Since you mentioned “fatty liver”,
https://scandibio.com/portfolio/phase_2_nafld/ ;
<https://scandibio.com/portfolio/phase_2_nafld/>. The main ingredient is the
B-3 vitamin variant, Nicotinamide Riboside (Niagen). In regard to its other
benefits, I suggested a study to give small amounts of it to vultures or Andean
Condors regarding another benefit, and consider giving it to California Condors
if it proved beneficial. Farm chickens laid more eggs, with higher hatch
ratios, and more robust chicks, when supplemented with it. Mice mothers gave
birth to life-long more healthy and strong colts, and recovered post partum
better.
Do you have a link to any study that fats, such as lard, which is used by many
birder feeding people, has adverse effects? That and peanut butter are key
ingredients in “Sullivan Suet”.
Jeff Gilligan
On Mar 4, 2021, at 10:34 AM, Elise W <ewolf97@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Wow. This is just so seriously sad. The current frenzy and fanaticism of
feeding birds is becoming seriously problematic. I saw a post of someone
proudly showing their (bird-killing) giant mesh feeder full of dried
mealworms on FB today. Someone sent me an email about finding a trail in AZ
with over 8 trees slathered in peanut butter - notably mid-summer.
Please please please advise these well-meaning but horribly misinformed folks
to stop. Hamburger is full of chemicals - not good. Also, animal flesh is
hard for songbirds to digest; corvids, fine - seed and insect-eating birds,
no (meat and insect proteins are different). And just like humans, birds and
all wildlife will take a free meal any day and head for the donut shop over
healthy meals.
Our overfeeding of fats is likely leading to fatty liver disease in some
birds (as it does in pet birds). Birds that fill up on hard-to-digest foods,
in the end, suffer as they miss out on the nutrition of good food. For birds
getting ready to breed, this can lead to metabolic bone disease (which leads
to fractures either as babies or even a year later, egg-binding as adults,
deformities, etc).
Finally, fats fed in ways the birds can get it on their feet or feathers
leads to weatherproofing issues. Most songs are preening with their feet,
which means what gets on the feet, gets into feathers. An oiled, greasy bird
is a hypothermic bird, even in the summer if the weather is cold at night.
Chronically cold birds die. Fats can only be removed by soaps.
I will start posting on these issues heavily on Native Bird Care's Facebook
page. And I already have blog posts on fats and salmonella on my blog.
www.nativebirdcare.org/blog <http://www.nativebirdcare.org/blog>;
https://www.facebook.com/native.bird.care ;
<https://www.facebook.com/native.bird.care>
In sum - human foods - seeds, some nuts, fruits are safe to feed. No sugar,
no meat, no bacon grease - if it's bad for us, it is deadly to them. No
chemicals, no preservatives. No mealworms unless fed as a minor treat and
gut-loaded (fed up with healthy foods) - LIVE only. NO dried mealworms sure
way to cause dehydration, compaction, and ultimately kill the little songs
(rehabbers get these poor birds in, we even get live mealworm fed birds in
that are so full of mw exoskeleton they cannot eat or poop, they die). No
loosely fed suets - like balls, wreaths, tossed out fats - cages only and
keep these clean!. I could go on for another hour, but I will shut up now.
We all should have our critical thinking and common sense caps on when
pondering feeding ideas for birds. Much of what's on the internet is deadly
for our birds.
Feel free to copy and post this wherever you want.
Elise Wolf
Native Bird Care
www.nativebirdcare.org <http://www.nativebirdcare.org/>
Sisters, OR
541-728-8208
On Thu, Mar 4, 2021 at 9:00 AM Jeff Gilligan <jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
I hope (think) that posting about birds is OK here.
Anyway, there are several birders in my Arizona neighborhood, one of whom
calls herself “BirderGirL” in her email address. Talking to her yesterday, I
first learned of something that might rival the famed “Sullivan Suet” formula.
She buys the cheapest frozen Walmart fatty hamburger, fries it up and freezes
some into separate containers. She then crumbles the burger and feeds it
along with seeds to the birds in her yard.
She is feeding 4 Roadrunners currently, but everything but the hummingbirds
love it. That includes warblers, kinglets, sparrows, Cardinals, thrashers,
woodpeckers, quail, Abert’sTowhees, wrens, etc. Last summer the Roadrunners
even brought their partially grown young to feed on it.
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