Balancing Omega 3 & Omega 6 in Diet

[Karen]

Do you balance Omega 3 and Omega 6 in the diet? What ratio do you use?

ETA: I'm not sure if the AV was talking about Macaws or Parrots in general; but during our conversation about diet she mentioned that in the wild they eat an omega-3 and omega-6 essential 16 carbon fatty acid diet and in captivity we feed them an omega-3 and omega-6 essential 18 carbon fatty acid diet.

This is so over my head...

 

[luvsgreys]

Over my head as well, however, I look forward to reading responses to your question!

 

[Karen]

Anyone?

Do you balance Omega 3 and Omega 6 in the diet? What ratio do you use?

 

[Billie Faye]

OK, I give my birds both types of foods and let them eat......I have never really tried to do it scientifically...this is the reason I am always saying to give a BIG VARITEY in foods....but this is some of the infromation I have used over the years:
"It would be hard to guess what the proper ratio of Omega 3 to 6 should be for birds, and I could not find that information listed anywhere. For horses the ratio is 3:2. However, I would guess that some species of birds, like Macaws would have a 1:1 ratio because of their preference for a diet high in nuts. Other birds would have a ratio closer to that of humans, 2:1 because of the opportunistic nature of their foraging. Human ancestral races show wide traditional variance in their dietary ratio. The Inuit ratio for example is 2.5:1 Mediterranean diets are about 1:6 Despite the difference, neither race consuming the traditional diet experienced a deficiency in either Omega 3 or Omega 6."
This is taken from:
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
which is a GREAT SITE for holistic feeding / caring of birds...JMHO
HolisticBird Newsletter

 

[luvsgreys]

Thanks BF for the awesome info and links!

 

[Karen]

Thank you Billie Faye.

*Balanced omega 3 & 6's improves the quality of the skin and reduces inflammation in all the organs

I also found this at Holistic Bird;

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids
In the mid 1980s dietitians and scientists discovered that certain fatty acids are essential for health. Some important fatty acids are located at the nerve synapses in the brain. All animals require an appropriate balance of fatty acids in their diet for proper body function. Two essential fatty acids are Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Nutritional scientists report that many leading health problems are caused by diets with an improper omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. The ideal ratio is 2 parts Omega 3 to: 1 part Omega 6. In captive diets, however, Omega 6 is far more abundant than Omega 3. This is because Omega 6 fatty acids come mainly from grain, whereas Omega 3 fatty acids come mainly from green leafy plants (on land and in the sea) and certain nuts and seeds such as walnuts and flaxseeds.

The health problems associated with diets high in Omega 6 and low in Omega 3 are cancer, heart disease, arthritis, depression, obesity, insulin resistance, allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, behavior problems, and more.

continue reading more at: HolisticBird and HolisticBirds

The more I learn the more I realize how little I know.