[HELP] Is my bird having enough nutrition?

[Donald Duck]

Note: I know that I could bring this topic to a Avian Vet but unfortunately there is no Avian Vet in my country except there is uneducated Vets who couldn't answer my questions. So I think there are some experienced bird owners who can help me with this.

Foods I am feeding:
Bananas: I feed my Mynah bird two Bananas everyday and she loves it. I feed her Bananas because she needs Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C.
Boiled Potatoes: My Mynah bird doesn't like Potatoes but sometimes she likes to try it so I serve it when she want it. I feed Potatoes because it contains Vitamin C.
Boiled Egg Yolk: Egg Yolk are really good for my bird and she loves it a lot so I feed her Yolk everyday. I feed my bird Yolks because it contains all the nutrition that Banana and Potato doesn't.

Nutrition fact: (According to the web)
Banana:

Total Fat 1%
Potassium 12%
Dietary fiber 12%
Protein 3%

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 17%
Calcium 1% Iron 2%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B6 20%
Vitamin B12 0% Magnesium 8%

Boiled Potato:

Total Fat 0%
Potassium 11%
Dietary fiber 7%
Protein 4%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 22%
Calcium 0% Iron 2%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B6 15%
Vitamin B12 0% Magnesium 6%

Boiled Egg Yolk:

Total Fat 16%
Potassium 4%
Dietary fiber 0%
Protein 25%

Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 5% Iron 7%
Vitamin D 22% Vitamin B6 5%
Vitamin B12 0% Magnesium 2%

Is she getting enough nutrition from these foods? Should I change the diet? Or should I add another food to her diet that contains needed nutrition?.

I appreciate your help. ​

 

[Mizzely]

I would think that you need more to that diet.

Here is a pellet available in a lot of places worldwide that lists is specific vitamin profiles: http://www.mazuri.com/product_pdfs/5MM6.pdf
You may be able to use that as a guide for your targets. Specifically you need to make sure your bird is getting enough Protein, Vitamin A, Calcium, and Vitamin D3 (also can be received by unfiltered sunlight).

And here are some guides for feeding mynahs.
https://www.petsworld.in/blog/a-comprehensive-feeding-guide-for-the-mynah-birds.html
Mynah Birds - Feeding | VCA Animal Hospital

What Do I Feed A Mynah? (Photo) | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
The University of Hawaii uses the following feeding plan for rescued Common Mynahs:
A variety of human baby food that contains the most protein (like egg, veal, etc.) is fed to a really young bird.
As soon as the bird is a little bigger (lot's of feathers coming in, about 1 week before fledging), then the food is switched to the adult diet which is based on the recipe found in a book called Mynahs (by Otto von Frisch).
The mixture used is:
2 mashed bananas
2 1/2 handfuls of dry oatmeal
1 pound of small curd cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
2 handfuls of any commercial mynah/softbill food
Stirred all together, it should be the consistency of cookie dough. Refrigerate and give a dish full per day to each adult bird. For babies, warm up a small amount for each feeding. You can also make this stuff with baby food during the transition to make it have more of a liquid consistency.

 

[Lady Jane]

Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white ones. Do you have a place to buy bird pellets? Some green veggies to feed are broccli, kale, romaine lettuce, peppers. Orange and yellow veggies are good like red sweet peppers, carrots, squash, pumpkin and so on. Sprouted seed is very vitamin rich. Berries are also good such as blue berries. You may have pomegranate too.

https://www.petsworld.in/blog/a-comprehensive-feeding-guide-for-the-mynah-birds.html

 

[Lady Jane]

https://www.amazon.com/Mazuri-Softbill-Mynah-Toucan-Iron/dp/B073XWCGTL/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526518043&sr=8-2&keywords=mynah+bird+food&dpID=51935wyfn%2BL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I thought you may be able to find the food especially formulated for softbilled birds.

 

[Donald Duck]

I would think that you need more to that diet.

Here is a pellet available in a lot of places worldwide that lists is specific vitamin profiles: http://www.mazuri.com/product_pdfs/5MM6.pdf
You may be able to use that as a guide for your targets. Specifically you need to make sure your bird is getting enough Protein, Vitamin A, Calcium, and Vitamin D3 (also can be received by unfiltered sunlight).

