let's see pictures of your 100 birds in the sunlight please!
Well I do it in rotation so it's never all 28 at one time! It's like 4 parrotlets, ok now swap those in and take these out, etc. I do try to give them exposure to it. I'll try to get some photos.
Lately the heat index has been so high - Captain Jack wasn't out there 15 minutes when he started holding his wings out and panting. So I have to really watch them.
They definitely got sunlight every day when they were on the lanai but then there were other problems! There's no clear answer.
My birds like TOPS but I’ll Be supplementing with lafeber avi vera vitamins.
This is good, I encourage everyone to supplement with vitamins - NOT necessarily daily but, I was serious when I said you kinda need to do math, if you're doing pellet food (not "you" Saroj, you know this already - I mean a general you) and they have vitamins then you don't want to overdose your D3 or whatever. So supplement some. I know there's a popular forum where they're continually told not to supplement when doing pellets. Buttttt.... they're also told to supply at least some percent, I forget, like 25% fresh food or chop. OK so then the pellets are only 75% of the diet right? So already there could be a deficit. For there not to be a deficit in the vitamins/minerals, we have to feed a TON of fresh foods, a large variety every single day and most of us don't do that. We might start out great but dwindle down to 3-4 foods. Then there's even more need for the supplements.
I was previously, up until maybe 2 months ago, feeding about 50% raw/fresh and 50% pellets/seeds (my little guys still need a good amount of seed). At that point I supplemented with AviVita gold 3 times a week. I also have a few other products, like Feather Fast and Bloomford, and there's a Gouldian-specific powder (I think it's a lot like China Prairie Nourish) they get that one daily. And I put calcium gluconate in their water once a week.
I admit that now, right this minute, they are not getting any supplemental vitamins. Well, not a regular schedule. I'm still concentrating on the all-raw, no pellets diet. While doing it, I'm asking myself : Do I want to do it? Is it best? Is it going to require supplements? Etc. They get egg shell, dry egg food, and one of several oils. The sprouted/raw diet is expensive and time-intensive, and several species means several different mixes. And if I take them off pellets, will a pet sitter be willing to provide the required food? (I can freeze it for them but - they'd still have to put it out, take it back up etc) Pellets are easy for someone who's bird sitting. Getting a food dehydrator is still a possibility.
At some point I will figure out what % is going to be raw, and whether it's going to include pellet food or not. Then I'll probably utilize some multi-vitamin or other. If I can maintain the all-raw diet and give plenty of protein, carbs, etc. in acceptable amounts there will be no need for supplemental vitamins, according to Dr. Crean. I'm going to have a couple birb's bloodwork done to be sure that I'm doing it right.
I need to be working instead of leisure time but I do want to address OVER supplementation. For people who feed pellets AND eggs AND fresh foods AND give vitamins -- it is very easy to overdo it. If you want to provide D3 so you feed cod liver oil -- -that is really easy to overdo.
Also, any manufacturer of pet food who has been around for any length of time and is recommended by a vet is adding the vitamins after the heat treating process.
Are you positive? Can you show me proof? Cause that's not what I was told during interviews. That was maybe 1 year ago.