Feeding questions

[finchandlovebird]

I buy Supplement (treat) Ecotrition (brand name) Conditioning, Honey Flavor, Molting, Nesting, etc. & feed to my birds in those white 6" two-panel cups. They also have a feeder with regular finch food (seeds).
They seem to really scarf down these supplement (treats) & I wonder if instead I should be mixing them into their regular seed rather than feeding them alone.

Also, in addition to hard boiled eggs & greens, I have dry egg food in treat size cups. As long as it doesn't get pooped on, do I need to replenish this from time to time? i.e. does it get stale? Should/could it be offered at all times in a treat cup?

Thanks for any & all answers.

[skyjump100]

To be honest I dont feed my Goulds any supplements seperately as I think there is enough in the conditioning seed I feed them. I do however put a vitamin and mineral supplement in their water daily plus use a moulting solution at the appropriate times.

I use dry egg food as for some reason my birds aren't interested in hard boiled eggs at all. I change the eggfood daily so perhaps am wasting a lot but I dont want to endanger health by food going off (I'm still new to all this, well, it's almost been a year now so perhaps I cant say Im new anymore lol).
I'm going to stop with the eggfood for a couple of months as the juvies are all grown up and the adults need a break before I get them into breeding condition again.

Apart from that its just seed, egg shell, cuttle fish and grit plus optional veges ( I use dried veges that I add water to the night before).

I will be interested to see what other people do as well!

[ac12]

The supplement might have something that the finches want or need. If you can figure it out but seeing what is eaten, then maybe you can buy that one seed and add it to their seed mix.
But I would dose it so they don't get too much.

Another thing it you don't want to overdose on something that might not be good for them in larger quantity. Similar to eating cake and pie all the time rather than a balanced diet.

Another problem is that the supplements that we give are more expensive than regular food. So you don't want them eating too much of that...$$$

My birds get a pellet food (Kaytee, LaFeber, or Roudybush) as their standard food.
I supplement this with a dish of chopped hardboiled egg+veggies. The frequency of the egg+veggies depends on the birds.
- The juv/molting cage get egg+veggies daily.
- The non-molting birds get egg+veggies 1 or 2x a week.
- Breeding birds, especially with chicks get egg+veggies 2x or more a day.

I put out Orlux dry egg mix for the breeding birds, and simply add to what is there in the dish. Unless it gets wet, I do not think that it goes bad.
Only for the fresh egg do I change it out daily. I put it out in the morning, and remove what is left in the afternoon.

[finchandlovebird]

ac12 Thanks Gary, you spelled it out quite clearly. To simplify things, I think I will mix the supplements with the regular seed mix, and when it's gone; just stick to seed mix, eggs & veggies.
(I only wish mine were on pellets; they've never touched them)

[ac12]

Conversion to pellets can be a challenge.
Who will give in first, you or the bird.
I used the method in the FIC. It took a while but it worked.
But you also have to be careful not to starve the birds when you do the conversion process.

Once you get one converted, it gets easier, as "monkey see, monkey do" they will eat what the "teacher" bird eats.

[allgirlsmom]

Gary, thank you for your simple guideline on egg/veggie feeding schedule. Are eggs and veggies what is referred to as "high energy food" in many articles? I haven't found a clear statement on it and I'm also wondering if millet spray is in that "high energy food" category.
----
Ruth

[ac12]

Ruth
I have to make the schedule simple, for my own sake. Too easy to get confused.

Well the egg would be high energy, because of the fat and protein in the egg, but not the veggies. My veggies is green or red lettuce and whatever else we get from the veggie guy at the grocery store (these are the cuttings that they would otherwise throw into the garbage) and sometimes chopped up carrots.

Millet spray is what I consider "candy." Given a choice they eat that and nothing else. Plus the millet hull is light and is blown all over the place. So they get millet only once in a while, as a treat.

[allgirlsmom]

Gary, thanks for the prompt reply. I will adjust my overindulgence on the millet. It'll be saving $ too!

[Sally]

I agree with Gary, spray millet is like candy, so needs to be rationed to nonbreeding adult birds, and the same for a lot of the commercial supplements. Dry commercial eggfood should not go bad, unless it is pooped on or gets wet.