FINCHforum

Ok, so I'll admit it. I've never really given my birds fresh greens. I tried a few times with collard greens and not a single bird touched them so I gave up. Well, I decided to try again yesterday with collard greens and kale. I put one little leaf of collard greens and one 12" piece of kale per cage. The birds totally gorged themselves on it. When I turned out the lights, the zebras even fell asleep with their heads on the scraps! So, my question is...how much is TOO much? I am reading conflicting stories on the internet. Some say to always have dark leafy greens available to your finches. Some say only a tiny piece per day because the oxalates leach calcium from their bodies and can be very dangerous. Do I give them all the greens they want and just give more calcium? Do you guys give your birds as many greens as they want and haven't had problems? I just want them to be healthy and they love greens so much now! Thanks for any advice!

Everything in moderation - too much of any one thing is not good. You'll need to see what works for you and your fids. It may depend on what kind of greens you give them.

I would suggest starting with once a week and if they like it then maybe twice a week. I'm sure others will offer their suggestions as well.

Every other day here. Not all mine eat veggies, I offer it to all my birds but usually throw 2/3 out.

I offer dried Herb Salad (Tiffany/Nixity sells it) in separate cups that goes over better, even the new societies love it. I leave it out so they can nibble a little or as much as they like. They arrived here Tuesday and I refilled their bowl twice already.

Fresh greens will go along way for improving the health of your finch. Dried greens don't have any vitamins nor much nutrition as most is lost in the drying process. The dried greens/herbs are good for self holistic medicine. The herb salad was created for bird to self medicate themselves. If they are consuming large quanities could be the birds have a health problem. Many herbs can have a toxic effect if too much is consumed.
Most people try to feed their birds what they eat or what they buy at the grocery store. Usually much is wasted because these are not the birds natural diet. Think about it , when was the last time you saw a flock of birds eating collard greens in the field.... not even our native species will touch these. Our caged birds will eat them because their bodies have been deprived of fresh greens/fruits. It would be best to research what your species of bird eats in the wild. Then replacate it as close as possible. Planted millet seed, wheat, rice, oats are all eagerly devoured as tender shoots. Sprouted seeds are also highly nutritious. Most wild finches eat sprouted seed, after rains they will search the ground for the germinated and sprouting seed. I think it was Ray that said in his outdoor aviary he dumps his seed containerson the ground before refilling and his birds will search and eat the seed once it has sprouted. I also notice this in my aviaries.
Moderation as stated above is the key when feeding many foods. Some types are milder and can be feed more of. Birds kept with growing plants will nibble but never gorge themselves on the plants. Those that have been deprived will consume too much. Many times causing the imbalance of calcium, and other minerals/vitamins. Also causing diarreah and other intestinal problems.
Usually when you offer a food and the bird devours it the owner thinks...Wow, my bird really likes that. When in actuality the owner should be asking why is my bird eating like that. And of course the answer is... there are things lacking in it's diet.
You are wise to notice and question your birds reactions to the greens.

Mine love broccoli, collards, cabbage slaw mix with carrots--I chop it all up fine in the food processor. They also like dandelion greens and chickweed. Spinach and parsley should be offered in moderation.

Hi
You can give always-everyday dark leafy greens such as black cabbage,spanich,broccoly,DANDELION and other greens..
you can offer these and other greens your birds everyday..
how much is too much ? = if you offer 1 kind of greens everyday in big portion it is too much.
if you offer various kinds of greens everyday it is never too much because the birds will choose and eat what they need and HOW MUCH THEY NEEDtry to follow nature please....

I never give my birds drugs(medicines)unless they are ill........

batuhan

Candice, that was a lot of food for thought. You are right, I have never seen birds in the wild eat any type of geen. Not even danelion leaves. Which my yard was full of this past summer. So if our american small birds dont eat greens, then we must assume that our foreign finches dont eat them in the wild either. Yet our cage birds seem to love them. If they are missing something in their diet, would they quit eating greens when offered, say, if you had them on a pelleted diet only? Birds in the wild dont eat cooked eggs either, but our cage birds sure enjoy it!!

