Fruits And Vegetables To Feed your Birds

[cindy]

Egg food is pretty complete...though there are species that do require more protein, live foods to rear young... we have had wild caught birds brought into the states. I know breeders that offer egg food but do offer live food in the way of mealworms, phoenix worms gut loaded on vitamin enriched foods, pellets to feed to the young.

They will do what it takes to keep the species going in aviculture here seeing that some of the finches, softbills are becoming very rare, harder to come across due to numbers decreasing and imports few or none. In all fairness I have had captive birds brought in and it is not that easy to get them to accept some of the foods we offer our domesticated birds... variety is key when it comes to the art of getting them to raise their young. They have enough stressors put on them being placed in a cage and expected to adapt like our domesticated birds have. Expecting to switch wild caught to just egg foods and plates of "salads" sounds great and often it does not work.

I know several breeders that have had great success with several of the rare African species by offering both egg food and live food and trying to create an environment like they would have in the wild. Here in Florida there are several trying to build up the African species numbers... and yes some (a small number) do use just egg food, majority of the time it is not always the case and live food is required in the form of wingless fruit flies and meal worms. If you can get the wild caught to parent raise using live food as a bargaining chip then go for it, much better than hand feeding out.

Think we need to ask ourselves regarding the rare species we have difficulty finding like the African species what is needed to keep them going in Aviculture... if it helps keep the counts up then use live foods, if they accept and do well on egg food then so be it. Each situation is different and there is not general rule on this.

You can add chitted seed to the equation but the birds need certain amino acids and seed and veggies do not always carry those. the following is from the FIC:

quote "Different species have different protein requirements; for instance, insectivorous birds generally have higher protein requirements than granivorous birds. Additionally, increased protein is required in the diets of growing and breeding birds. Regardless of the species of bird, 10 amino acids must routinely be provided to the birds, as they cannot manufacture these essential amino acids in their bodies: lysine, arginine, histidine, methionine, tryptophan, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, and phenylalanine

Egg is one of the few protein sources available that can be optimally utilized because its amino acid profile is similar to that of the bird's body."

Again if live food is required as well for insectivorous species to keep them going then live foods should not be dismissed. You can always gut load the live food on dried egg foods and pellets to help provide what the bird needs.

[Sheather]

I agree Cindy, I would not expect wild caught birds to accept prepared diets. This is something that is almost certainly not going to be possible until you're working with young captive-raised birds who are still willing to try new foods.

[cindy]

I always tell folks what you want your birds to learn to eat, especially the base diet always introduce at fledging...even if the parents do not eat it the young are more likely to try it, consume it and adapt to it!!!!!

[Sheather]

I have even converted adults to partly pellet diets by introducing pellets to their fledgelings. The young ones start eating the new food, and then the adults follow suit.

[cindy]

I have brought new additions both finches and grasskeets, English budgies...introduced pellets and some dove right in!!!!

[Stuart whiting]

Egg food is pretty complete...though there are species that do require more protein, live foods to rear young... we have had wild caught birds brought into the states. I know breeders that offer egg food but do offer live food in the way of mealworms, phoenix worms gut loaded on vitamin enriched foods, pellets to feed to the young.

They will do what it takes to keep the species going in aviculture here seeing that some of the finches, softbills are becoming very rare, harder to come across due to numbers decreasing and imports few or none. In all fairness I have had captive birds brought in and it is not that easy to get them to accept some of the foods we offer our domesticated birds... variety is key when it comes to the art of getting them to raise their young. They have enough stressors put on them being placed in a cage and expected to adapt like our domesticated birds have. Expecting to switch wild caught to just egg foods and plates of "salads" sounds great and often it does not work.

I know several breeders that have had great success with several of the rare African species by offering both egg food and live food and trying to create an environment like they would have in the wild. Here in Florida there are several trying to build up the African species numbers... and yes some (a small number) do use just egg food, majority of the time it is not always the case and live food is required in the form of wingless fruit flies and meal worms. If you can get the wild caught to parent raise using live food as a bargaining chip then go for it, much better than hand feeding out.

Think we need to ask ourselves regarding the rare species we have difficulty finding like the African species what is needed to keep them going in Aviculture... if it helps keep the counts up then use live foods, if they accept and do well on egg food then so be it. Each situation is different and there is not general rule on this.

You can add chitted seed to the equation but the birds need certain amino acids and seed and veggies do not always carry those. the following is from the FIC:

quote "Different species have different protein requirements; for instance, insectivorous birds generally have higher protein requirements than granivorous birds. Additionally, increased protein is required in the diets of growing and breeding birds. Regardless of the species of bird, 10 amino acids must routinely be provided to the birds, as they cannot manufacture these essential amino acids in their bodies: lysine, arginine, histidine, methionine, tryptophan, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, and phenylalanine

Egg is one of the few protein sources available that can be optimally utilized because its amino acid profile is similar to that of the bird's body."

Again if live food is required as well for insectivorous species to keep them going then live foods should not be dismissed. You can always gut load the live food on dried egg foods and pellets to help provide what the bird needs.

Absolutely spot on Cindy, very well said

[lovezebs]

cindy

Hi Cindy,

I tried to look for the green Roudybush pellets which you recommended. We don't have them here.

I did look at the Maintainance crumbles, and the first 2 ingredients, are corn.
I think I'll stick to the seeds, and the fresh food which I've always fed .

[cindy]

corn gets a bad rap...loaded with vitamin A...

the smaller bags and not all the distributors have the new version yet. Roudybush is all natural, finch size is the Nibles, Crumbles can be too big

[lovezebs]

cindy

I feed fresh corn, so no need to feed it in pellets.

The smallest my Pet Store has at present are the Crumbles, not the Nibles, and then again not the green ones. They would order it in for me, but I'm still on the fence about pellets.

I did buy a fresh bag of Alfalfa today, so the kids will have fun tomorrow .

[Sheather]

I don't push pellets on anyone, I just like pellets to fill in the gaps, and so I can leave for a few days and just have someone fill the dish, and still know they're not going to be deficient in anything.

[cindy]

Been using Roudybush since they became available.... my birds do well on them... it is one way to help meet their nutritional needs... not all birds take to them. Mine all seem to really like the new formulation though.

[cindy]

I feed corn from time to time...not stopping pellets because I do, pellets contain a lot of the other nutrients they can't get in just seed as a base diet... no matter what "table food/veggies" you feed it is near impossible to meet all their needs completely...I leave that to the scientists/avian vets that do the research to develop the products.

[lovezebs]

cindy

Thank you Cindy.

[anma]

I'd like to ask, just to make sure, if cooked green beans are okay for zebra finches?I have a pack of frozen vegetable mix, and I don't like green beans. Thought I will cook it though and give some to my finches. After searching the net, found it listed under safe- and unsafe, or with moderation as well. What do you think?