How often do i feed fruit and vegies to my societies?

[chirpy]

I dont know if I am doing it right.. but I boil my eggs (no runny) put it in a bowl and SMASH (i dont shell it I just have the egg in the bowl literally and SMASH with a spatula and break the shell into crumbly pieces) the thing to pieces.. I didn't know I had to add any bread crumbs or anything to it

I usually just pop it in one of their feeding things and take it out after a few hours (say 5 or so) and replace that with something else. like grated carrot.

I hope I am doing it right. I also used some nutriberries that I have ground up (not sure if AUS has these) and put about half a teaspoon to a tablespoon of egg.

[Ria]

Chirpy, no worries, what you are doing is fine. Adding the breadcrumbs or hand feeding formula helps to dry out the mix a bit so that it doesn't spoil so fast. But if you take your dish out after a few hours anyway, that is just fine. If your birds like egg but not other veggies, try mixing a small bit of the veggies into the eggs to encourage tasting.

Most pet stores sell a powdery dry egg food; you can mix it with a bit of water or juice, or even just serve it dry if you don't have time to hardboil eggs. Birds only need a tiny bit of egg, remember it should be only 20% of their diet.

When I make eggs for myself, I save a shell or two, microwave for 20 seconds, let cool, and give the half shells to the birds. They like to pick at it. The shell has good nutrients, lots of calcium.

Your birds will probably be terrified of anything new you serve. And don't give up on them! My societies took a long time to try cucumbers. Sometimes, they just need to see another bird eat it first - monkey see, monkey do... and now cucumber is a favorite! My zebras love broccoli; I just snap off a little 'tree' and use a twist tie to set it near a perch, and they like to pick off the green 'seeds'.

And Mands, even those of us who have been keeping birds for a long time are always learning new things. Don't feel bad about it, just look at all the awesome things you can now provide your little peeps! The link to the Finch Information center on the top left of the page really has lots of great info. And you'll find plenty of help here on the forum. Remember, too, everyone has their own opinions about what works best, so don't be surprised about some differing ideas...

[chirpy]

Ria

OH GOOD I am a stay at home mom so I am always home and able to do things like change their food ;) They go gaga over kale, broc so far and cilanthro/coriander. I have tried cucumbers but mehhhhh reaction. They really seem to love their greens more than fruits.. I wish my family were more like this

[ac12]

Mands
For your 4 birds, I would just make ONE egg.

Here is a trick that Liz taught me.
After you cook the eggs, peel the shell off the egg, then put the peeled egg into the fridge for a few hours. The fridge dries out the egg a bit, so it isn't so sticky/soft when you chop it up.

I try to cook in the day, leave it in the fridge for 5 hours, then chop up the egg at night.

The corn meal is simply to absorb some of the moisture that was not dried off in the fridge. For 2-1/2 eggs, I use about 2 teaspoons of cornmeal. The amount that I need depends on how long the eggs were able to dry out in the fridge. So for 1 egg, I would start with about 1 rounded teaspoon and adjust from there.

I use a mini-food processor to chop up the eggs, but if you don't have one, just use a large SHARP knife on a large cutting board. I use a large cutting board cuz it can get messy.

The egg will last 2 or 3 days.
Dump the egg if it starts to smell bad or feels slimy.

I do as Debbie said, I spread the egg out on a dish, so it will dry during the day, rather than stay wet and spoil.

Non-breeding or non-molting birds get egg only 2x a week.
Breeding birds get egg 2x day (morning and evening) and 3x on the weekend if I'm home (mid-day). I adjust based on how much they eat to feed the chicks.
Molting birds get egg 1 or 2x a day.

I put veggies (lettuce, carrots, chard, etc.) in the bowl with the egg food.

For birds which are laying eggs, I also sprinkle egg shells on the egg food every day as they are laying and for a week after.

[Mands]

Thanks so much for all your help guys n gals. I am learning so much every day.

