Bird Food Ideas

jebediah · Post by **jebediah** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:10 pm

So I'm making a big spread of birdie food this holiday weekend and could use some ideas for fruits/randomness to give them. Normally I would just pick whatever, but my plan is to mix everything up and then freeze it in tiny containers. So whatever I pick has to freeze well.

Currently planning on using:
-chitted millet seed (first time sprouting seed!)
-hard-boiled eggs with shells
-dried mealworms (crushed or whole?)
-crushed cuttlebone
-lafeber's finch food
-kale
-peppers
-broccoli
-carrot
-corn
-green beans
-peas
-cabbage
-apple
-pear

Optional items I haven't decided on:
-couscous/quinoa
-collard/mustard greens

What fruits would you think to add that would freeze well? From my understanding, berries don't usually work as the ice crystals destroy the sugar structure (or some other scientific thing) and turn them to mush.

Anything else you would recommend adding that your birds like? My boys are pretty good at trying new things so long as I mix it in.

cindy · Post by **cindy** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:44 pm

Careful with the dried mealworms. When they eat live they do not eat the exoskeleton but discard it. With dry mealworms they are ingesting the exoskeleton and it can irritate the GI tract. Grind them if you are going to use them.

jebediah · Post by **jebediah** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:53 pm

Really? Mine always ate the whole thing. What size mealworms do you feed? I fed the mini ones and they gobbled them up.

cindy · Post by **cindy** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:40 pm

I do not feed dried... I use to use mini mealies years ago but stopped, my finches all raise young on eggfoods. I recently was gifted a pair of Purple Grens that eat mealies.... I am looking into alternatives to live food such as Oregon Insect Foods.

Empyreal · Post by **Empyreal** » Wed Nov 25, 2015 7:38 pm

Do any of you use a product like this? Grit? It looks like a bunch of little rocks.. I was shopping for finch food and saw this. Is this something Finches need?

debbie276 · Post by **debbie276** » