mineral block

[jusdeb]

Like most people I'm not a great lover of spending money on things for the birds that they take no interest in .

I was sent one of these as a freeby to try by M E Warehouse .

http://www.mewarehouse.com.au/online-sh ... egory_id=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So the result is the birds love it and have made quite a dent in the block already after only a week .

In the aviaries also are Biocal , mixed grits and salt licks as well as cuttlebone , all of which are not touched and yes they are replaced periodically to be sure they are fresh .

So Im wondering what can be taken out of the aviarys whilst the mineral blocks are in and being chewed on .

Im kinda hoping that the mineral block will be enough to warrant not having to put all the others in the aviaries .

Oh and they have calcium / D3 weekly in the water for 24 hours .

Thanks Deb

[Myzomela]

Hi Deb,

Looks suspiciously like Dr Colin Walker's Mineral Block ( Australian Pigeon Company)- in fact it looks exactly the same except for the name at the top!

If it is, then it's a great product and agree that the birds love it.

It is a good mineral supplement, but won't replace the vitamins in biocal.

I would use it as part of your overall supplementation program.

[jusdeb]

Thanks Myzo ...a lot of the products from M E warehouse are the same as auspigeonco so Id lay money they are the same .

Ok thanks for your help , Ill order more for the other aviaries .

Can you suggest a replacement for the Biocal ? They wont touch it at all .

[Tiaris]

Before giving up on Biocal completely I suggest to try mixing some with some crushed eggshell & cuttlebone to give them a taste for it.

[gouldianpaul]

my Goulds get a combination of biocal, mineral block, mixed grit, baked egg shells and cuttle fish...and they love it...it's the first dish they go to when i top it up twice a week...cheers, Paul

[jusdeb]

I have mixed it with the grit mix this last time I changed it and they still arent fussed .
Ive tried it dry .
Ive tried it wet .
They dont like it however I was reading earlier that they will tuck in at breeding time so I might try to persevere .

[jusdeb]

Is it the actual Biocal that is beneficial or is it the pink pigeon vitamins in the Biocal ?

Because I was thinking I could mix the pink powder into their soft food .

[Tiaris]

If using the PVM, again I find it best mixed with dry ingredients such as other grits. I've tried it with moist softfoods, sprouts, etc. & it makes the mix a bit gluggy & unappealing to many finch species.
The pink Biocal is more enticing (to my birds at least) compared to the white one (pigeon one) & the main differences seem to be inclusion of PVM plus some extra aniseed flavour (smells good).

[Diane]

My gouldians take the Biocal, even the ones that are in an aviary on their own, didnt think they would as they usually need a food taster before they will try anything.
I love the smell of it. Remind me of lollies I used to get when I was a kid.

[jusdeb]

Reminds me of Sambucca ...yummmm