FINCHforum

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 9:15 am**

Hello! I just got Kinta and I bought this Lafeber's premium daily diet for finches. He is eating it. But I have a coupon for Kaytee foraging diet. It appears to be a seed diet. Should I feed both pellets and seed? Kina has a cuttlebone, an egg treat stick and a millet spray. He clearly likes the millet, should he have access to millet constantly?

I had the food/water in a small bowl, but just put them in a couple silo feeders, but he's doesn't really seem to know how to use the silo feeders, so I still have small bowls in there. How do I get him using silos?

Every time I walk down the bird isle, I see bird gravel, vitamin supplements, beak conditioners, all sorts of different foods, sented millet sprays, etc. I'm trying to sort out what I need/don't need. There was a lady in the store yesterday talking about bird gravel for her canaries, do finches need bird gravel? What is bird gravel anyway? I was told that they eat it because it aids in digestion. And what is the difference between a scented millet spray and a millet spray?

Thank you!

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 10:09 am**

Most avian vets recommend a diet consisting of both pellet and seed. I would offer both. Millet is like candy to birds... I would limit the amount you offer or it's quite likely he'll eat nothing BUT millet.

Bird gravel is a controversial subject. I don't offer gravel to my birds, but rather offer them mineral dishes (such as ground oyster shells, charcoal on occasion - though you don't want to overdo it with charcoal either). Some believe grit can become lodged and cause problems for the bird. If you really want to serve a grit, Abba Mineral Grit is a good one though you'd have to really pulverize it into a suitable consistency for finches.

The flavored millets really are just millet dipped in some sort of flavoring (for example, raspberry). I have found birds really don't care for it and it becomes hardened easily, making it harder for them to eat.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 10:58 am**

If your bird is already consistently eating pellets, thank your lucky stars and don't worry about the rest!
Pellets are a complete diet and don't *require* supplementation. Of course your bird will enjoy seeds, greens, etc. but they aren't necessary. All the nutrition your bird needs is in the pellets. I feed both seeds and pellets, but if my birds would cooperate I would feed primarily pellets.
It's like feeding your dogs kibble instead of keeping a freezer full of horsemeat and roadkill.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 11:10 am**

There will always be differing opinions on feeding pellets versus seeds. Pelleted diets are complete diets, yet the one thing they lack is the natural stimulation offered by a variety of seeds. I think offering both is a good compromise.

We have to remember that we take these birds, even well-domesticated species like Zebras, and we confine them to a cage/flight for the rest of their lives (unless we have an aviary). We can put them in a sterile cage with a few dowel perches and a bowl of pellets and they will survive. Or, we can put them in a cage with natural branch perches, a swing, perhaps some fake plants or some toys, a variety of foods (pellets, seeds, mineral mix, fresh veggies, herbs), and they will thrive. The more varied and interesting we make their environment and their diet, the better off they will be. Just my two cents.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 11:26 am**

I have zebras.

I like the concept of mimicking the natural, but then comes the practical.

So, I like coconut nests. Natural material... but it doesn't clean well so I've gone to plastic nest boxes. Bird baths, but not all the time, as it's too time consuming for me. I want the baths to remain relatively clean.

I give greens - spinach, lettuce, rice, corn... because I think it's natural. I allow them to decide if they would like sand/cuttlebone/oyster shell...

The concept of live/fake plants is on my mind, but how to incorporate it.

I like natural perches, but make sure you can clean them... again, not quite as easy as it seems on the surface.

In the end it comes down to your time, economics, interest level, cage restrictions... What works for you? We're all going to be a bit different, and that's all right!

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 11:44 am**

I completely agree with Sally regarding varied environments and diets for enrichment, but as to the original question - if your bird eats a good quality pelleted diet you don't need to worry about adding supplements, grit, etc.
When you know your bird has what it needs, then you can provide whatever you think it may want as you see fit. Just don't stress over the multitude of choices!
We would all be healthier eating nothing but tofu and and sprouts, but I'd be happier with an occasional double cheeseburger. I'm sure it's the same with birds.
Just don't worry so much about doing it "right" that it takes the fun out of bird-keeping. Enjoy your bird!