And here are some guides for feeding mynahs.
https://www.petsworld.in/blog/a-comprehensive-feeding-guide-for-the-mynah-birds.html
Mynah Birds - Feeding | VCA Animal Hospital

What Do I Feed A Mynah? (Photo) | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
The University of Hawaii uses the following feeding plan for rescued Common Mynahs:
A variety of human baby food that contains the most protein (like egg, veal, etc.) is fed to a really young bird.
As soon as the bird is a little bigger (lot's of feathers coming in, about 1 week before fledging), then the food is switched to the adult diet which is based on the recipe found in a book called Mynahs (by Otto von Frisch).
The mixture used is:
2 mashed bananas
2 1/2 handfuls of dry oatmeal
1 pound of small curd cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
2 handfuls of any commercial mynah/softbill food
Stirred all together, it should be the consistency of cookie dough. Refrigerate and give a dish full per day to each adult bird. For babies, warm up a small amount for each feeding. You can also make this stuff with baby food during the transition to make it have more of a liquid consistency.

Well I saw this on a website. But that mixture includes oatmeal which contains 137% of iron which is really bad for Mynahs. And my Mynah bird doesn't like mixtures and I don't want to feed her pellets because they are not clean as well. So can I offer something else which contains the needed nutrition?

 

[Donald Duck]

https://www.amazon.com/Mazuri-Softbill-Mynah-Toucan-Iron/dp/B073XWCGTL/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526518043&sr=8-2&keywords=mynah+bird+food&dpID=51935wyfn%2BL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I thought you may be able to find the food especially formulated for softbilled birds.

But I want to feed my bird pellets. Is there any fruit that contains the needed nutrition?. I really appreciate your help and time.

 

[Mizzely]

Well I saw this on a website. But that mixture includes oatmeal which contains 137% of iron which is really bad for Mynahs. And my Mynah bird doesn't like mixtures and I don't want to feed her pellets because they are not clean as well. So can I offer something else which contains the needed nutrition?

I would look at what the pellets provide and try to fill in the gaps from there. Vitamin A, for instance, comes from Orange veggies and fruits.

Pellets are not bad things to feed. They help us fill in the gaps because it IS a lot of work to construct a diet for a wild animal. Even zoos rely on Mazuri products

 

[Donald Duck]

Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white ones. Do you have a place to buy bird pellets? Some green veggies to feed are broccli, kale, romaine lettuce, peppers. Orange and yellow veggies are good like red sweet peppers, carrots, squash, pumpkin and so on. Sprouted seed is very vitamin rich. Berries are also good such as blue berries. You may have pomegranate too.

https://www.petsworld.in/blog/a-comprehensive-feeding-guide-for-the-mynah-birds.html

Thank a lot but I don't want to feed pellets to my bird, can you provide some fruits that contains the needed nutrition? And my bird doesn't likes vegetables. Thanks a lot, I really appreciate your help.

 

[Mizzely]

Crude protein not less than ............................... 20.0%
Crude fat not less than .........................................8.0%
Crude fiber not more than ....................................5.0%
Iron not more than .......................................... 125 ppm

Those are your macro nutrient goals.

Nutrients

Protein, %...................................................... 20
Arginine, % .................................................... 1.1
Cystine, % ................................................... 0.40
Glycine, % ................................................... 0.73
Histidine, % ................................................. 0.49
Isoleucine, % ............................................... 0.90
Leucine, % .................................................... 1.8
Lysine, % ....................................................... 1.1
Methionine, % ............................................. 0.60
Phenylalanine, % .......................................... 1.1
Tyrosine, % ................................................. 0.60
Threonine, % ............................................... 0.80
Tryptophan, % ............................................. 0.23
Valine, % ..................................................... 0.97

MINERALS
Ash, % ........................................................... 5.4
Calcium, % .................................................... 1.4
Phosphorus, %............................................ 0.82
Phosphorus (non-phytate), % ......................... 0.60
Potassium, % .............................................. 0.53
Magnesium, % ............................................ 0.09
Sodium, % ................................................... 0.17
Chloride, % ................................................. 0.40
Iron, ppm ................................................ 50-125*
Zinc, ppm ....................................................... 70
Manganese, ppm ........................................... 85
Copper, ppm .................................................. 17
Iodine, ppm ................................................. 0.85
Selenium (added), ppm ................................ 0.20

VITAMINS
Thiamin, ppm ................................................ 8.0
Riboflavin, ppm .............................................. 14
Niacin, ppm .................................................... 85
Pantothenic acid, ppm ................................... 19
Choline chloride, ppm ............................... 1,805
Folic acid, ppm .............................................. 4.3
Pyridoxine, ppm ............................................. 15
Biotin, ppm .................................................. 0.86
Vitamin B12, μg/kg .......................................... 62
Vitamin A (total, includes Beta-carotene), IU/kg ............................................. 10,320
Vitamin D3, IU/kg ....................................... 1,920
Vitamin E, IU/kg ........................................... 285
Vitamin K (as menadione), ppm ........................ 2.8


Where are you located? We don't know what options you have available. There are the approx. nutrients your bird needs. Are the needs being met with the current diet? No. Find things available to you and compare to see what they have in them to see what holes they will fill.

