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Gouldian Health Book
By Dr Rob Marshall

Part 11
Health Product Information

• Vitamins & Trace Elements
  • Dufoplus
  • Ioford NF
• Vitamins & Carbo-Energy Supplements
• E-powder
• QuikGel
• NV Powder
• Vitamins & Oil- Energy Supplements
• Turbobooster
• Vitamins & Minerals
• F-vite

Dufoplus - Dose for finches 1ml to 500mls of drinking water or 500gm soft food

By far the best multi-vitamin available! Dufoplus contains the highest quality and purest form of vitamins available for birds. It is a potent water-soluble vitamin (A, D, E, and B Complex) free of sugar or glucose and preserved in nitrogen. It is used to bring out the best colour, to improve breeding performance and relieve stress. It is commonly used in combination with Ioford NF.

Dufoplus should be given for one or two consecutive days each week throughout the year. Dufoplus is one of the very few water vitamins that can be left safely in the water for two or three days without affecting its potency. This is only possible when the temperatures are below 25o C.

Unlike the powder form vitamins, Dufoplus contains no sugar. Sugar-based vitamin powders in the drinking water provide an ideal place for germs to breed and must be changed each night. Dufoplus intensifies the yellow, orange and red colour range of the feathers. Yellow/orange/red colour of birds is mostly genetically determined, but the genetic potential is only realised when a pure source of vitamin is given.

Ioford - Dose for finches is 2.5ml to 500mls of drinking water or 500gm soft food.

This is a calcium, vitamin D, iodine and trace element to promote fertility, egg laying and young bird health. The measured amounts of iodine, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium and vitamin D stimulate health. It is used in conjunction with Dufoplus to improve colour intensity, fertility and egg quality during breeding and as a stress reliever.

Dufoplus and Ioford are compatible in water and create a proven cocktail that benefits the health of young and breeding birds. This popular cocktail should be added to the drinking water for three consecutive days at the first sign of lethargy in the aviary. It is remarkable how often this cocktail brings the birds back on top of the world. Dufoplus/Ioford cocktail may also used to improve fertility and breeding success.

Ioford NF is used to improve fertility and egg quality. The iodine in Ioford NF is an essential trace element beneficial for fertility, feather growth and overall health and vitality. The calcium, vitamin D and magnesium in the Ioford NF increase breeding performance, improves feather quality and helps to prevent egg binding, soft shelled eggs, egg laying paralysis and pipping deaths. The calcium, magnesium and vitamin D are balanced scientifically to provide the hen with the exact proportions for the production of perfect eggs and continuing good health. The vitamin D in Ioford NF is of special relevance for finches housed indoors.

Iodine is the most important trace element for a good moult and for successful breeding, but in overdose retards the thyroid gland and therefore depresses breeding performance and retards the moult. An overdose of iron damages the liver . Iron administered at correct levels enhances health and accelerates the recovery from stress or illness.

Ioford NF accelerates the moult and development of young birds. Iodine is the most important trace element for a good moult, because it stimulates the thyroid gland to produce the hormones that control the speed of the moult. The zinc in Ioford NF is used to stimulate the immune system. This promotes a strong natural resistance in the young maturing birds.

E-powder

E-powder is a cultured amino acid and energy yeast by-product. It is used to promote good health and to protect the flock from stress of breeding or following cold weather. It accelerates growth in chicks and energises feeding parents.

The rate of growth of baby birds is determined by the energy content of the food, its genetic make-up and the ability of parents to feed it to its full capacity. The full potential for growth is achieved by protecting feeding parents from fatigue and ensuring the baby completely utilizes the available energy. The faster the baby converts the energy for growth, the quicker the crop empties and the more food the adult can feed. E-powder accelerates the conversion of energy into growth and prevents fatigue in feeding parents. The result is a parent who feeds more and a chick that grows faster.

