FINCHforum

2 pair of my goudian start to breed, one pair with 6 eggs, the other with 4 eggs.

I checked the eggs are all fertile. except dry seed, I also provide them egg shells, egg food etc...

what else should I prepare? I am so excited for new babies...

many thanks

Most breeding grassfinches will eat veggies in addition to the dry seed and egg food you are already giving them. Also, spray millet and sprouted seed.

Thanks Sally, yes, I do feed them spray millet. But they are not so keen on sprout seeds.

I was told when the chick hatch, they can not digest the hard dry seed the parents feeding them, I have to give them soaked sprout seeds, is it true?

I sprout some seeds yesterday, but they not even touch it

I have never soaked seeds for chicks. Remember that the parents more or less pre-process the dry seed before feeding the kids.
Lots of egg food for extra protein because they grow at alarming speed.

The chicks will digest whatever the adults give them. Of course high protein eggfood is best, millets are easy to digest also as well as sprouted seed. Do not panic that the HAVE to have sprouts though.
good luck

gouldian_finch

Try dried egg food and boiled egg combined. It has a soft food and the nutrients they need to keep chicks strong.

gouldian_finch

You are already on thr right track, and have been given lots of good information.

None of my guys ever seemed to like sprouted seeds too much.

When breeding, my Gouldians go through lots of boiled eggs, mixed with pulverized freeze dried mealworms .
Also lots of green leafy vegetables (like kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, red swiss chard, and so on). They also enjoy a slice of mandarin orange now and again.

This is not dietary, , but I'd offer a daily bath of luke warm water.

Good luck

Make sure you provide LOTS of food.
The parents may abandon the chicks if they feel there is not enough food for them and the chicks. They will be feeding the chicks constantly, and MORE as the chicks grow.

IOW, don't let the egg dish get empty.

Don't change the diet too much at this stage.

The birds may/will change what they eat at different stages of the chicks growth. So watch what gets eaten so you know to give enough of that food.

gud luk

Can I ask how you guys feed them boiled eggs? I smash it up, but they barely touch it, so far they only eat the dried commercial egg food.

As dried mealworm, I smash it up, but they not keen neither.

As for green, should I cut that into tiny piece ? I tried that, even with egg food, they do not like it. If I just clip the whole leaf of green on the cage door, they sometimes pick on it

gouldian_finch

I mash the boiled egg with a fork until its in nice little bite size bits, then I shave some powdered cuttlebone over it to get their attention. The cuttlebone powder on top has been my trick to getting my finches to try the boiled egg. In order to get that much desired cuttlebone powder,
they have to ingest some egg with each bite.

great, I have cuttlebone, will try my best to get some powder of it

Use a kitchen grater to make cuttlebone powder. The finest grate makes great powder. I put a 1/2 teaspoon or so of this on top of the food.
Its a good way to use up scraps of cuttlebone that would otherwise be thrown out.