curious

[jusdeb]

Im curious to know how many people add vitamins to their birds drinking water????
And for what purpose / benefit ???? Is it beneficial to the birds or just a insurance measure in case the bird is lacking something????
Also what about grit ????Ive stopped using it since reading that finches and parrots dont need it because they dehull the seed b4 they digest it...Does any one else have a opinion about grit?????
If anyone feels like it can a poll be put up to see what others are doing ????I am technically illiterate and can barely post a photo let alone put up a poll lol./...cheers deb

[craigvdl]

Deb, I do not add vitamins as a matter of course, and there is a lot who would say it is a bad idea to do so on a regular basis. Periodically I think it is fine to do so for a couple of days, but if you are giving them a good balanced diet they should not need it, and you avoid the risk of overdosing (even with vitamins this can be a risk in my view) or at best simply wasting your money.

Grit is another thing. I always make it available to my finches - and in varying forms: shellgrit, charcoal, eggshell. They go crazy over it if I forget for a few days and then put some back in.

Craig

[GregH]

I tried a product called Fertivit from Belgium for a while as I'm constantly worried by apparent low male fertility in everything except cut-throats. It didn't make a difference. I decided that everything here in the Philippines is so inbred I'll never overcome it.

Git is always there I make my own fron grated cuttle bone, crushed egg-shells, crushed charcoal and river sand. I use equal parts of each and they seem to pick out everything eacept the sansd so I could reduce that. For granivorous breeding birds this type of mix is essential.

[Mickp]

I dont add any vitamins to the water. I do have a dish of bio-cal available all the time.
grit is available to the birds all the time as well. I use Gomer's recipe with one addition. the grit includes charcoal, crushed cuttlefish, crushed eggshell, bio-cal and crushed oystershell. the birds all have a go at this daily

[fincher]

i dont use any added vitamins but i always suply a bowl of git which includes grated and crushed cuttlefish charcol, egg shells and assorted shellgritt, then there is also a large peice of cuttlebone hanged up on the wire for them to peck at they prever this than the grated and crushed i rekon especialy the gould when coming into breeding condtion

[Diane]

Nothing in the water.
Grit and cuttlefish always available, also pink bell shaped iodine block. Cant see that its had much use tho.

[FINCHIE]

My Star finches would pack up and die if they didnt have shell grit 24/7!

[gomer]

I dont put any vitamins in the water,I do put in vikon-s to keep the water clean.a little apple cider once a month.and am trying currently a little seaweed extract once a month.

[Pete Sara]

i have been trialing spirulina in my soft food it supposed to help with colour enhancement. the funny thing i find its algae and we are constantly told to keep our water dishes clean scrubbing out algae. who knows . its got me.....pete

[southy]

I'm pretty well the same as the rest of them I dont add it to the water as then they do not have a choice because they have to drink.
I do sprinkle Mike Fidlers soft food mix on their soaked(sprouted) seed.
I think grit in different forms is necessary I do pretty well the same as the others,making sure that they always have crushed charcoal because any finch that is a bit off the first thing they head for is the charcoal.
Regardless what the "experts"say I always have a bowl of coarse river sand & it disappears pretty quick.

Southy