I cant my zeebs to eat egg food, what am I doing wrong?

[Strickalator]

Ok I have made the following for my parakeets and my finches to eat.

4 eggs boiled 20 min with shells mixed in.
2 teaspons garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

all of that is mixed together and crushed into fine pieces. The parakeets pick at it and eat it but bobbie and jessie wont touch it. is there a better recipie for finches?

[L in Ontario]

I do not use garlic powder or lemon pepper. That sounds like a lot, to me.

[Strickalator]

well i had tried it just plain as well and they did not even touch it.

A book called finches for dummies suggested using garlic powder and peppers

[Sally]

You really only need to boil the eggs about 12 minutes. Once they have cooled, chop them up shell and all in a food processor. Add just a pinch of garlic powder (2 tsp is probably way too much). Don't bother with the lemon pepper. This makes a mix that is somewhat wet, and a lot of finches don't like wet eggfood. There are all kinds of things to add to it, but for now, I would just add some plain yellow cornmeal. Just keep adding about 1/3 cup at a time (if you are using 4 eggs), then mix and fluff with a fork, till the mix isn't so wet.

With just a few birds, I would just make up one egg each day, chop it in a mini food processor if you have one, otherwise just chop as best you can, add the garlic powder and corn meal, and experiment to see what your birds like best.

[dfcauley]

I agree... way too much garlic powder. I only put a tiny pinch in two eggs.

Then I mixed commercial egg food in with the fresh. Usually half and half so it is dry and not so moist.

[Strickalator]

hehe my finches must think I am trying to ward off vampires

[fairestfinches]

Strick,

Try out our eggfood recipe. Lots of forum members have tried it with much success. It's easy to modify to suit your birds. Here's the link.

http://www.fairestfinches.com/articles/ ... /90955.htm

Sean

[Pukasand]

Now, what I'm doing is just boiling the egg for 12 minutes, leave it to cool, then mash just the yolk with a bit of white. My Zebs gobble it up so fast. They are feeding young, is there an amount that is 'too much'? They can eat almost a whole yolk by themselves. I give them greens and millet and the reg. seeds/egg food/etc. Should I give them more.. as much as they can handle, or is this making their chicks diet too concentrated on the yolks and not enough of other stuff? If I add anymore food cups to their cage, I won't be able to see them..lol. BTW, they do have cups with oyster shell and charcoal and a cuttle bone. Also a mineral block. Thanks and Happy Holidays!

[Sally]

I use the whole egg, both yolk and white, mashed together. When they are feeding babies, I don't know that you can feed too much protein.

[Pukasand]

Thanks, folks, don't want to overload them before they even fledge. I usually smoosh the yolk, white and shell, but thought I'd try just the yolk since their appetite seems voracious. Guess I'll keep it up then.

[L in Ontario]

I do like Sally and give them the entire hb egg (after placing in the food processor for a couple of seconds and mix it with some soak seed and sometimes mealworms and sometimes a few drops of Cod Liver Oil and Wheat Germ Oil).

[Pukasand]

I'm gonna try that with the soak seeds/mealworms and Cod Liver Oil. Thanks.