New- What to feed my Society Finches

Learn what to feed your birds.
ac12
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Re: New- What to feed my Society Finches

Post by ac12 » Wed Dec 28, 2016 12:15 am

I put about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water into my outside hanging bath. They will SPLASH water all over, so the covered bath is really needed to keep the water from being splashed all over the room.

Some times it takes them a while to figure out the bath, so don't get impatient.

Unless they are breeding, I would limit the egg to 2 or 3x a week.
If they are breeding, then it would go up to several times a day, as needed based on how much they are eating to feed the chicks.

Societies are not as filthy as zebras. My zebras would use their food and water containers as toilets. They even use the narrow trough for a water tube as a toilet. Every day I am taking poop out of the food. Zebras are hopelessly filthy.
Gary

gouldians (GB,YB,BB), blackbelly firefinches (trying to breed), societies (foster parents).
red factor canary

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lovezebs
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Re: New- What to feed my Society Finches

Post by lovezebs » Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:04 am

ac12

I have not found Zebras to be any dirtier or messier, than any other birds really.
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

JewelrywithTab
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Re: New- What to feed my Society Finches

Post by JewelrywithTab » Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:19 pm

Okay, thanks! I got another small feed dish to put egg food in. I placed that dish somewhat near the bath hoping it may draw them near it. I just put on the egg food and chopped spinach for the first time. We shall see.

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Re: New- What to feed my Society Finches

Post by Sojourner » Wed Jan 04, 2017 12:53 am

JewelrywithTab wrote: I received 2 Society Finches for Christmas. I've been searching online and can't find much info specific to them. What is the best thing to be feeding them? I received a bag of Kaytee Fiesta Gourmet Seed mix with them. My husband said when he bought them, there wasn't much of a food selection at the pet store. Is there something better I should be feeding them?
My guys won't eat any of the "extra" seeds in finch mix, like pellets, rape seed, flax seed, etc. They pick through all that and only eat the millet, oat groats, and canary reedgrass seed.

So I just feed them a good PARAKEET mix instead. No wasted seed that way. If yours aren't picking out the "good" stuff, go ahead with almost any finch blend. I VASTLY prefer blends that DO NOT include pellets. My guys won't eat the pellets anyway.

I buy my seed locally from a small local pet store that sells in bulk. I think that's the best way. I also supplement with stuff from the bulk bins at a local grocery, such as:

flaked barley
steel cut oats
flaked oats
wheat germ
flaked red wheat
HEMP seed (hulled)
TVP
sesame seed
chia seed

I also feed, from my wild bird supplies, nyjer and sunflower chips.

If they don't seem to like something, I just offer it from time to time anyway. At first they rejected the nyjer seed but then one day they just suddenly started eating it and now they love it.

I continue to offer "normal" finch seed (with the rape seed, flax seed, etc. in it) but they continue to just pick out the millet, oat groats, and canary reedgrass seed.

I occasionally offer a canary mix as well but they continue to reject that.

They LOVE the hemp seed (has to be hulled, they can't hull whole hemp seed) and they'll eat any flaked grain (wheat, barley, oats) that they are offered. They are off and on about wheat germ. I never offer corn.

I do feed Cece dry egg food (my guys won't eat real eggs, and they reject the dry egg food if its been moistened). I had a free sample of Cece egg food for canaries and they loved it. When I bought a box of it, I bought the finch stuff, and they are nowhere near as fond of that as the plain canary type. Next time I'll just buy the plain canary type, there isn't much in it besides just the egg crumbles.

They will eat the TVP but I don't offer it that often. I really only keep it around because it is one of the few things my parakeets will eat besides their normal parakeet seed.

I give them a plate of greens every single day and they eat that. Allegedly they should only be eating 20% of their diet in seeds and the rest fresh foods, but while my guys love their greens I don't think it is making up 80% of their diet, LOL!

Just give them a variety, don't give them too much of the "extras" like Nyjer, sunflower seeds, etc because if their diet is too rich it could kick them into breeding. My guys have plenty of flight space - about 3' right now and soon to be 6'. So they get plenty of exercise and getting fat is not an issue. Make sure the bulk of their diet is their staple seed (such as the parakeet blend or a finch blend, preferably no pellets) and fresh greens and only offer the other stuff from time to time. Egg food or mashed boiled eggs twice a week.

I also put Oasis Vita-drops in their water (I use water silos btw which keeps the water fresh and clean). "Enriched" seed blends usually sprinkle powdered vitamins over seed which I don't feel is of much use given they HULL and discard the hulls. Its much more controllable to put it in their water. I feel it is necessary because our caged birds can't get enough natural sunlight (windows filter a lot of the wavelengths they need to produce their own D3) and artificial lights are also of dubious use. They need the D3 and giving them a vitamin blend that includes it is, I feel, the best way to make sure they get it.

I do occasionally give them a "vitamin break" by filling their silo with plain water about once every couple of weeks.

Don't forget calcium sources! I rely on ABBA Mineral Mix (it's blue and GlamGouldians has it online). I also keep a mineral block in there - you have to knock the corners off and rough it up a bit, otherwise it is too hard for them. And I keep cuttlebone in there at all times, which they used to love but have pretty much abandoned in favor of the ABBA Mineral Mix. Oyster shell for chickens is another source but it has to be crushed for finches, and its already a major component of the ABBA Mineral Mix.

You can also rinse egg shells leftover from baking or making breakfast, microwave to sterilize, crush up with a rolling pin, and offer that as a calcium source. If your guys will eat real mashed up eggs, you can just grind the (sterilized) shells up into your egg mash too.

And don't forget to give them a bird bath at least once a week. I have a small plastic "tub" I use for my guys, and I drape a sheet around the part of the cage where I place it - not to cut off light but to catch the sprinkles when they get in there and "make it rain". They love their baths and it is good for their overall health. You could use any sort of flat bottom bowl with no more than an inch or so of water in it. The size of a normal cereal bowl, which to me is Corelle ware, LOL!

Bengalese/societies are easy. Go for it!
Molly Brown 11/22/15
Pyewacket 6/15/17
Trudy 2/24/18

Turn towards home, and go there. Many overs, over woods and fields, streams and hills, many overs. Just turn towards home. How else would one go there? Perhaps it was a dream, and you have awakened from it. May the earth rise up beneath you, with home in your heart, and your person waiting.

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