Hi All,
Couldn't help getting in this discussion. My societies LOVE hard boiled egss with kale mixed in. I whip it up in a small food processor. They all love just plain kale also and I have tried mustard green and beet greens. If my incubating socs don't get egg and kale every day she comes to the door of the cage and twitters at me. I think they really like it But, how much is too much? They also get egg-cite, finch mix and veggies. (which I can't get anyone to eat yet! I have peeked in the nest and see at least 4 babies, one of which is considerably bigger than the others. What elso should I be giving them?

Sounds to me like they are getting a really good diet. Once the babies fledge, spray millet is very good, it is one of the first things my fledglings will try to eat on their own.

Leda,
My fravorite part of the hobby of keeping birds is the observation in the wild compared to observation in captivity.
I have been keeping and breeding some sort of finch for 20 years. I will be the first to say I feed hard boiled egg and some store bought veggies. Mostly I try to grow my own. Organic and what they eat best.... I am constantly doing an ongoing study.
The point you brought up about birds eating boiled eggs...well in fact in the wild they usually provide their protien needs by inscects. And believe me if we provide a variety of bugs and the birds had a choice .... they would pass on the egg and eat the bugs. They also will eat seed in the milk stage which is more nutrious. Most birds in captivity need to be trained to eat boiled eggs and commercial eggfoods. That's why us breeders get so excited to have our finches reproduce without live foods. It is the beginning of domestication. Eating what we provide as opposed to what mother nature provides.
Also I would like to point out finches will eat eggs in the wild. They just are not boiled. I personally believe they eat them for the calcium in the shells and not for the contents of the eggs.
I don't think that feeding birds foods that are different from what they eat in the wild is bad. But I do believe you must use common sense in quanities, varieties, etc. I also would like to note that if you grow millet or canary grass they will eat this over collards..if given the choice. Also if you have a termite mound (and yes I use to drive wood stakes in the ground and harvet termites) birds will eat these termites all day long with the freshes eggfood never touched. Most keepers just don't offer the natural diet for the birds to choose from.
Some things I grow that they like and that are good for them are carrots , I grow them in a raised bed and cut the green leaves and feed. Very high in Vitamin A and birds love them. Eventually the carrots go to seed but I can feed all year the tops that grow. Though I lost the last of this years crop to the heat. I have sown new seed though. Watercress is high in iron. Cucumbers are like candy to them. I also grow grasses that form seed heads. I also grow beds of leaf lettuces, oakleaf, ruby red, butter lettuce, black seeded simpson, etc. I grow this for myself to use in salads but the birds will get a little. Lettuce doesn't have much nutritional value and too much can easily cause diarreah... but they like it so it is an occaisional treat.
I am a down to earth natural kind of girl and I keep my birds in the same manner

Excellent advice, Candace! As you said, there is no way we can provide the birds with the exact same diet they have in the wild, but if we can teach them to eat the substitutes we can offer, trying to keep it as natural as possible, our birds will be happier and healthier for it.

Sally wrote:Spinach and parsley should be offered in moderation.

I know that too much spinach is bad, but I had not heard that parsley should be offered only in moderation. May I ask why? Please educate me! I have been feeding it every day.

Thanks!

Michelle

Animal Quackers wrote:

Sally wrote:Spinach and parsley should be offered in moderation.

I know that too much spinach is bad, but I had not heard that parsley should be offered only in moderation. May I ask why? Please educate me! I have been feeding it every day.

Thanks!

Michelle

My birds love parsley and spinach and other greens very much.
But i give spinach and parsley in moderation.
because as is known spinach will block the absorbtion of calcium so i give it in moderation ..
parsley reported as toxic in birds and fatal to birds but only in ducks and parrots .because it cause sensitivity to the sun

batuhan

I knew about spinach, but had no idea about parsley! The bunch in my refrigerator will be going to the bunnies this week!

I appreciate the kind reply!

Michelle