ISSN 1492-8132
Issue Number 49,
Copyright © 2002
All rights reserved,
No reprints without permission

It's true! Much commercially-produced coffee these days is grown by a method that threatens, not only local ecology, but the long-term survival of many songbird species.

Yet few bird-watchers realize that the morning cup of coffee they enjoyed before going out to watch birds can be another link in the chain that will spell death for those very same birds, if nothing is done.

Traditionally, coffee plants, which do not like direct sun, are grown under a canopy of shade trees. These trees are a part of the tropical forests to which many species of songbirds migrate in the winter. They provide homes, food, and shelter for the birds, allowing them to recover from the stress of breeding and the long flight south.

They also need to strengthen themselves for the coming spring and the long flight to their northern breeding territories, followed by the even higher stresses of the coming breeding season. Historically, these forests have fulfilled these needs to a 'T'.

During their winter, the birds devour huge numbers of the insects that would otherwise threaten the health of the coffee plants below, along with performing other 'chores' beneficial to the forest, such as helping to distribute seeds. Their presence provides multiple benefits to the coffee farmers as well as the ecology in general.

New growing methods have changed all of that. Shade trees are deemed to take up too much space, and don't produce much of anything saleable, so new coffee plantations level all growth to the ground, and put up canopies of shade cloths under which the coffee is grown, allowing the land to be planted 100% in coffee.

This not only removes the birds' homes, but prevents them from reaching a major food source - the insects that now are free to prey on the defenseless coffee plants. This, in turn, leads to higher use of pesticides, insecticides, and salt-based fertilizers, leading inevitably to the death of the living soil.

Coffee has become one of the most widely-known and appreciated drinks around the world. Most coffee is produced by third-world countries, who have a huge motivation to raise as much money as they can through selling their products. Unfortunately, very little attention is paid to the long-term damage, planet-wide, that results from the razing of these forests and the mono-cropping of coffee.

Yes, there is something you can do before our songbirds disappear forever! There are still sources for coffee beans grown traditionally, under the shade of trees. Moreover, many of these coffees return much more profit directly to the farmers than they would otherwise see, through organizations that focus on buying only coffee beans produced by these traditional methods, and if possible buying them directly from the growers, or associations of growers.

More and more coffee farmers are beginning to see the possibility of greater personal benefit through the fostering of traditional coffee growing methods, and are joining in the battle against the raping of their land for short-term profits.

You can help them by being sure to buy only coffee beans grown under shade-trees, where the song-birds live. As a bonus - I find that these kinds of coffee are noticably tastier and far less acidic! Now that's what I call having my coffee and my songbirds too!

Canker is the most commonly encountered protozoa disease in aviculture! Many of our water sources contain low levels of canker, giardia, and other protazoa. This water will pass routine water inspections provided the levels are low enough to not be injurious to dogs, cats, or human babies.

These same low levels can cause problems for our birds, especially young chicks. Low levels of infection typically cause increased early chick death and increased dead in shell. In adults it causes pasty vents, slow weight loss and eventual death.

By treating the flock with Ronivet prior to the breeding season, we are able to eliminate many of these needless losses. Ronivet-S is a water soluble, water stable chemical that has extremely high safety margins. It does not make the male birds infertile, and can be used at any stage of the birds breeding cycle to combat protozoal infection.

For more info visit www.birds2grow.com

The next issue is due out July 21st - until then, may you and your birds enjoy all the best of everything!

Robirda
July 7, 2002

Welcome to Robirda's Companion Birds eZine

For breeder or pet bird owners who care.

Hello! Welcome to Flock Talk's 49th issue, thanks for reading! Don't miss our new Product Review section, and watch for big changes coming soon on the website!  

Priced at only $6.99, this 56 page ebook is chock-full of useful ideas, tips, advice, and even recipes - but there's more. By buying our ebooks, you are helping us maintain our online presence and continue to help other small pet bird owners.

Here's what readers are saying about Robirda's eBooks:
• "I have all of your ebooks, and I think they're great! I can't wait to read the next one!"
• "I have your ebook on breeding canaries and just wanted to let you know... I think it's full of really helpful information."
• "WOW! I love your e-book for new canary owners, thanks, this is exactly what I needed!"

Learn more about Robirda's Bird eBooks at robirda.com/books.html

If you're curious about how song canaries are trained to sing on demand, then this website is for you. This is a new website, and shows very well how effectively a simple, clear series of pictures can present a complex idea. In this case, the pictures posted document the life of a Roller Canary from the nest through the various stages of training for shows. Be sure to scroll right down to the bottom of the first page, or you might miss the link to the second page-full of pictures!

