Feeding Trace Elements To Birds

By Gavin White

Over the last five years I have been feeding multimineral animal salt lick blocks to my birds and all seem to use them, from the Lorikeets, small hookbeaks to cockatoo's and even the quail.
The blocks contain zinc, copper, cobalt sulphates, potassium iodate, molasses and 3 p.p.m. selenium.

Littlix(tm) Summit Salt Blocks are available from rural animal supply companies throughout the country. Price approx. $23.50 There are 8 x 2.5kg blocks in each carton, each 2.5kg block I cut into 4 with a course toothed pruning saw.(or handsaw) then one is placed into each flight in the driest place possible.
This is important as the salt draws in moisture under humid conditions.

In the photo there are three examples of used blocks that have been in the flights for two years. These started out as square blocks as in the group of four.
Left hand sample pair Rainbow Lorikeets, centre sample pair of Kings and right hand sample pair of Indian Ringnecks.

As you can see from the photographs the birds use the salt lick and at a cost of only .74c per flight it seems to me to be a very economical way of getting selenium and trace elements into your birds.

Last modified: 16 September 2002.