# Paterson Bird Store?



## birdlover4life (Mar 6, 2010)

I saw Paterson Bird Store and was considering getting my tiel from there. Has anyone gotten one from there? Would you reccommend it?


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

Hm, i'm not sure if many people will be familiar of it. I'm not sure where you are in NJ, but I have bought a handfed bird from Bird jungle in Yonkers, NY which is very close to the city. They are extremely knowledgeable people and their birds have been great. I have not been there for many years, so i'm not sure if anything has changed, but I doubt it.
They offer a wide variety of mutations.. last time I was there, normal gray babies were about $100, whitefaces I think were between $120-150), and albinos were $200.. I might be off a bit..

IF you are close to the city, I will be going there for thanksgiving and I will have a female pearl pied available then. If you are interested, let me know. Otherwise, you can look for other breeders and many times they are much cheaper than petstores.


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## birdlover4life (Mar 6, 2010)

I am open to all ideas and I would be willing to drive by you, its like 20 minutes away from me. How old is the pearl pied? ALso is egg binding common in females, I would like to aviod that but if its not common, then it wouldnt be a big deal.


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

Sent you a PM. 

I JUST experienced my first little battle with egg binding. This hen however did mate with a male and I'm assuming was stimulated to nest by a pair I already have nesting on the other side of the cage (there is a divider between them). 
Otherwise I have never experienced it within 8 years of owning hens. Other people can probably give you more of an idea though. As long as you offer proper nutrition, sunlight, calcium, and reduce anything that may cause her to want to breed, I think the chance of egg binding is very low.


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## birdlover4life (Mar 6, 2010)

Thank you, I dont think it would be a problem with me.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Below is an article I'm working on for those that have females and off the ages to start laying.
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The Importance of Calcium​　
We have all heard that it is important to supply calcium sources, especially when a bird is laying or breeding. The reason why is to provide enough calcium intake to produce strong, dense shell on the eggs, and to also be a preventative to soft of shelless eggs, which can contribute to egg binding and/or dystocia, or prolapse of the uterus.

The most common recommendation is supplying cuttlebone or calcium supplements, and greens or veggies that are rich in calcium. In supplying this we think the bases are covered and aid as a preventative to a hens reproduction problems, yet have a hen that passes a soft shelled egg or is egg-bound…*why?*
* 
*Most times this is not enough. There are several factors that can influence the output of calcium circulating in the bloodstream, which is drawn from the bones while an egg is in the uterus (shell gland). 

1...Proper lighting plays an important role in good reproductive health of hens. Either available in the form of real sunlight (not filtered thru glass) or from Full Spectrum Lighting (FSL) In simple terms the skin absorbs the UV (ultra violet) rays from the lighting and the body converts it to useable D3, and this in turn aids the uptake of useable calcium. 

2...Preventative water treatments such as ACV can change the pH in the digestive tract. When the pH is higher than 6.5, absorption of phosphorus markedly decreases. Excess free fatty acids in the diet can cause the pH to decrease and therefore, interfere with calcium and phosphorus absorption. In summary, if the intestinal flora and pH is altered this can cause several problems. If preventative treatments are used it is better to find the cause and correct it. 

3...Researching the sources of calcium and other mineral nutrients is very important. High levels of phosphorus in the blood will inhibit the mobilization of calcium from bone. When this occurs this increases the chances of soft-shelled eggs which can lead to impactions and binding.

You can go online to search for the following: You can look up on this site which foods (Nutrient lists) are high in calcium: 
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ 
Below is a listing of what a shell consists of. When researching foods nutrient contents you will want to also look up which greens/veggies foods contain trace elements of the following:
Calcium carbonate: 94-97% 
Phosphorus: 0.3%
Magnesium: 0.2%
Sodium, Potassium, Manganese, Iron and Copper: traces 
Organic matter: 2% 
The small amount of organic matter mostly consists of matrix proteins (mixture of proteins and polysaccharides rich in sulphated molecules) and shell pigment. The matrix proteins are critically important in determining the egg shell structure and serves as foundation for the deposition of calcium carbonate. 

The structure of an eggshell when examined under a high powered microscope will look like a tangled network of mineralized fibers…kind of like looking at the mat in an air conditioner filter. The eggshell is formed around a mat of proteins, which is coated and overgrown by calcium carbonate and other mineral salts. The result is a tough, waterproof package that still allows gas exchange between the inside and the outside, enabling the developing embryo to 'breath', while providing astonishing mechanical strength. The shell has enough calcium carbonate in it, which as the embryo gets close to hatch, it can use this reserve to draw into the body and bloodstream for the developing bones.
　
NOTE: most greens and veggies contain oxalic acids. These will bind useable calcium from foods. What you want to do is look for foods that have a *higher* calcium content than oxalic acid. _The *useable calcium *is the difference between the two._ Print out the following tables from both links:
Guinea Lynx ::Oxalic Acid in Selected Vegetables
Guinea Lynx :: Calcium Chart 
 
Once you print out the 2 links above, you will have to look at the listed calcium level in this link: http://www.guinealynx.info/diet_ratio.html Deduct the oxalic acid levels to give you a clearer pix of the calcium to phosphorus ratios. The calcium to phosphorus ratio should be 2:1.
*Examining and providing the best sources of calcium does not stop at providing good shell quality. 

*During the last 15 hours of shell formation (when the egg is in the uterus, also called a shell gland), calcium movement across the shell gland reaches a rate of 100-150 mg/hr. This process draws calcium from two sources: diet and bone. Intestinal absorption of calcium in the diet is about 40% when the shell gland is inactive, but reaches 72% when active. This time closely coincides with late afternoon or the dark hours for the layer. Having higher calcium levels in the gut during this time is important to ensure calcium is being taken from the diet and not bone.

NOTE: We are warned not to provide sources of sodium to our birds, but many can go to the extremes of eliminating all sources of sodium and this can have an negative effect on a laying hen. The lack of (or deficiency) trace minerals and salt can be contributing factors to soft shelled eggs, and poor uterine muscle tone. This is also true of many birds that die of egg binding. Salt/sodium aids in the muscle contractions. When there is a deficiency there can be a loss of muscle tone to expel the egg. Therefore in your researching on a diet supplying needed calcium, and other trace minerals, try to include sources of sodium.

The need for a good source of calcium does not stop at supplying it prior to egg laying. The calcium is drawn into the developing embryo as it grows through the vascular network of blood veins radiating into the body from the yolk. During this time the embryo draws calcium from the shell to strengthen developing bones. If the calcium in the shell is insufficient this can contribute to weaker bones, and problems such as splayed leg , soft flexible leg bones, and/or fractures forming within days after hatch. For good bone growth and strength these post hatch problems can be avoided by supplying food sources rich in calcium and trace minerals to the feeding parents.


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