The Origins of Polly's Calcium Mix.
Please Note: The
full ingredients are NOT listed in this article, nor is the
process that
they undergo listed herein as it took years to develop &
trial.
If you make your own mix from this basic recipe please do not
hold me
responsible if you have problems with you mix - especially
bacterial ones!!!
So, if you want a risk free product call the numbers at the
bottom of this article &
puchase it direct from one of the two "dodgy"
characters listed there as they
are the only ones making this product!!
Living as I do in a place like Tasmania it is a huge challenge to keep and breed any bird species in such a variable, bird-hostile climate.
When you then factor in that the birds I keep are finches - most of them from tropical climes - then you know you are in for a hard time!!
Over the years the spectre of egg-binding
has always been a constant companion to any that contemplate the
breeding of finches here.
Despite the best efforts of experienced breeders it seemed that
egg-binding was here to stay like an uninvited "guest"!
Well, that was until a couple of us got stuck into the problem
and consulted a few avian vets about a solution to the problem a
few short years back.
By using a blend of available pigeon products and a number of naturally occurring calcium sources we "put together" a mix that we fed to our birds that, so far, appears to have gone a long way to making egg-binding a thing of the past.
After a visit from one of Aussies finest finch breeders and his enquiry into "what the hell is the pink stuff in the bottle" the stuff now known as Polly's Calcium Mix has made the step onto the Mainland!
Apparently even Mainland breeders have some
problems with egg-binding and my mate trialled my concoction and
decided it was indeed the 'right stuff'!!
As he tends to have a 'few' bird keepers visit on a regular basis
it was not long before others asked him what was in it or, better
still, why didn't he make it up so they could all use it!!
Next thing I know I'm beachcombing Clifton
Beach with pockets full of oyster shell or constantly looking for
a fine shellgrit to go into this 'great' mix!!
So from the pristine unpolluted beaches of Southern Tasmania bags
of oyster shell and shellgrit made its way up to the NSW.
The Raw Materials. | Screened Shellgrit. | Ground Oyster Shell. |
The rest is that I have now blended Polly's
Calcium Mix into quantities that all your birds can benefit
from!
Just drop me an email or a call on the numbers listed at the
bottom of this piece and I'm sure that I can help you out.
No before you start ripping it, or me, to
pieces here is the truth and the reason why I have been using
this stuff for years.
However, maybe prudent here to state that this is NOT meant to be
a "cure" for egg-binding as there are a host of factors
that influence egg-binding - the age and condition of the birds
and the variability of the climate to name but two of them. This
mix is meant as a source of calcium for aviary birds and nought
else. Presented as it is the birds can select from it what they
need and are not forced to consume calcium at times when it may
not be as essential to their well-being.
After spending months trailing special seed
mixes and live food techniques for finches it seemed a logical
step to tackle the spectre of egg-binding here - especially when
you consider one day over last summer was 38 degrees and the next
day was only13 degrees!!
So after much reading, discussion and research I came up with
this mix. I must admit experience has taught me to keep such
research to myself until I was fully convinced that it actually
"worked"!!!
All The Goodies!! | Ready to Go! | All That They Need!! |
Must admit my own results suggest that this is a real goer and if John reckons the same then its good enough for me!!
If you have any concerns or require more information feel free to email me on the address below and I'll endeavour to answer your questions.
Contents &
Another Warning!!:
Full Contents? Now that would be telling now wouldn't it given
our latest additions!!!
However, even if you've guessed what is in it the way that the
ingredients
are treated is known only to us and is done in such a way as to
ensure that there is no
possible harm to the finches we keep.
Making your own? Good luck sunshine - you'll need it!!!
To grab yourself a bag of this blended calcium mix on the Mainland just call John Butler on 02 49383552 or email him at marjo43@bigpond.com .
If you're a Taswegian or
need any other assistance then just email me at marcus_pollard@hotmail.com or
call me on 03 62489539
The ONLY place you'll get it in Tassy is from me.
Cost of a bag is $10 plus postage and each bag contains around 1kilo of calcium mix.