One driving force to eat is the body's mechanism to maintain it's body temperature.
This is true for all warm-blooded animals, especially birds, which have a much
higher body temperature than humans. In fact, caloric concentration of the diet
is very important in dietary formulations in order to arrive at the proper balance
of body heat output Vs heat input. The diet supplies the heat via calories, and
the calories are necessary to maintain body temperature. The calories can come
from fats, carbohydrates, and (believe it) protein or amino acids. We do not want
to bum protein or amino acids for energy because of reasons that will be discussed
at another time. Obesity occurs when the heat input (calories) exceeds the heat
output. Extra calories not used for energy are converted to fat. There are many
factors that need to be considered when formulating diets, and one of these is
the energy (calorie) concentration of the diet. Based on that energy concentration,
a diet can be formulated to be correct to maintain weight, or create an obese
situation, or one for losing weight. Determining the correct caloric value is
the secret for making certain that diets do not make sedentary pet birds fat.
Instead, the diet must be formulated to create a slim bird that has a better chance
for a longer life. Dr D's formulations are designed to make birds converted from
seed-type diets to lose their excess fat and slim down to a "youthful" figure.
Those that are fed Dr D's pelleted diets maintain their slim figures. You will
note that many show judge's grades favor fat birds, which actually is contrary
to all of the health rules for animals. Whoever controls the judging rules should
take notice that fatty shapes are not what is best for the birds. These are old
time rules that were in existence before pelleted diets came into being and when
seeds were mostly what one would feed. This is not 1940, and it is time that the
judge's committees recognize that good health habits arrive from proper nutrition,
and that proper nutrition for birds is just as important as proper nutrition is
for people. That means keeping the body from depositing excess fat. So, the rules
for judging should change and the emphasis should be on birds that are not fat.
This would also improve breeding since fat animals do not breed as well. You can
see why Avi-Sci, Inc. recommends that you listen to the Surgeon General of the
United States when he recommends controlling your intake of fat to be less than
30% of the calories and that the fat be comprised mostly of unsaturated type fat.
Also, you should be certain to have adequate protein and exercise, and no smoking.
These recommendations are applicable to birds. Dr D's feeds are formulated with
these recommendations in mind because they apply to sound nutritional principles.
You say your bird does not smoke! When one smokes in the bird's presence and it
breathes in the smoke that is exhaled or that which floats off the cigarette,
those conditions are not conducive to good health. I have heard about gout being
diagnosed in birds and that too much protein in the diet was being blamed for
the condition. This raises several questions dealing with the diagnoses. The actual
cause of the problem and whether too much protein (actually amino acids) in the
diet was responsible for the condition. Gout reflects a kidney problem, and many
physiological changes can cause kidney problems. An ionic imbalance in the body
(blood reflects this) is a most common cause. Urate production markedly increases
and sometimes this is a secondary problem rather than the primary cause of the
sickness. So, one has to be careful how to diagnose this clinical sign to be.