E-powder is a rich source of vitamin B energy enzymes, breeding proteins and immune modulating minerals. The enzymatic action of Thiamin and the other B vitamins promotes rapid growth in chicks and protects their parents from the fatigue of feeding. The B vitamins and amino acids allow the chicks to grow to their full capacity by pushing their energy pathways to their genetic limits.

E-powder may be added to soaked or dry seed, mixed into a soft food mix or given on its own in a finger drawer fresh daily. It is highly palatable but some birds need a few days to totally accept the new taste on the food.

Turbobooster and E-powder in combination often is used to replace soft food and soaked seed as a source of energy and protein for feeding parents.

The combination may be added to soaked multi-grained bread for the aviary birds or into a freshly made soft food mix. E-powder is added to the mix for greater energy efficiency and many fanciers also add the Dufoplus, Ioford and Fvite to a soft food such as polenta, giving remarkable results. It's a simple but highly effective feeding system!

Turbobooster is combined with E-powder and F-vite to produce silky feathers with colour and life as good as they get. Turbobooster and E-powder produces

Quik GEL

• Actions
• Dose
• Indications
  • In the Flights
  • During Breeding Season
  • In Drinking Water
  • Emergency First Aid Treatment
  • Via crop needle
  • Preparation of Quik-gel & ER formula

Actions

By providing an immediate and sustained energy source Quik-gel :

•  Rejuvenates tired adult birds during the breeding season.
•  Protects weak youngsters during the weaning period and when entering the young bird flights.
•  Prevents diseases associated with the stress of cold, hot or wet weather.
•  Accelerates recovery following illness by providing easily digested high-energy nutrients swiftly and efficiently to damaged organs and other body tissues.
•  Enhances the overall health of an energy-depleted flock during and following disease outbreaks (e.g. mite infestations, coccidiosis etc.)
•  Improves male mating success and egg fertility during the critical stages of the breeding cycle.
•  Reduces egg binding when cold spells and other stress factors cause tired breeding hens.
•  Used as part of an Emergency First Aid Treatment for sick individual birds.
•  Quik-gel is palatable and readily accepted by finches

Dose

Flock Treatment

- Mix 2mls (ask for 2ml spoon) into 1 litre of drinking water

Individual Sick Bird Treatment

- 1 drop mixed into 100ml drinking water

- 2-10ml of heated ER formula via crop needle

Special Note

Quik-gel remains fresh for two days after which time a fresh batch must be provided. When changing a batch, the drinking water container must be thoroughly cleaned of the gel-like sludge that may accumulate on its sides.

Indications

•  In the Flights
•  When Breeding
•  During Weaning
•  in Drinking Water
•  Emergency First Aid Treatment
•  Via Crop Needle
•  Preparation of Quik-gel & ER formula

In The Flights

Quik-gel is mixed at a dose of 2ml into litre of drinking water for three consecutive days during a stress period, outbreak of disease and following a course of antibiotics.

 

Critical times when the entire flock would benefit from the administration of Quik-gel in the drinking water include:

 

•  Cold Stress
Administer Quik-gel for 2 days to maintain energy levels when temperatures fall below 10°C.

•  Wet Spells
Quik-gel is mixed with Megamix (10mls per litre) to help maintain health by establishing acidic conditions in the crop that help prevent stress and environment-related infections such as Thrush, E.coli and coccidiosis from becoming established.

•  Thrush Infections
Quik-gel is mixed with Megamix (10mls per litre) for 5 days when Thrush has been diagnosed in a flock to help maintain body heat and appetite of in-contact birds. Sick birds should receive a crop needle treatment.

•  Airsac mites
Quik-gel is administered for 2 days following airsac mite treatment – S76 - to rejuvenate an infested flock.

•  Inactivity & Quietness
A drop in noise levels may be related to inclement weather or the onset of illness. A 2 day trial with Qwik-gel may be used to determine whether the lack of noise is related to energy depletion or a disease process.

•  Recovery from illness
Quik-gel administered for 2-5 days is used to promote a rapid recovery following antibiotic treatment. It may also be given with antibiotics.

