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What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:28 am
by bkhenry
Newbie here again. I have two finches that have been picked on by previous cage-mates that have been moved together. Should I feed them egg food daily, 2x day? to help their feathers regrow- and for how long? They are getting along together wonderfully, so I'm just hoping to heal them up.
Also, in terms of regular food, what do you suggest? I'm feeding them seed that I bought at the local Petco, but if I should order other stuff, I can. I also have two others in another cage eating the seed.
Basically, what do I need to do to keep them happy and healthy birds?
Re: What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:30 am
by 6finchfriends
what kind of finches do you have?
Re: What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:04 pm
by ac12
For my zebras that have been plucked by cagemates, I separate them and give them a hardboiled egg mix at least 2x a day. If you can give it to them more often, I don't see why not. The protein will help with regrowing the feathers. You should see new feathers starting to grow in in about a week and the plucked areas should be refeathered in about 2 weeks.
Re: What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:32 pm
by bkhenry
I have zebras- 4 of them. 2 are healthy and doing great. The other 2 are the ones that had been picked on and are now happily living together. The LOVE the eggs. I'm having trouble getting the shells ground up very well. All I have is a standard blender and a mortar and pestle set-up- and of course a fork
For the next week or so I can do morning and evening, but after that, it'll have to be once per day.
Thanks for the help. I've really appreciated it. Other birds are so much easier. I made the mistake of thinking these would be easy too because they didn't need a lot of handling. Boy was I wrong.
Re: What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:01 pm
by lovemyfinch
Per grounding the eggshells. I actually have a coffee grinder reserved for the birds.

Re: What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:29 pm
by ac12
I shell my hardboiled eggs, then I can chop up the eggs separate from grinding the shells in a motar & pestle. I use a mini-food processor to chop up the eggs, but a large chefs knife would do similar. Problem w a fork is you mash the eggs and that gets "pasty."
Re: What to feed
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 7:18 pm
by 6finchfriends
sometimes mine like larger pieces of egg shell that they can pick up and chew pieces off and eat them so I don't think it matters all that much how small they are. Have you tried chopped up greens? Mine love dandelions (blossoms and leaves) but I have a field that never gets anything but water on it. Glad we were of help and your Zebbies like the egg!
