Feeding chickweed and other things

[Megan]

I have been giving my zebra finches pellets and recently started mixing in seeds after reading some other posts. They are so much happier sinigng and active since doing this.

My friend gave them some chickweed the other day and after some flying around it and staring they dove right in and gobbled it up. How often should I give them chickweed? Should it be a treat like millet? What other fresh veggies are ok to give them?

Megan

[franny]

I have been giving my zebra finches pellets and recently started mixing in seeds after reading some other posts. They are so much happier sinigng and active since doing this.

My friend gave them some chickweed the other day and after some flying around it and staring they dove right in and gobbled it up. How often should I give them chickweed? Should it be a treat like millet? What other fresh veggies are ok to give them?

Megan

Hi Megan,

I used to feed chickweed to my Societies. I fed it to them every day while it was available (northern climate). They loved it! I have no idea if you could feed TOO much or not. Mine would eat their fill, then use the stuff that was starting to dry out for nesting material.

Maybe someone else would be able to be more helpful as to how much is too much. I know that some greens like spinach, definitely need to be limited to just a couple of times a week, but not sure about the chickweed. I hope I wasn't unknowingly doing the wrong thing... didn't have this place back then to come and ask!

I'm glad you started giving your guys seed. I think it's more natural. I still offer the pellets in a separate feeder, mixed with a bit of dried grasses. They go to that feeder occasionally, but prefer the finch mix of seeds.

I've been learning so much from this site, and I'm sure my birds today are so much healthier and happier than those Societies I kept many years back. I feel so badly now, that I really didn't give them enough variety. If I had only known!

I never knew that the finches would/should eat insects! Only now, since I was researching the waxbills and found this forum, am I offering this to my finches. Even your zebras would probably love the chance to nibble on the occasional mealworm. If you're squeemish like me, then get the canned mealworms. Hard to find in pet stores around here, I ordered them from Fairest Finches. Here's the link to the canned worms page: Fairest Finches

Michele has been really helpful with tricks to get my finches to try all the new foods. And now I notice that the staple finch seed is the last thing they go to... That seed that my poor Societies lived on, is probably only about 25-30% of these finches entire diet! Not only is it healthier for them to have a variety of foods, its giving them something to do, something to occupy them in their smaller than normal world. They look forward to the "treat" dish and exploring and trying the new things they find in it each day! And I'm having fun, too. Trying to keep them interested and having the enjoyment of seeing them enjoy their food! Must be that maternal instinct, though the finches and cat are my 'fids' (read 'kids')!

Glad you're doing the same, coming here and finding out what good things you can do for your zebs!

[dfcauley]

When chickweed is available, I try to give it to my birds every day.
They love it and cannot o-d on it. Now that the weather is cooler, it is beginning to grow and I gave my birds their first serving tonight. They were quite happy.

[Sally]

Most of them like dandelion leaves, too. Just make sure they are from an area that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals.

[Annabelle]

My birds all get chickweed and dandelion leaves and a few other things on a daily basis and they love it! Dandelions are packe full of vitamins and a ton of other essential minerals and other things. They are a great power food and the roots are even better. My birds wont eat the roots but who knows.