Some commercially available avian vitamins contain a combination of vitamin A, D3, and E from different brands such as Tabernil AD3E and Nekton AD3E. Let’s now discover the importance of these vitamins, their primary functions, and their top food sources.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A strengthens immunity and increases egg production in females and sperm count in males. It preserves the sight and the quality of the skin and feathers and stimulates bone growth. On the contrary, vitamin A deficiency leads to impaired immunity and vision, decreased fertility, and increases in skin roughness, and it causes the color of the feathers to fade.
Top foods high in vitamin A
Below is a list of the top safe foods to feed to your pet bird and yet has the highest amounts of vitamin A, ranked from highest to lowest:
- sweet potatoes (only cooked)
- carrots (cooked or raw)
- spinach*
- sweet and hot peppers
- broccoli
- hard-boiled eggs
*limit intake
Note: birds may refuse to eat certain foods, and this may depend on the type of bird and its diet. Accustom your birds from a young age to eat a wide variety of foods. A bird’s diet should not be limited to seeds only.
Recommended readings: unsafe toxic and for pet birds and best fruits and vegetables for pet birds.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is known as the fertility vitamin as it promotes sexual drive and fertility. It also maintains muscle function, so a deficiency in vitamin E causes the embryo to die inside the egg due to muscle weakness. Furthermore, it can cause leg paralysis in chicks after hatching. Additionally, a lack of vitamin E increases infertility in males and females.
According to a study title, Effects of Dietary Vitamin E on Fertility Functions in Poultry Species, vitamin E deficiency degenerates testicles, decreases semen volume, and reduces sperm production and motility in males, and it decreases egg production and fertility in females.
Top foods high in vitamin E
Below is a list of the top safe foods to feed to your pet bird and yet has the highest amounts of vitamin E, ranked from highest to lowest:
- sweet potatoes
- sunflower seeds
- walnuts
- sweet almonds*
- hard-boiled eggs
*limit intake
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps in the observation of the calcium, and thus it plays a role in strengthening the bones and the eggshell. A deficiency in this vitamin leads to osteoporosis and contributes to high rates of fetal death inside the egg in the early stages of formation.
It is worth noting that calcium aids in the contraction of the oviduct muscle for the egg to get out, and without vitamin D, the female body can’t absorb calcium to perform this task.
The primary source of vitamin D is the sun, and food sources are quite limited. One of the natural and safe food sources for birds of this vitamin is egg yolks, which contain small amounts of it. Thus, you should expose your birds to sunlight now and then, or provide an alternative source of light such as ultraviolet light (UV), or a supplement that contains vitamin D.
Note: don’t leave your birds under the strong sunlight, especially during the summer. Otherwise, they will get sunstroke. Always leave a shade for your birds to turn to when they are tanning under the sun.
Warning: don’t use synthetic vitamins too often and follow the directions in the bottle. Don’t exceed the recommended dosage. If the body gets more vitamins than it needs, serious health problems can emerge.