 

[Mizzely]

From the link I already gave you:

Some suggested food items include:

*apple, cherries (not the pit)*pear, apricots, Chinese vegetables (bok choy), peas, asparagus, coconut, peppers (red/green & hot)*, banana, corn*, pineapple, beans (cooked), cucumber*, plum, chick peas,dandelion leaves, pomegranate, , dates*, potato (boiled),lentils, endive, pumpkin, lima beans*, fig*, raisins (soaked overnight), mung beans*, grapes, raspberry, navy beans, grapefruit, rice (brown), soy, kale, romaine , lettuce, beet, kiwi, spinach, blueberry, melons, sprouted seeds, broccoli, mango, squash, brussel sprouts, nectarines, strawberry, cabbage*, orange, sweet potato, cantaloupe, papaya, tomato, carrot, parsnip*, watermelon, carrot tops, peaches, zucchini
* foods with lower iron for a mynah bird.

This client information sheet is based on material written by: Rick Axelson, DVM
© Copyright 2009 Lifelearn Inc. Used and/or modified with permission under license.

 

[Mizzely]

And from the other link

Ideal nutrient percent for Mynah Birds

The ideal nutrient percentage for the Mynah bird is a mix such as 18 percent protein and 8 percent fat and very small percentage of iron. These birds can easily develop iron storage disease; therefore, low iron foods are the best.

Good fruits for Mynah Birds

Fresh fruits are a large part of the Mynah’s diet. You can give your bird bananas, diced apple, dates, oranges, pineapple, pears, plums and watermelon.

Good vegetables for Mynah Birds

Diced vegetables are good for Mynah’s, and these can be added to their diet. You should add these vegetable in small amounts, as these are not as important as fruits.

Pelleted Diets for Mynah Birds

Pellets are the ideal diet, which is nutritious as well as easy to feed. Since pellets are dry, the dropping of bird tends to be less messy. But, keep in mind that pellets should not be the only diet for a mynah bird. Some pellets have excessively high values of iron that may contribute to iron storage disease or hemochromatosis in the mynah birds. You can check with your vet for the newest iron content recommendations.

Protein required for Mynah Birds

The Mynah birds can eat insects such as mealworms, crickets, and wax-worms. Occasionally, they can also be given day old-mice.

Vitamin supplements for Mynah Birds

A Mynah bird eating 75 – 80% of its diet in the form of pelleted food may not need vitamin, minerals or amino acids supplements. If your bird is tested for the vitamin deficiencies, ask your veterinarian to suggest the best supplement for your bird.

 

[Birdbabe]

@Mizzely beat me too it, yes, good info there..cut the foods up to bite size pieces, and dont fret if your bird wont eat everything, try different foods every day. You can also feed mealworms and crickets, but DO FEED LIVE crickets,,once a cricket is dead , it releases a toxin...mealworms can be live or drowned, but dont give dried insects, theyre only shells and have no nutrients ..keep us updated!

 

[Gazimon]

Based on other threads by user, it might be a hill mynah, location Bangladesh. In which case donald might be wary of the pellets there. I know I am wary of the nameless pellets in my local bird stores as the pellets smell like sugar and have extremely dark dyed colour, even darker than Kaytee and Zupreem.

Hill Mynas | Beauty of Birds

From https://regalpet.com/pets/399-the-mynah-bird
"Health and Diet:
Mynah birds are fairly hardy birds with an average life span of 10-12 years. They are susceptible to iron storage disease and hemosiderosis. Iron storage disease is a metabolic problem that causes the malabsorption of iron. To help prevent this problem Mynahs should be fed a diet low in both iron and acid. Mynah birds should be taken to the veterinarian at the first signs of illness and for a yearly check up.

