What kinds of oil should I put in my egg food ?

[Nanajennie]

What are the best oils to add to eggfood?

[debbie276]

None
I personally wouldn't add any oil, that might cause the egg to go off quicker. The drier the better for egg food.

[Nanajennie]

Ok, thanks Debbie. There seems to be some conflicting advice on the Internet.

[Jeff McKee]

I have several friends that put oil in their egg food. Quite expensive oil too. I think Olive. One bottle I looked at had garlic in it.

I've been adding a bit of regular vegetable oil to seed for some time. Just a bit. I know some stays on the surface, and is shelled off, the birds should be getting a bit of oil this way though. They also have niger in their egg food. They seem to eat these few seeds.

I have Zeb's and they seem to be less enthused with black seeds in general.

[debbie276]

Sorry, I didn't answer you question about which kind of oil you might add. There are a lot of people that add oil to their seed mixes if you feel you need to add oil.

The Finch Information Center recommends Safflower oil and/or sunflower oil as a good choice for nutrients.
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/nutrients_and_sources.php

[Abigail]

Had never heard of adding oil to egg food. I might look into this...

[Nanajennie]

It's ok Debbie, I was under the impression everyone made the Nestling Food/ Eggfood with oil. I don't really know if I feel I have to, just want the very best for my chicks

Also, I am mixing in a supplement that has Vit B's in it, but not A and D...


this is what I give them everyday:
Finch Seed Blend (Two kinds)
Veggies
Eggfood with breadcrumbs and Ultimate Avian Formula
Crushed egg shells
cuttlebone
Millet spray
water

I have not given them Grit. The following is a message from a man in the UK that has been kind enough to answer with this, what do you think?

Hello Jennie,
I give cod liver oil because it contains Vitamin A and D also its the best way of administering iodine.
Its just an additive, not an essential.
Aslong as your birds have fresh water daily, seed, cuttle bone & grit.... and the usual treats of green leaves, eggfood and millet they would be just fine.
You dont really need to spend alot.
Your birds are healthy... this shows in their readiness to breed.
Congratulations on the chicks.

Kind regards
[/u][/u][/i][/b]

[debbie276]

Your diet looks good to me I would leave the breadcrumbs out of the egg though, you don't want to dilute the protein by adding low protein stuff.
The page I linked above may help you decide if you should add anything else you think you might be missing. Notice that eggs cover just about everything.

[Nanajennie]

Great! Thanks for the link! Eggs really are the incredible edible food! I feel so much better. Gonna leave the oil out! And the oils I bought are expensive, so I can return them! YESSSSSSS!

I will leave the bread crumbs out too then.

Less is more for sure.


One quick question:
I think my chicks are doing well, it's hard to tell whether they are doing well or not when they are just 4 days old. Sometimes it looks like they are "picking on" the babies with their beaks.. but I see some food in the babies necks.. so I hope so. How full should they be?

[30 Seconds to Bob]

I've been using the egg food recipe from the javafinch uk website, and it has been working great! My babies grew up so fast and healthy. I did substitute vitamin e oil for the safflower oil, but do use the cod liver oil as recommended. If you ask me, the oils keep the food fresher, longer. I put it out at 6:30 am and when I come home from work at 5:00 pm, any food left uneaten, looks exactly the same as when I first put it out. Never had any issues with it and have been doing it daily for several months. Bob

[Mae]

I've heard of feeding Harrison's high potency instead of egg food... Does anyone recommend this? I give mine the high potency pellets and power treats along with egg shells, a cutter bone, millet, water with added vitamins, and fresh veggies (although I have never seen them touch the veggies) should I add egg food to this?

[Nanajennie]

I don't know. Hopefully someone who knows can answer. I'm an newbie

[debbie276]

One quick question:
I think my chicks are doing well, it's hard to tell whether they are doing well or not when they are just 4 days old. Sometimes it looks like they are "picking on" the babies with their beaks.. but I see some food in the babies necks.. so I hope so. How full should they be?

If you see food they should be fine. The crop is very small at first but as time goes by it will become much more obvious to you. If the parents are trying to get the chick to eat they may prod them a bit to get them to open their mouths.

[debbie276]

I've heard of feeding Harrison's high potency instead of egg food... Does anyone recommend this? I give mine the high potency pellets and power treats along with egg shells, a cutter bone, millet, water with added vitamins, and fresh veggies (although I have never seen them touch the veggies) should I add egg food to this?

My birds will not eat pellets so I have no first hand experience with this food. They add all kinds of things to their pellets so you must be careful not to overdose the birds on vitamins etc.

From their web site:
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/products/hpsf.html

It is not recommended to supplement with vitamins or other bird or animal food products.

And also has the same warning with their power treats
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/products/pt.html

[wellingtoncdm]

"• to help reduce waste, feed as distinct meals."


This part makes me nervous. Finches need free choice to food items not meals. My advice is keep it simple and offer variety.