Double D
313 posts
Apr 09, 2007
9:26 PM
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Has anyone else had issues with birds coming up lame quite a bit due to what I have understood to be calcium deficiency? You know, where they seem to lose the use of their legs and they go all weak?
When it's happened I've always fed them an actual calcium tablet for 3 or 4 days in a row. It seems to work for the most part.
I guess I'm surprised that the birds seem to suffer so easily from this condition. I know it takes a lot of calcium to make egg shell but I've never really had this problem when I used to raise homers years ago. My grit has plenty of oyster shell in it although it's hard to say how much the hens are consuming. I've heard of liquid calcium that can be added to the water but not sure how well it works or what brand is best.
Who has had this problem before and found a sure-fire regiment to solve the problem? Is it possible it's some other condition? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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Darin Olson
Checkerboard Lofts
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stiff
8 posts
Apr 09, 2007
9:31 PM
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Darin try using calci mineral, add to the grit or you can add it to there feed.
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Double D
314 posts
Apr 09, 2007
9:39 PM
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Calci Mineral, what is that exactly? Is that the brand name? Thanks for the info!
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Darin Olson
Checkerboard Lofts
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motherlodelofts
1699 posts
Apr 09, 2007
10:03 PM
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Darin , I keep crushed Oyster shell in front of them and they gobble it up , thats what calcium pills are made from, cheap as dirt also.
I also use calcium Glucatate in the water, feed stores carry it for horses.
You shouldn't really be seeing a big problem unless they just aren't getting it hardly at all.
Scott
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MCCORMICKLOFTS
1313 posts
Apr 09, 2007
10:39 PM
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Darin, something to consider is that a roller is less than half the physical size of a homer, yet their eggs aren't much smaller than a homer. Hen's leach calcium from their bones to produce eggs. If you figure the size difference, it would be concieveable to accept the notion that a roller hen would leach nearly twice as much calcium per her individual volume as a homer would. I believe this might be part of why you didn't see it in your homers.
Keep plenty of oystershell grit in front of them and you shouldn't see a problem.
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stiff
9 posts
Apr 09, 2007
10:50 PM
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darin foys sell's it. calci mineral is a powder form it contains minerals,vitamins it is recomended when breeding.
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Opinionated Blowhard
90 posts
Apr 09, 2007
11:02 PM
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Darin, I've seen the photos of your nice loft. The only windows are on one side of the loft, with small 6" high windows/vents along the top, just under the eaves. On one side of the loft you have larger windows, about 2'x2'. If your pigeons do not receive direct sunlight (not daylight), so that the sun can shine directly on them, they will lack Vitamin D which is needed to process calcium. Just another necessary element. If the larger windows allow direct sunlight to shine on the birds, you're okay. If those windows face north, that's a problem.
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Double D
315 posts
Apr 10, 2007
12:39 PM
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Great thoughts guys. The windows face south actually so I get alot of sun light inside the loft but at the angle that it comes in, it doesn't necessarily hit all of the individual cages that I breed in. I'll definitely get some oyster shell tonight and check on the liquid calcium for horses as well as the calci mineral. As I aluded to, I've had more problem with this than it sounds like I should be having. Maybe the sunlight thing is an issue.
If it is the sunlight, that actually creates another problem in that I'm thinking the only way to solve it would be an outside flight avary. This would necessitate breeding in an open loft which I really don't want to do at this point in my program - too many unknowns still and trying to get a strong program off the ground.
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Darin Olson
Checkerboard Lofts
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Double D
316 posts
Apr 10, 2007
12:41 PM
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Scott - how much of the calcium glucotate per gallon?
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Darin Olson
Checkerboard Lofts
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motherlodelofts
1701 posts
Apr 10, 2007
2:09 PM
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A tablespoon or two Darin.
Scott
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fhtfire
881 posts
Apr 10, 2007
2:23 PM
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Darin,
Maybe you could look into wheels on the bottome of your breeder cages...and wheel them out for a couple hours and then wheel them back in...just a thought.
Paul
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Opinionated Blowhard
91 posts
Apr 10, 2007
8:18 PM
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Darin, if you worry that your birds lack sufficient direct sunlight, supplement them with a bit of Vitamin D. That's all they'll need. Cod liver oil is a bit drastic. That's just one source of Vit. D. There are plenty of other sources. Go to your local chemist/pharmacy and get some small Vit. D liquid capsules, pop one down each hen's throat once weekly, and you're set. Almost all pellets contain Vit. D, from lay pellets to hog pellets to turkey pellets to game bird pellets. If you fed your birds even 20% of such pellets, that would be enough to supplement your birds with Vit. D--but only if you could be sure all your hens were eating the pellets. If one or two didn't like the pellets and refused to eat them, they'll still be deficient. I'd buy a few dollars worth of Vit. D gelcaps--the smallest available.
The best solution would be a small aviary where the hens can go out and take a bath and bask in the sunlight, with their wings up and their feathers fluffed, so the sunlight could hit their skin.
Last Edited by on Apr 10, 2007 8:20 PM
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