Mynah birds are soft-billed which means they eat soft foods. Their diet should be made up of about 50-60% pellets made especially for soft-billed birds or Mynah birds, and the rest should be ripe fruit. Most Mynah birds enjoy figs, berries, grapes, pears, bananas, melons, plums, papayas, peaches, apples and guavas. Citrus fruits should be avoided. All fruit should be carefully deseeded as many fruit seeds contain cyanide that is dangerous to birds. Mynah birds will also eat insects and some enjoy a few vegetables like lettuce, cooked sweet potatoes, peas and corn. However, vegetables should only be given as an occasional treat. Mynah birds require fresh water daily and should not be given tap water; distilled water is best."



If you insist on not feeding pellets, then you must try to give as much variety as possible of fruits that contain low iron. Also buy some mealworms and crickets. You can feed some fruit and vegetables to the insects, then feed the insects to the mynah.

If the bird does not eat a new fruit, just keep trying as it may not know that the new fruit can be eaten. Can try chopping the fruits up and mixing the cubes a bit.

 

[Donald Duck]

Crude protein not less than ............................... 20.0%
Crude fat not less than .........................................8.0%
Crude fiber not more than ....................................5.0%
Iron not more than .......................................... 125 ppm

Those are your macro nutrient goals.

Nutrients

Protein, %...................................................... 20
Arginine, % .................................................... 1.1
Cystine, % ................................................... 0.40
Glycine, % ................................................... 0.73
Histidine, % ................................................. 0.49
Isoleucine, % ............................................... 0.90
Leucine, % .................................................... 1.8
Lysine, % ....................................................... 1.1
Methionine, % ............................................. 0.60
Phenylalanine, % .......................................... 1.1
Tyrosine, % ................................................. 0.60
Threonine, % ............................................... 0.80
Tryptophan, % ............................................. 0.23
Valine, % ..................................................... 0.97

MINERALS
Ash, % ........................................................... 5.4
Calcium, % .................................................... 1.4
Phosphorus, %............................................ 0.82
Phosphorus (non-phytate), % ......................... 0.60
Potassium, % .............................................. 0.53
Magnesium, % ............................................ 0.09
Sodium, % ................................................... 0.17
Chloride, % ................................................. 0.40
Iron, ppm ................................................ 50-125*
Zinc, ppm ....................................................... 70
Manganese, ppm ........................................... 85
Copper, ppm .................................................. 17
Iodine, ppm ................................................. 0.85
Selenium (added), ppm ................................ 0.20

VITAMINS
Thiamin, ppm ................................................ 8.0
Riboflavin, ppm .............................................. 14
Niacin, ppm .................................................... 85
Pantothenic acid, ppm ................................... 19
Choline chloride, ppm ............................... 1,805
Folic acid, ppm .............................................. 4.3
Pyridoxine, ppm ............................................. 15
Biotin, ppm .................................................. 0.86
Vitamin B12, μg/kg .......................................... 62
Vitamin A (total, includes Beta-carotene), IU/kg ............................................. 10,320
Vitamin D3, IU/kg ....................................... 1,920
Vitamin E, IU/kg ........................................... 285
Vitamin K (as menadione), ppm ........................ 2.8


Where are you located? We don't know what options you have available. There are the approx. nutrients your bird needs. Are the needs being met with the current diet? No. Find things available to you and compare to see what they have in them to see what holes they will fill.

I am located in Bangladesh Dhaka (capital city). Can you tell me how much vitamin calcium and protein do my bird need? so I can just search on google and check the nutrition facts of fruits, and please add percentage instead of kg because google doesn't shows amounts of nutrition as kg.

 

[Mizzely]

I am located in Bangladesh Dhaka (capital city). Can you tell me how much vitamin calcium and protein do my bird need? so I can just search on google and check the nutrition facts of fruits, and please add percentage instead of kg because google doesn't shows amounts of nutrition as kg.

No, I can't without going through and calculating myself. Usually percentages for anything besides protein, fat, and carbs are based on recommended daily amounts, not based off of the percentage of them available in food.
So when it says that a banana has 17% vitamin C it is not saying that a banana is made up of 17% vitamin C. It is saying that eating a banana provides 17% of the vitamin C that an average person needs. A banana has about 10.3 mg of Vitamin C which is 17% of what a person needs to eat daily. Banana Nutrition, Benefits, Concerns & Recipes

17% of what a bird needs is different than 17% of what a person needs

Your bird needs 18-20% of its diet to be made up of calories from protein, and 8% of it's calories to be made up of fat. Meaning the rest of it needs to be carbs.

Google "Calcium rich foods" and you will get stuff like this:
A Guide to Calcium-Rich Foods - National Osteoporosis Foundation
20 Calcium Rich Foods That Aren't Dairy From Eat This, Not That!
Top 10 Calcium-Rich Foods