Feature Article

There is two highly controversial topics in the world of keeping birds - feeding pellets, and the need (or not) for grit. Wherever you are, whenever one or the other of these subjects is raised, the conversation among bird-keepers is bound to be, at the very least, lively.

We are honoured here to reproduce for you, with his permission, the first English translation of an article on the first of these topics by highly respected author, canary breeder, internationally accredited judge and all-round 'Renaissance Man' Hans Classen.

by Hans Claßen, Germany
Translation by: Wilhelm Kiesselbach
Copyright (c) 2001-2002, all rights reserved

For years now it seems as if an abundance of artificial feed is inundating the world of pet owners, especially those with birds.

The end product and manufacturing techniques are varied. At this point I would like to emphasize that my contribution here is strictly limited to the maintenance of birds because they represent special circumstances not relevant to the feeding of horses or rodents.

First, let us address the various manufacturing processes.

Firstly there is the compression of raw material with the help of a small portion of adherence aiding compounds. Alternatively, raw materials are compressed and bound together with the aid of high pressure.

Pellets:
In the manufacture of pellets a variety of methods are used. The differences are primarily based on the temperatures used in processing, and the utilization of different adherence agents to aid in the compression. At this time I do not intend to deal with the varying quality of the raw materials, as it would go far beyond the scope of this article.

A large variety of the adherence agents are FMV (German animal feed statutes) approved. Which are used largely depends on the demands placed upon the end product and the other types of raw materials used throughout the process.

The next factor is temperature, which also impacts the choice of additional ingredients.

Any manufacturing process is preceded by the grinding and homogenous mixing of the raw materials. The mixture is then added to the pellet press and, normally with temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees Centigrade, (158 - 194 degrees F) and under high mechanical pressure, the pellets are formed.

The exception is one manufacturer who has developed a unique procedure allowing him to limit his processing temperature to below 40 degrees centigrade (104 F). In that case the consistency of the pellets is less firm than of those produced with the aid of higher temperatures.

It is relatively easy to identify the processing temperature by the surface structure of the pellets: While those pellets subjected to high temperatures are smooth and shiny (seemingly greasy), those manufactured with the aid of low temperatures are rough and 'crumbly'.

After drying and cooling, the pellets are ready for further processing.

A simplified method of pellet manufacturing takes advantage of the behavior of 'glues' present in various grains. Flour is considered as a simple carrier substance and is then fortified with active ingredients such as vitamins, proteins and minerals.

Extrusions:
Extrusions rely on the behavior of starches which expand under heat and 'glue' ingredients together. In this procedure the initial grinding and mixing of the basic material to a porridge like consistency is equally important to the process.

Under very high pressure and temperatures between 120 and 180 degrees Celsius, (248 - 356 degrees F), the material is compressed, with the temperature further increasing because of the resulting pressure. It is then 'exploded' through a matrix, dried und cooled.

Requirements:
What does such a pellet have to contain to be fed to birds? Obviously, all nutrients and ingredients normally available in untreated food and consequently in the naturally occurring foods specific to the various species or food source groups, must be available in the proper and optimum ratios and amounts.

This would suggest that these ingredients must either be initially available in the ground mixture, or if not they have to have been added, either to the mixture itself or after the initial process has been completed.

This is the weak point of the process: many vitamins and some essential amino acids are severely damaged by high temperatures and mechanical pressures, and so lose their potency. Here the low temperature procedure has the first and decisive advantage. Temperatures below 40 degrees Centigrade are even below the bird's normal body temperature. The destruction of sensitive ingredients is therefore avoided or significantly reduced.

This effect on the active and vital ingredients is even more aggravated by the high temperatures and pressures of the extrusion process. In this case all vitamins are potentially destroyed. On the other hand, the carbon hydrate content becomes noticeably more effective because it is activated and thus more efficiently utilized.

In order to add vital ingredients, extruded pellets are sprayed with vitamins, etc. after the pressing is completed and the material has dried and cooled. As a result of that procedure, the sprayed active ingredients spread themselves in a uniformly and extremely thin layer over the surface. A new procedure with the spraying performed in a vacuum is alleged to yield better results resulting in a uniform coating to the depth of approximately 1 mm.

Practical Application:
Except for one manufacturer everyone is now attempting to advertise their pellets as a complete maintenance diet. On the surface this has the great advantage that 'everything is in it' and the birds cannot feed selectively.

Theoretically a pellet only diet is supposed to be optimal in terms of nutritional completeness and balance. However, where is reality? Most of our birds in captivity obtain their nutrition from seeds and nuts in their wild habitats. They belong to the group that peels its food prior to consumption.