•  For Individual Sick Birds
Quik-gel may also be administered by crop needle as part of an Emergency First Aid Formula or of sick birds moved to a heated hospital cage or added to the drinking water to aid the recovery of individual birds or breeding pairs that are sick, tired, injured or following antibiotic treatments.

When Breeding

Dose: 2ml Quik-gel thoroughly into 1 litre of drinking water, 1 kg of soft food mix.

Or 1 drop into 100mls of drinking water or 100gm seed or soft food mix.

 

•  As an immediate and sustained source of Energy
Quik-gel is helpful in improving breeding outcomes during the breeding season, as energy requirements are nine times more than during a non-breeding period.

 

To ensure your breeding birds receive a plentiful supply of energy, it is recommended that Quik-gel be incorporated into the breeding programme as follows: Quik-gel is added to seed, soft food mix or drinking water for 7 days after pairing occurs. It can also be added to Turbobooster when breeders prefer to place Turbobooster in the drinking water.

 

Energy is the most important nutritional factor in allowing parents to feed their young. Critical times when breeding pairs would benefit from the administration of Quik-gel in the drinking water include:

•  At the start of courtship activity
Male birds become easily tired following their energetic courtship activities. Quik-gel can be given each second day during this stressful courtship period to improve mating success and increase fertility. When provided at this time it also supports the energy needs of a hen during egg production and helps prevent sudden death syndrome and egg binding in breeding hens.

•  Throughout Breeding
Energy requirements are significantly higher during the breeding season when parents are feeding their young. Quik-gel provides breeding pairs with a plentiful supply of energy so that they remain vital throughout the entire breeding season. This ensures the babies are fed well and do no experience any physical setbacks.

•  At the beginning of each breeding cycle
Quik-gel aids the cock during courtship and prepares the hen for the energy consuming process of egg-laying. It is again provided when the first youngster becomes fully feathered when the hen is preparing to lay her next clutch of eggs.

•  For later Breeding Rounds
Quik-gel is also particularly useful for one day a week during the second and third round when energy levels of parents begin to wane.

•  At Conclusion of Breeding
Quik-gel should be administered for 3 days as breeding pairs are moved from the breeding cabinet to the holding cage (prior to their return to the aviary) in order to prevent their deaths when entering the flights.

•  During Cold Spells
Quik-gel is used as a rich source of energy and vitamins when cold temperatures may interrupt breeding and result in a high degree off infertile and dead in shell eggs.

•  For Egg Binding
Quik-gel together with Hical will significantly reduce the likelihood of egg binding problems, which occur with the onset of cold weather.

•  Nestling Rejection by Gouldians
Quik-gel together with Megamix given for 3 days at the critical ages of nestlings i.e. hatching time and pin-feather age will significantly reduce the likelihood of Gouldian finches ejecting their young from the nest. This occurrence occurs most often with first time breeding pairs as a result of cold or some other physical stress factor.

•  For Air in the Crop
Quik-gel should be provided when air is observed in a baby's crop. This finding indicates the energy levels of the parents are depleted.

 

For Weaning Youngsters - Blue Mutation Gouldian & Canaries

Quik-gel should be given in the drinking water to support the weaning process for 2-5 days when the youngsters are moved from their parents across into the weaning cage. The high-energy content of Quik-gel stimulates appetite, which promotes a rapid weaning process. Its stress relieving and disinfectant properties protect the youngsters from disease.

 

In Drinking Water

• Rejuvenates tired breeding pairs and birds recovering from illness. An increased activity will be visible by the afternoon following Quik-gel treatment.
• Restores energy levels and normal gut flora following a course of antibiotics. Quik-gel mixed into the drinking water with Megamix (10mls/litre) for 2 days restores energy levels and promotes a more rapid return to activity following an illness and antibiotic treatment.
• Stimulates appetite and initiates recovery following any physical stress. For example, with cold stress, Quik-gel mixed into the drinking water with Megamix (10mls/litre) is used to m aintain health when temperatures fall below 10°C. Under these circumstances, Quik-gel /Megamix cocktail is given fresh for the first day in the drinking water then topped up the following day.

