A good question, and one which worries many fanciers who use cod liver oil for its vitamin A & D content as well as its high iodine factor.

Any fancier who wants a perfect source of the above vitamins is well advised to consider using cod liver oil, which in my case is mixed in with a seed mixture daily at the rate of 5 mls to 6 kilos for about two minutes, before it is offered to the stock 24 hours later.

Ceratinly cod liver oil (CLO) will become rancid after a period – unlike a cod liver oil emulsion (e.g. Scott’s Emulsion) which deterioriates very rapidly. In both cases, once the new bottle is opened, airborne bacteria start to begin the process of rancidity – which of course we do not want.

However, it was proven many years ago, in an article I received when owner of Budgerigar World Magazine, that CLO-coated grain is quickly absorbed through the husk into the kernel. Thus rancidity is mainly confined to the exposed husk surface where, of course, it becomes shucked by our birds and is discarded.

Your question relates to how long before coated CLO seed grains become a hazard? That, in a temperate climate, is about a week, but in a hot climate you can halve that time. The answer, therefore, is to be clean at all times about removing scattered, but still full, seed grain, that has been lying about for a longish period.

As a great advocate of its usage I do not find any serious problems from using CLO and I would go as far as to say that I cannot breed the numbers of birds that I do without its use.

90% of the questions I get asked from breeders that cannot breed birds always comes down to a lack of vitamin A & D. Care should be taken that the dosage per day, throughout the year, is not overdone. Twice as much CLO is not twice as good. Indeed it is harmful, as both vitamins are not excreted and are stored in the liver – which can lead to very difficult diagnostic problems in a sick bird.

Finally remember halibut liver oil and wheat germ oils are so rich in International Units (by which fish oils are graded), that similar rates of dosage can be quickly fatal. CLO is safe to use and should only be bought in the smallest bottles available for obvious reasons. Stocks should be kept in the fridge until ready to be opened.

Regards,
Gerald

I was wondering about cod liver oil and it going rancid.

How long can it be in the seed safely before the seed can start to go off?

Many thanks
Leeia Fox
Australia

I use a ratio of two teaspoons of cod liver oil to 12 pounds of seed.

More information can be found in the “Fertility & Feeding” article.

Further uses for cod liver oil can be found in these articles: “cod liver oil”

Regards,
Gerald

Thanks,
Heather Burke
Australia