This means that the beak movements cause the kernel to be separated from the hull, which is discarded. As a consequence the hull and all adhering nutrients are lost as a source. Almost all parrot species, (including cockatiels and parakeets), canaries and their relatives as well as the finches, carefully separate the hull from the kernel.

These species act identically when eating a pellet. They peel it - and remove the majority of vital ingredients which end up as finely ground material on the bottom of the cage. (This obviously applies only to those pellets that have been manufactured with the aid of extreme pressures and under high temperatures.)

Pellets manufactured through the above mentioned low temperature process are obviously not affected in the same manner.

Summary For The Bird Keeper:
At this point we should be aware that the question 'to feed or not to feed pellets' cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. Too many facts contribute to a correct and rational conclusion. For instance, with chickens and pigeons who swallow their feed whole, the issue where the nutritional ingredients are positioned becomes mute.

It is also important whether pellets represent the exclusive feed or if they are supplemented in any way. Exclusive maintenance feed suggests that all nutritional requirements of the bird are satisfied.

That is probably never entirely correct, but does not enter into these considerations. With supplemental feeding, it is important to consider what needs to be supplemented, and that supplements are usually ingested in smaller amounts than general maintenance feed.

Additionally, the bird's organism may not be particularly well suited to deal with soft foods. In a normal situation the stomach muscles as well as the intestinal tract have to work hard to digest the food and make the nutrients available to the bird's body.

Even more importantly, the benefits of food are not entirely determined solely by the nutritional ingredients. Large factors are the taste and the mounting boredom of being faced by a daily diet of pellets. Parrots especially tend to suffer from this.

Imagine their life in our homes from that point of view: the environment is generally boring, there are no major reference points stimulating their intellect. Frequently the time owners spend with their charges is not nearly sufficient for the bird's needs, and now these birds are also deprived of the stimulation of their taste buds, which could serve as a diversion.

No wonder they regress into a state of permanent, stupefying boredom and start plucking! Now we arrive at the conclusion that a pelleted or extruded diet is the worst thing we can possibly do to our birds, because:

• It can cause negative changes in their intestinal system (already established by research in the US).
• Depending on the manufacturing process the nutrients may be present, but will not be digested by all those birds who instinctively peel their food. The result is a permanent state of undernourishment.
• Lack of stimulation can lead to serious behavioral problems, especially with parrots. Food not offering a variety of choices increases the incidents of feather-plucking.

All the points above clearly demand the rejection of an exclusive pelleted maintenance diet. It is entirely possible that pellets, fed exclusively of anything else may well be against the laws established for the protection of animals, (in Germany), as various internal organs will be affected and ultimately will not be able to function normally.

Finally, another (perhaps controversial) thought: No one will eat the very same food every single day without being forced to do so. Do we really want to submit our charges to this, when we would not do it to each other?

With the kind permission of the author, Hans Claßen,
Germany. Website: http://www.hansclassen.de
Translated by Wilhelm Kiesselbach
Copyright (c) 2001-2002
All rights reserved

A recent consultee says, "My heartfelt thanks go to Robirda. When I consulted her, I learned things you will never find in any book... not basics, but detail after detail in caring for a sick bird (which, in turn, applies to any other birds you own.) I am not new to the canary, I have owned one (as a pet) for a good portion of my life.

"She asked question and after question and then would ask more questions after my reply. She gave her time to help me help my bird. Most of all, she has the uncanny ability to advise without criticism... truly remarkable!

"My suggestion? If you don't have confidence in what you are doing, 'Ask Robirda.' She saved my bird."

Budgie and 'tiel breeders who wish to keep track of their flock will be thrilled to see this new Avian Management Software, developed for Windows (sorry, Mac users!). It allows a bird breeder to keep track of all the little details to do with his flock - and I do mean, all!

This software is designed to accept a different 'module' for each species it tracks. If you understand the genetics of the species you breed, you can even make your own module, and the website will allow you to upload and share it with other breeders!

If you don't understand the genetics of your chosen species, just wait for a module for that species to show up, and then use it to learn from. This program has one of the best basic genetics tutorials I have ever seen, and due to its design, has the potential to be one of the best genetics learning tools you will find anywhere.

There's already budgie and 'tiel modules, and canary and lovebird modules are currently under development - so in the meantime, why not download a copy and use the free 30-day trial period to full advantage? Click here for more!

• Do you have or sell a great bird product? Send us a sample, and have it reviewed for Flock Talk readers! We will be reviewing foods, cages and cage accessories, toys, and other bird items we have direct experience with in upcoming issues. To arrange for a review, send your inquiry and a brief description of your product(s) here, to Robirda.