Emergency First Aid Treatment

In emergency situations, providing heat and administering Quik-gel directly by mouth or via crop needle mixed with ER formula should save most birds. An emergency is recognised when a finch remains listless or is found fluffed up on the floor.

Quik-gel can be administered in a number of ways. When birds are critically ill, it is best given with ER Formula via a crop needle (see below). Quik gel mixed into the drinking water is usually effective as finches do drink a large volume to body weight ratio. Quik-gel may also be given by mouth directly from a syringe.

As very sick birds are unable to produce their own body heat, an additional source of heat such as a hot water bottle or heat lamp must also be provided.

As the bird recovers and is no longer in a critical state, it is important to determine the exact cause of illness and begin with an appropriate treatment.

Once the sick bird is eating and drinking by itself, Quik-gel should continue to be given in the drinking water for 5 days to complete a full recovery.

Preparation of Qwik-gel & ER formula for crop feeding

Place a teaspoon of ER powder in a cup then whilst adding 10ml of hot water (35C) in small amounts mix it continuously until a smooth cream-like solution is created. Maintain the heat of this liquid formula by using a hot water bath. Then mix one drop of Quik gel into the formula and immediately draw up 3mls into a crop needle and warmed syringe then administer to the sick bird. This 3ml solution is enough to treat 3 birds Repeat this process 2-3 x each day until the sick birds are active and again eating. For crop and gizzards blockages continue this treatment twice daily for 3 days. For egg binding add 5 drops Hical to this mixture and continue this treatment twice daily for 3 days.

NV Powder

NV powder is a sugar-based vitamin, mineral and iodine water supplement. It is recommended to promote appetite in sick birds or to enhance the taste of soft food recipes for flocks not accustomed to food or water supplements. During cold or wet weather it should be used to replace Dufoplus/Ioford as an immediate source of energy, as well as vitamins.

NV Powder's main use is for sick birds, birds recovering from serious illnesses, breeding and juvenile Mutations returning to the aviary. Under these circumstances NV provides an instant source of energy and vitamins that protects health under trying circumstances.

NV Powder is often included in Soft Food Recipes to improve palatability and acceptance by birds unaccustomed to soft food supplements. NV powder may also be administered to invigourate weak nestling mutations. NV powder on a soft food mix or in the water often restores the energy levels in feeding parents promoting more active feeding and stronger chicks.

Turbobooster

Turbobooster is a multi-purpose health product. It has been designed to replace or augment soft food or soaked seed as a source of energy and protein for feeding parents. It provides every benefit of soaked seed but none of the potential dangers because it is a sterile product. Turbobooster is a concentrated form of protein, energy, coupled with stress relieving vitamin B and oil based breeding vitamins A, D, E and K. This multi-purpose energy rich oil is best added to soft food mixes for breeding birds or dry seed for other birds. After a short while it is relished. The birds often climb the wire in anticipation of the treat as the garlic cocktail is being prepared. E-powder is added to the mix for greater energy efficiency. Dufoplus, Ioford and F-vite may also be included giving remarkable results. It's a simple but highly effective feeding system!

Smaller amounts of Turboboster are administered to finches compared with budgerigars, pigeons, parrots and canaries. Australian finches should receive one half of the dose recommended for other birds. Dose at 1ml of Turbobooster mixed with 500gm. of soft food. or dry seed.

For Gouldians, Turbobooster is best mixed into and allowed to soak into dry seed overnight. This method is preferred to a soft food mix for finches (Gouldians and Zebra Finches) that rely upon seeding grasses rather than live food during breeding. The Turbobooster soaked seed is then placed in a shallow dish.

Turbobooster, being a very high source of energy as well as the breeding amino acids, is used in combination with E-powder to produces fast growing, robust and healthy babies. This clever combination enables the feeding parents to maintain their body condition and vitality during the entire breeding season. Turbobooster stimulates fitness and health in the young birds. The high levels of the essential amino acids (protein) in Turbobooster help with muscle development of fledglings resulting in vigorous flight that soon produces the heightened health seen with top fitness. A special mix of omega 3 essential oils in Turbobooster stimulates the immune system and together with the garlic oil offers strong protection against the stress-induced illnesses.

