Beaks and minerals

Can anybody recommend a mineral block without artificial ingredients? And are they really necessary? How about the controversial use of mineral grit?

And how often do you replace your cuttlebones? I’ve seen aviaries with cuttlebones that are completely used up. It’d probably take a lifetime for my solo gal to “use up” a cuttlebone. Does it get old?

Ciao!

Cuttlebones and mineral blocks have simillar function. The best solution are cuttlebones. My birds have acces 24/7 and I don't replace

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Gin-coo-ya! That’s thanks, right? Spelled phonetically. Sorry for the big word. You’re doing great double duty learning while on this forum. That’s some work! Have a great evening and stay frosty, Polski friend! Lotsa love to ����! Great place, people and pierogi! ��

I voted once a year, but I change them when they get dirty. My big birds scrape their messy faces on them so if they get messy I replace.

I replace when dirty or used up. One of these days I will get around to cleaning chicken egg shells from our chickens and offering dishes of them, but for now just cuttlebone and the odd mineral block or perch. I don't go out of my way to get the blocks or perches, but some times people give them to us and we put them to use(either new in package, or only given to the bird or birds who were given to us with the item).



With as many birds as we have, we go through a TON of cuttlebone, and we have been looking into cheaper options(thus the egg shell idea from our own poultry). In my experience, unless a bird likes the texture or flavor(I suppose), they ignore cuttlebone unless about to lay or unless they were lacking minerals. The 2 dozen birds we took in about 4 months ago were going thru about a cuttlebone a day per approx 6 birds at first. Poor babies were super mineral starved. But a pet bird not laying and fed an appropriate diet probably won't go through a cuttlebone too fast(again, unless they are about to lay or decide they like destroying the bone for fun).

I feed all sorts of calcium and mineral supplements.
Charcoal, fine shell grit, cuttlebone, baked chicken egg shells...
I need to have this large variety and amount of supplements because all my birds are breeders, and would do extremely poor if i didn't provide them
Thanks
Noah Till