FINCHforum

I have a few birds that need egg in their diet, however, there is always left overs. Is it safe to give my Zebra Finch a little bit of egg every day? Or none at all? A little bit? How often if so?

Moon

Yes, egg is important, as a source of protein which they can't get from seeds and veggies/fruit alone.

If you have left overs, use only half an egg, then use the other half next time . It can stay in the fridge for a couple of days.

Egg also supplies them with animal protein, vitamin D
I personally would not do without

Thank you so much. I wasn't sure, but I have a couple of imprinted rescued birds that need egg proteins and the left over egg is because all of my birds only eat so much. I've got egg layers so it's not an issue.

I take a hard boiled egg, including shell, and run it through a food processor with 1 tablespoon quick oats (or corn meal) per egg. 12 pulses of the processor. It is somewhat dry and crumbly. The cereal helps dry up the mixture. You can freeze that in portions.

So there is this diet I follow for my imprinted birds.

It calls for chicken blend dog kibble from Iams or something similar. You need layer mash crumbles or pellets for chickens, ducks, or other poultry, and you're supposed to offer an egg and apple sauce combination in a different bowl daily. Would this be prudent to give zebra finch? My sparrow gets something similar.

Moon

I remember reading in some of the older books from by gone days, where some breeders used to feed dog kibble to their birds...

So I asked about it on the Forum some years ago (not that I was going to feed them dog food, but just wanted to know...)

Here's a link to that Thread:
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... ood+anyone

The finches and hookbills we talk about here don't seem to need meat, but some birds do. I knew of someone that had a Starling, and he fed it Gaines Burgers, the dog food. That bird looked great and he even won a bird show with it.

lovezebs wrote: Moon

I remember reading in some of the older books from by gone days, where some breeders used to feed dog kibble to their birds...

So I asked about it on the Forum some years ago (not that I was going to feed them dog food, but just wanted to know...)

Here's a link to that Thread:
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... ood+anyone

Believe it or not Elana many experienced softbill breeders and exhibitors do actually use dog and cat foods to this very day,

Black birds and thrushes in particular are very much used to having various ground up dog biscuits included into their soft foods etc aswell as various dog and cat pellets, reason being is because the foods are so very high in bone meal and protein which benefits these particular birds massively,

The pic below is part of a recent article from a freind Robb brown former secretary of the British softbill society uk

Moon

I'd personally give egg food to all species of finch, some will eat it more than others but should generally be given the opportunity to have the option to wheather they'll eat it or not,

It's a good idea to include it into their diet throughout the year especially when Breeding and aswell as when the birds are moulting as the birds will definitely gain from the much needed protein and goodness that is in the egg food,

During the non breeding season the birds should basically be kept on an austerity ( plain ) diet and perhaps offer the egg food now and again, say a couple of times per week being the norm

Be lucky