Turbobooster is combined with E-powder and F-vite to produce silky feathers with colour and life as good as they get. Weaning and the juvenile moult are extremely difficult times for the health of Gouldians. Weaning youngsters accept the taste immediately and become lifelong lovers of this treat, providing them with immediate health protection.

F-vite

Minerals are the most neglected part of good nutrition because it is often incorrectly assumed that grit provides birds with all the minerals required for good health. Shell grits contain calcium but are deficient in iodine, iron and most trace elements. For good health some minerals, called trace elements, are required in very small amounts. These are usually present in the seed and seeding grasses fed to finches. Soils vary in their content of these trace elements and as a consequence, seeds from some areas may be marginal or deficient in some of these minerals. Iodine concentrations are especially low in Australian seeds and supplements must be given if finches are to breed to their best capabilities. Care must however be taken when administering trace elements because excessive concentrations of one element may cause a deficiency in another when eaten by the bird. In Nature, finches spend a lot of time picking in the soil looking for the minerals they need. The soil provides many minerals especially iron, magnesium and other field elements that are craved by finches when feeding young. Household soil should not be given to finches because it often contains potentially harmful bacteria. Instead, mineral powders are used to provide the minerals and trace elements not present in shell grits.

F-vite is given in a dish or on the feed and has been developed as a combination grit, protein, energy, vitamin and mineral supplement, which is especially beneficial for breeding and young moulting birds, but is used all year round. It is palatable and the birds actually look for it when feeding young, because it is rich in the essential vitamins and minerals for growing babies and is also a rich source of energy. Babies fed by parents given F-vite grow quickly, are robust and pink. A high quality charcoal, egg shell 1mm shell grit combination should also be provided to finches.

F-vite has multiple functions

• F-vite helps produce the best quality eggs.
• Fvite helps prevent infertility, hatching deaths, soft and small eggs.
• Fvite helps prevent wet nests by balancing the minerals in the diet.
• Fvite helps to prevent healthy parents from becoming tired and worn out by breeding. This means the hen lays eggs earlier thereby shortening the egg-laying interval.
• Fvite promotes robust healthy youngsters, especially at the critical time of weaning.

F-vite is a sterile mineral, trace element and mineral salts supplement in a highly concentrated form. The main function of grit is to provide the bird with a source of digestive stones and some mineral salts. The levels of mineral salts in the grit are too low to be of any value. These same salts attract moisture from the air and can cause the grit to become moist. Some fanciers even wash the grit before feeding. Any moisture in the grit promotes harmful bacterial growth and contamination. E.coli and related bacteria are commonly found in wet grits because of the dead and decaying molluscs that inhabit the grit shells. Some of the bacteria produced by these decaying marine animals is toxic. Contaminated grit is a common cause of death in finches and their young. F-vite provides all the necessary minerals and mineral salts and trace elements in a sterile form. There is no wastage with F-vite as every last portion is consumed. It contains 10% shell grit enough for finches to digest seeds properly. The shell grit portion of F-vite is baked at high temperatures to ensure sterility, without damaging the potency of the minerals or grit. Bentonite in Fvite functions as a bowel detoxifier and astringent, which guarantee tight droppings. The end result is a concentrated mineral supplement that enhances health and vitality. The energy rich desiccated molasses and the scientifically balanced and concentrated vitamin, mineral, trace element and mineral salt mixture make this a perfect product for feeding parents. Although breeding Gouldian Finches do not need live food as a source of protein, they do require extra energy, vitamin and minerals in their diet. These may be provided in many different ways. One technique for administering nutritional supplements to Gouldians is described where a dry seed mix rather than soaked seed is used to deliver the additives (Protein, Energy, Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements) to Gouldians.

Copyright © 2009 Rob Marshall, All Rights Reserved.