Nutrients & Their Sources

The table^5,6,7 below covers the major nutrients required by the avian body, their likelihood of deficiency, and some natural sources that contain the nutrients. The "likelihood of deficiency" is based on the assumption that you are feeding a "practical diet" which is predominately seed based but also mixed. A seed-only diet will likely have deficiencies in many if not most of the nutrients below. Sources are color-coded: blue text indicates "excellent sources" which contain over 20× the amount required by the avian body; green text indicates "good sources" which contain over 2× the amount required; and black text refers to adequate sources which will meet dietary requirements. Items in bold text are recommended for use in an egg-mix; notice how nearly every dietary requirement is covered by simply providing the birds with a boiled egg crushed shell and all mixed with finely-ground sunflower seeds.

Nutrient	Likelihood of Deficiency	Where It's Found
Protein (Lysine) [Methionine]	Moderately likely	Eggs, oil seeds (Dried parsley and spinach, brewer's yeast, peas, alfalfa meal, sunflower & safflower seeds, oats, canary grass seed, millet, barley, buckwheat) [brewer's yeast, canary grass seed, sunflower, oil seeds, millet, peas, alfalfa meal, wheat, oats, barley & other cereal grains]
Linoleic acid	Unlikely in seed-based diets; Moderately likely in low-fat processed diets	Safflower oil, sunflower oil
Vitamin A	Moderately likely	Carrots, alfalfa meal, spinach, parsley, kale, dandelion, turnip greens, egg, cheese
Vitamin D3	Unlikely if sufficient UV lighting is provided	Eggs -- especially yolk
Vitamin E	Unlikely if the diet contains oil seeds	Safflower oil, alfalfa meal, sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, cereal grains
Vitamin K	Unlikely	Parsley, spinach, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, turnip greens, eggs
Thiamin	Unlikely	Dried brewer's yeast, rice bran, sunflower seeds, peas and beans, millet, carrots, eggs, most whole grains, alfalfa meal
Riboflavin (B2)	Moderately likely in seed-based diets; unlikely in formulated diets	Brewer's yeast, eggs, alfalfa meal, millet, peas, beans
Niacin	Moderately likely in a seed-based diet	Yeast products, sunflower seeds, wheat, barley, alfalfa meal
Pyridoxine (B6)	Unlikely	Brewer's yeast, eggs, sunflower and safflower, peas, alfalfa meal, flax, millet, buckwheat, wheat, other whole grains
Pantothenic acid	Unlikely	Royal jelly, yeast products, eggs, sunflower and safflower seeds, alfalfa meal, peas, millet, wheat, oats, other whole grains
Biotin	Unlikely	Safflower, eggs, molasses, oats, peas, alfalfa meal, barley, beans, wheat, flax
Folic acid	Moderately likely in seed-based diets	Yeast products, alfalfa, eggs, beans, wheat, oats, other whole grains, wheat flour, Kellogg's Product 19 cereal, beets, spinach
Vitamin B12	Likely in a seed-based diet	Eggs, yeast products, peas, beans, spirulina
Choline	Unlikely	Yeast products, rape seed, sunflower and safflower seeds, alfalfa meal, most whole grains, eggs, peas, beans
Calcium	Likely	Calcium carbonate -- in cuttlebone, egg shell; dicalcium phosphate, alfalfa meal, kelp, cheese
Phosphorus	Unlikely	Dicalcium phosphate, brewer's yeast, most oil seeds, cereal grains, egg
Sodium	Likely	Salt, dried parsley, dried leafy vegetables, dried carrots, alfalfa meal, eggs
Chlorine	Unlikely	Salt, molasses, alfalfa meal, carrot, dried parsley, egg, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cereal grains
Potassium	Unlikely	Dried carrot, alfalfa meal, molasses, dried apricots, bananas, brewer's yeast, legumes, oil seeds, sunflower, dried fruits and vegetables, cereal grains
Magnesium	Unlikely	Kelp, sunflower, safflower and other oilseeds, alfalfa meal, brewer's yeast
Manganese	Moderately likely	Dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate e.g. eggshell or cuttlebone, hemp seed, wheat products, oat products
Iron	Unlikely	Dried parsley, calcium carbonate e.g. eggshell or cuttlebone, alfalfa meal, brewer's yeast, most cereal grains--especially millet, barley, oats, canary grass seed; dried carrots
Zinc	Unlikely	Wheat, oats, sunflower
Copper	Unlikely	Molasses, brewer's yeast, oil seeds, sunflower, peas, alfalfa meal, cereal grains
Iodine	Moderately likely	Molasses, egg, cheese, brewer's yeast
Selenium	Unlikely	Brewer's yeast, oil seeds, alfalfa meal, rice, dried parsley and spinach, oats, cheese, egg

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