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| With so many different products on the market, how can I select the best food for my bird? |
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The large number of bird foods on the market can certainly make choosing the best food a challenge. When looking for a balanced diet, consider your birds needs.
Palatability. Birds are creatures of habit. It takes persistence to change their habits. However, if the bird will not eat a certain food, all the nutrition in the world will not satisfy your bird's requirements.
Product density. Some diets are produced in an expanded process. During this process the food actually expands to many times its size. So in effect, the food is full of air pockets. With a diet created by this method, a bird will have to consume more product (volume) to achieve the same amount of nutrition. At Lake's we use what is called an extruded, pelleted diet. The product is made under extreme pressure so you get a product which is very dense. Higher density means most birds will consume less product.
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| Is it economical to buy the least expensive bird food for my bird? |
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Definitely not! In order to really compare several bird foods on a cost per pound basis, you should consider the following factors:
Nutritional Value: Products with higher nutritional content can typically be fed at lower rates than less nutrient rich formulas. Balanced nutrition in a product leads to more efficient and complete utilization of nutrients by the bird.
Digestibility: Many bird foods are made with ingredients that when listed on the ingredients panel, sound very nutritious. However, if the ingredients are not easily assimilated by the bird, the value is less than they appear to be. For instance, some types of protein cannot be used by birds, while others are easily digested. The end result of an ingredient that can't be used by the bird, is a filler. When reading the labels of bird foods, you must know how to read between the lines, and see what is really in the diet.
Product Density: This is the weight of a bird food that will fit into a 8 oz. Measuring cup. Products of a smaller size and minimal expansion will be heavier than larger expanded morsels. Tests show that a cup measure typically holds 3-6 oz. of various products. Comparing a cup of one product to a cup of another product may not be very meaningful.
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| What difference is there between manufacturing processes? |
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Pelleted Diets
The Lake's manufactured diets are extruded in pellet and mini-pellet form. The pelleting process begins by grinding the ingredients. Next, the ingredients are combined and mixed with a vitamin and mineral premix to form a mash. The mash is then put through the pelleting process which involves high pressure extrusion at a temperature of approximately 180 degrees. They are cooled by moving across a screen, which in turn removes the fines. The ingredients are not cooked, and are only exposed to these temperatures for a very short time.
This manufacturing method is preferred by Lake's because there is very little destruction of nutrients at this manufacturing temperature. Also, we believe that birds are meant to digest raw, unprocessed grains to keep the gizzard functioning properly.
Expanded Diets
Although some diets call their products a pelleted diet, they are actually extruded by an "expanded" process. Manufacturers today use this expanded method in order to provide the customer (not necessarily their birds) with food in the shapes of hearts, bones, moons, and stars. After the ingredients are ground and mixed, the mash is then cooked to a gruel at a temperature exceeding 300 degrees, which is then extruded through very small shapes. Once this extruded gruel hits the air, it expands to many times its size. Because this expansion is necessary, the manufacturer is limited to the amounts of fiber and fat in their initial formulation or it will not expand. The limitation of fat is often compensated for by spraying fat on the outside of the morsel after expansion. Once N.R.C. Standards are set, we may find that exotic birds require a much higher level of fiber and fat than this process allows.
The main problem with this process is the high manufacturing temperatures involved. At this temperature, many sensitive nutrients are destroyed. Because of this, the manufacturer must overcompensate to avoid a nutritional loss or imbalance. Overcompensation leads to guess work, one is never really sure of what or how much has been destroyed.
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