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, which are all fat-soluble vitamins. Ingredients are listed on bird food labels the same way they are on human food labels: in order of weight. Therefore, you want to be sure that not only can you identify the items listed first on the ingredients, but also that these are things you want your bird to be eating. Ideally, you want to be able to recognize the majority of the items listed on the ingredients. The fewer things with scary-sounding complex chemical names, the better the food will be for your bird. Understanding bird food labels goes beyond the ingredient list, though. You must also understand the guaranteed analysis, which provides you with information on the nutritional content of the food. The guaranteed analysis will list the minimum levels of crude protein and fat, as well as the maximum levels of crude fiber and moisture. The amounts of each of these that are needed for your bird will depend on the species. Ask your breeder or avian vet for recommendations. Determining the proper diet for your breed of bird is one of the most important things you can do for him. Understanding bird food labels and knowing the right things to feed to your breed is an important part of good bird care. The ingredients list and the guaranteed analysis are important components of understanding bird food labels. In general, the easier the ingredients are to read, the healthier the food will be for your bird.