I just gave them the normal "ice-berg" lettuce and they devoured it. Gosh I hope that is OK !!

[debbie276]

I don't know what a 'mineral mix' is Debbie. I don't have a clue what to do with the shells. And I don't know how or what handfeeding formula is? Gosh I feel pretty dumb right now !!

Why do I have to add to the eggs? I will use breadcrumbs but how many per 2 teaspoons?

I need instructions made clear to me or I get confused pretty easily. I have just cleaned out the cages and given them Lettuce, carrot, apple & cucumber. The Bengalese jumped right in and had a good feed, they are finally used to it. The Gouldian's are not keen yet, I guess in time like the others they will have a go.

But I want to get this egg thing right !!

Eggs are the best food for adding protein and minerals to your birds diet. Eggs also supply the ever important Vitamin D3 that birds may not be getting from being inside. All birds need Vitamin D3 to absorb calcium.

I put eggs into a pot for about 20 minutes bringing it to a boil. If you want to do one egg at a time that's fine.
Peel the egg and mash with the back of a fork. I use a garlic press so the egg looks like little worms but it's not necessary. Because you never know when or if you will need to supplement or take over feeding of chicks I ALWAYS have a container of handfeeding formula in the refrigerator. Handfeeding formula can be found at most pet stores, I use Exact Handfeeding Formula. Handfeeding formula is a complete food with everything the chicks could want so that's why I use that. Whatever you add to the egg you don't want to dilute the protein or mineral content so try not to add things with values less then the egg. I add about a teaspoon of formula per large egg. I feed about a tablespoon per pair in the morning spread thinly on a dish.

The egg shell can be broken up and added to your mineral mix or left in large pieces and scattered on the floor of the cage. The birds love to play with and break off pieces all day. Egg shell is a great source of calcium. If you have grates on the bottom of your cages it may be hard to offer the egg shell for them to play with without the shells falling through and that's why I said you should add it to your mineral mix.

Every cage should have a bowl of mineral mix. Mineral mix is the birds source of calcium and minerals. Most mixes contain things like egg shell, oyster shell,, charcoal and/or pieces of cuttlebone. There are other things you could add also, some add clay, Diatomaceous earth, sea salt etc.

You will find that your never done learning and you will be tweaking your environments and diets year after year. NEVER feel stupid for questioning and learning to better your animals habitat.

[debbie276]

I just gave them the normal "ice-berg" lettuce and they devoured it.

"ice-burg" lettuce really has nothing to offer your birds. You might want to try romaine instead.

Here's a chart of nutrients and their sources from the Finch Information Center
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/nutrients_and_sources.php

And here is the safe and toxic food page that everyone should read that offers fruit and veggies
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/safe_toxi ... _foods.php

[Mands]

Thanks Debbie. Romaine is called 'Cos' lettuce here, very easy to get.

I just gave them the normal "ice-berg" lettuce and they devoured it.

"ice-burg" lettuce really has nothing to offer your birds. You might want to try romaine instead.

Here's a chart of nutrients and their sources from the Finch Information Center
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/nutrients_and_sources.php

And here is the safe and toxic food page that everyone should read that offers fruit and veggies
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/safe_toxi ... _foods.php

[Mands]

Eggs Eggs Eggs !!!

Thanks Debbie, that's a great source of information. I am printing all of this out and making a file of what to do and what not to do.

Bengalese have been building their nest all day long, it's coming along well.

Another newbie question: "Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?" what I really mean is do they make the babies first then build or do they build then make the babies? or both at the same time?

So much to do, so little time.

[ac12]

Debbie
What happens with OLD/expired hand feed mix?

Does it go BAD like rancid, or do the nutrients just weaken/loose potency?
I just hate to throw the old unused stuff away.
Sometimes I just buy too much of it.

[debbie276]

If you keep it in the freezer or refrigerator you can extend the life for about 6 months (fridge) to a year (freezer).
As far as I understand the nutrients just weaken/loose potency.