Birdy bread/egg food recipe mixture questions

[Dayna]

I was looking through all the birdy bread and egg food recipes and wow, I can't decide which one to do! I was thinking of doing something from everything lol but have a couple questions.

Has anyone used honey in their ago food? Do your birds like it? I saw a post from someone saying that they have added honey to their mixture. I can't remember who (sorry) would it be too sugary?

Is it more beneficial to add in some hand feeding formula?

Should you add vitamins into your mixture or add them after?

What about nuts like crushed up almonds?

Can you really add too much stuff to the birdy bread?

[nelloyello11]

Glad you posted this, Dayna, because I was thinking of doing basically the same thing!

I am wondering what kinds of "extras" people add to their baked birdy treats. What kinds of things are good to add before baking? What's better to add afterwards?

[cindy]

I have been experimenting with different dry eggfood recipies...you can add bee pollen. Morningbird products makes it in little small pellet size and also a powdered form.

[cindy]

These are two I posted earlier this week...

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22100

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=22145

Mine will not eat birdie breads but down these two recipies.

[Dayna]

Ive been following the 2 posts you made Cindy. I am definitely going to try them but am also curious about what else you should/can add to it. For instance finchandlovebird adds baby food. Would that make it really moist and unmanageable? Can you add vegetables or should you offer all that on the side? Can you put in too much good stuff? For instance when you add the pellets to your egg food do you still offer pellets or seeds? Pellets are supposed to be a one stop shop as far as nutrients and things go. Could you be giving them too much by doing that? All these things I'm curious about and more.

[Sally]

I think if you are making birdie bread for hookbills, you can add more things like nuts, because they eat that anyway. A friend gave me samples of her birdie bread for her parrots, and my finches wouldn't touch it. For finches, some of this stuff would have to be ground up, as Cindy is doing. As far as 'can it be too much of a good thing', I'm not sure I can answer that. We are warned often about overdosing with vitamins or supplements, but if you aren't offering the birdie bread every day, I don't think it would be a problem. My breeding birds get eggfood every day, and I add various supplements to my eggfood, and they seem to do fine with it.

[Dayna]

Ok that makes sense. So it seems with finches less is more whereas parrots you can put in whatever you want. I guess you just have to try different thing like Cindy is doing. I am definitely going to try out Cindy's recipe I was just curious about all these other factors. Time to put on the apron and get cooking

[debbie276]

Just a thought, shouldn't the vitamins and the like be added after the bread is baked, wouldn't the heat destroy it. You would have more control over how much was given if you just sprinkled it on the bread.

[cindy]

Debbie are you asking about powdered vitamins and supplements added or the pellets?

I had a sample pack of the bee pollen, the birds did not eat it in the chunk form so I added it to the mix. Vitamins and live cultures should be added after cooking.

My birds ate both the recipes and get greens and boiled egg (especially the parents with young). I had like 4 dozen eggs in the fridge and decided to try something new.

[cindy]

Another thing to consider is if you are incorporating pellets into the mix why add additional vitiamins and supplements which are already in the pellets. You may have to examine you choices and pick one or the other.

When I had a Grey my vet told me look at the week worth of nutrition (much like the peditrican told me about the girls). Did they get a balance of what they need daily but as a week in general? I kind of look at it that way for finches.

[Dayna]

That's a good way of looking at it Cindy. My one initial worry of using pellets was giving the birds too much nutrition because pellets are already supposed to have everything your bird needs. My next question is do you think it could replace using just plain boiled egg with birds raising chicks or should you still supplement with regular hard boiled egg? What have your birds been using mostly Cindy?

[cindy]

Dayna,

The ones with chicks have been eating both the boiled egg and the dry eggfood/pellet crumble. Bothe recipes got good responses from my birds. I may make up a batch and freeze it just in case there are days when I may not be home at lunch to serve eggfood.

Like people I think birds enjoy a variety change.

I use no vitamins in the water or sprinkle vitamins or supplements in the food. I supply a seed mixed with pellets (both Zupreem and Roudybush Nibbles in equal parts) in my seed mix. A egg cup of shaved cuttlebone, crushed eggshells and shaved mineral block.

The pellets are designed to meet nutritional needs of the birds...I consider it a more well balanced than what I could make up myself. Once or twice a week I add an extra serving (about a tespoon for a pair or tablespoon) of either Roudybush or Zupreem to the seed/pellet mix. Mine love the Roudybush Nibbles and it is usually powdered. I stand back and observe them going down to it right away, eating it. Tails UP!!

I did notice on the days when I offered my dry mix the boiled egg was barely touched by some parents. When the chicks fledge I use Laferbers finch pellets because it is fine and when they start to nibble it is easy for then to pick up and manage. I also mix a little Lafebers in grated eggfood or once a week everyone get a little on top ot the food. Romaine, grated carrots, spinache leaves all go over well.

[Sally]

Cindy, I think I will start offering Lafeber's nibbles to my fledglings. It is very easy for them to eat, the pellets are tiny, no hulls for them to have to work around, and complete nutrition. They will still have seed offered, but for a first food (besides eggfood), the nibbles might be the perfect thing.

[cindy]

Sally, I offer it to the parents either separate or mixed in eggfood...all the birds like it. Sometimes I take the parakeet Nutri-Berries and crumble them for the finches. the balls in the NBbals in the tubs are the same food as the pellet before it is made into a pellet.

You can order directly from Lafebers:

http://www.lafebercares.com/pinnacle/finch-food/