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 12:14 pm**

Thanks for all the responses! It sounds about like my fish. The more of an ecosystem the tank is, the more interesting, happier, and healthier the fish are.

Sounds like both is a good idea, so I'm off to use this coupon and find a small treat type dish. Then I'll be restraining the millet situation and sticking with the cuttlebone over gravel. As for fresh greens, I do love alfalfa sprouts and spinach, so Kinta can share some of those with me. Now I just need to get him to eat out of those silos.

Thanks!

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 3:45 pm**

sasdrum wrote: Hello! I just got Kinta and I bought this Lafeber's premium daily diet for finches. He is eating it. But I have a coupon for Kaytee foraging diet. It appears to be a seed diet. Should I feed both pellets and seed? Kina has a cuttlebone, an egg treat stick and a millet spray. He clearly likes the millet, should he have access to millet constantly?

I had the food/water in a small bowl, but just put them in a couple silo feeders, but he's doesn't really seem to know how to use the silo feeders, so I still have small bowls in there. How do I get him using silos?

Every time I walk down the bird isle, I see bird gravel, vitamin supplements, beak conditioners, all sorts of different foods, sented millet sprays, etc. I'm trying to sort out what I need/don't need. There was a lady in the store yesterday talking about bird gravel for her canaries, do finches need bird gravel? What is bird gravel anyway? I was told that they eat it because it aids in digestion. And what is the difference between a scented millet spray and a millet spray?

Thank you!

I think it is important to give your birds a variety and environmental stimulation. I would also offer seeds to the birds because they are seed eaters and are programmed to hull their food before eating it. All that power at the bottom of the pellet bowl is because they tried to hull the pellet.

It's very natural for them to look to food designed that way.
Because the finch (including canaries) hull their seed they do not need "grit" which is gravel to digest their food. They do need a mineral mix of things like cuttle bone, oyster shells and egg shells though for calcium. Hard boiled eggs supply them with many minerals and vitamins including Vitamin D needed for calcium absorption.
best of luck with Kinta

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 6:57 pm**

he he
Debbie solved the question that I had.
Why all the powder in the food dish (pellet food) ?
Answer, they were "hulling" the pellets.

With the LaFebers, the pellets are "tiny" so it is almost like powder, that they will also eat the powdered pellets.
Some of my other birds that get Roudybush nibbles or Zupreem, don't eat the powder. They want the whole pellet.

I give my birds that are not breeding or molting egg+veggies sprinkled with white millet 2x a week.
I no longer buy the store seed mixes, the birds don't eat half the stuff in the mix, and I end up throwing out what they don't eat.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 7:17 pm**

debbie276 wrote: Because the finch (including canaries) hull their seed they do not need "grit" which is gravel to digest their food. They do need a mineral mix of things like cuttle bone, oyster shells and egg shells though for calcium. Hard boiled eggs supply them with many minerals and vitamins including Vitamin D needed for calcium absorption.

Very good to know! Thanks!

Posted: **Thu May 30, 2013 3:08 pm**

I just noticed that my snow peas are about ready to harvest. Can I feed those to my finch? I have a small garden in the backyard and the only two things growing are snow peas and kale. So if I can feed kale, that would be awesome too.

Posted: **Fri May 31, 2013 9:15 am**

My finches LOVE kale. I bought some at the farmer's market, washed it, chopped it up, and placed it in a separate dish for them to eat. They immediately went to it and started eating.

If you haven't already been told, don't feed them too much spinach. Too much can interfere with the absorption of the calcium.

Posted: **Fri May 31, 2013 9:26 am**

Kale is one of the best green veggies for your birds. I haven't tried snow peas, but English peas are fine, so I think the snow peas would be OK too.

Posted: **Fri May 31, 2013 10:46 am**

Kale is listed as one of those foods to feed in moderation. Here's the link from the Finch Information Centers Nutrition pages about safe and toxic foods: http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/safe_toxi ... _foods.php

Posted: **Fri May 31, 2013 1:48 pm**

Awesome! I'll start picking!

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