FICTION:
The required protein level of normal psittacines and other birds is below 20%

FACT:
While it may be true that some adult birds in a maintenance stage require less than 20 % protein, scientific studies clearly show that protein requirements for early growth and for breeding adults that feed their young are 20 % or more.

FICTION:
A protein level in the low to mid 20's may be harmful to adult birds that are in a maintenance stage. This "high" level of protein overworks the liver and kidneys and leads to gout if fed all the time.

FACT:
No one has ever been successful in damaging the liver and kidneys and in inducing gout in normal birds by feeding them high protein diets of good quality. In the bird, nitrogen from protein and amino acids may be excreted as uric acid. The nitrogen in uric acid may come from the diet or from the breakdown of body tissues.

Uric acid excretion in the urine may be increased by: 1) excess protein in the diet consumed; 2) poor quality protein even at low dietary concentrations; and 3) low food intake resulting in breakdown of the bird's own tissue for energy. In gout, uric acid and urates may be deposited in various tissues instead of being excreted by the kidneys. However, the failure to associate high dietary protein of good quality with the production of gout in normal birds is illustrated by the following studies.

In two studies, cockatiel chicks were offered dietary protein concentrations of 5, 10, 15, 18, 20, 25, or 35 % protein and had the highest body weights when fed 20, 25, or 35 % protein. The highest survival rate (100 %) was seen in chicks fed 35 % protein.

In a study with a selected line of chickens that was susceptible to gout, gout was seen only when a diet containing 80 % protein was fed and not when these susceptible chickens were fed 20 % protein. In normal chickens, gout was not seen when fed either a 20 or 80 % protein diet.

FICTION:
Most seed diets marketed for psittacines today are below 20 % protein.

FACT:
Most seed diets marketed for psittacines today are higher than 20 % protein in the edible portion. The edible parts of 12 common seeds found in seed mixes are higher than 20 % protein. These include sunflower, squash, safflower, canary, flax, mung bean, niger, hemp, mustard seed, peanuts, sesame, and rape. The range of protein concentration is 21 to 42 %, dry basis. Despite these high protein levels, only 6 of these seeds have sufficient lysine, an essential amino acid to meet requirements.

It is obvious that package labelling for seed mixes is very misleading since the protein concentration of the edible seed kernels is generally higher than that in the inedible hull, and the label only characterizes the kernel plus hull combined.

FICTION:
There is something harmful about feeding a normal adult bird 20 % protein all the time.

FACT:
The studies described above provide no evidence that even more than 20% dietary protein is harmful, and no other scientific studies have been found showing that 20 % protein will harm adult birds.