Hormones, Breeding, and Diet

[allison]

I'm not sure if I should post this here or in the health section.
I heard an interesting theory at the rescue yesterday.
Birds who are over fed may be more hormonal. I guess that it triggers something in their brain that makes them think that it is mating season because they breed during the wet season when food is more abundant. If a bird has a lot of food all the time, they might think that it's time to raise some babies. I know a lot of people who have extremely hormonal birds and load them up with pellets, nuts, cooked food, and other treats all the time. Whereas me, who limits my birds diet to mostly fresh and a small amount of dry, has never had any problems with hormones. I just thought it was an interesting theory.

 

[allison]

Any thoughts?

 

[Sharpie]

it would also keep them from being so fat!

 

[allison]

Yep, much healthier too.

 

[vancha]

I think it makes tons of sense. But it is also, from what I understand, based upon light as well. If they are overwhelmed by full spectrum lighting for 12 hours of the day, as they would be during breeding season, they are more likely to be hormonal. I've also heard that shredding toys, boxes and snuggle huts will trigger these behaviors. I think soft, mushy, warm foods are quite alluring to birds, and make them hormonal at times, too.

 

[Billie Faye]

My birds all go by the natural light when getting up and mostly at night also...I don't feed pellets and feed mostly Greens/veggies/grains/fruits...been doing this for YEARS and I don't have problems with my birds being VERY hormonal...yes there are some but not really a big deal here...

 

[M.C Bird Rescue]

I do not limit the diets of the fids here by portions. If you think about how limited the rescue birds diets have been previously, how craptastic theyre diets were, and some even starved....
I do mostly fresh foods, grains, veggies, bird bread, and little dry foods. I offer fresh all day, and never limit the amount they eat. They do not eat garbage either.
I do believe that crappy diets are the root to some behavioral issues, but for hormones...I just do not have experience with that being the cause..I get in hormonal birds.
I did read somewhere that berries fed will cause the hormonal behavior. I have never seen this but I have read that berries fed frequently will cause breeding behaviors. That the berries are more plentiful around breeding time, therefore causing the need to breed! This is only what I read..no my experience.

 

[Mystics Mom]

have to agree with you Crystal....rescue birds first and formost need to know food will be there ...sometimes it is hard to find anything they like...but afterwards...when they get setteled in ...then working on good diet to help hormonal probs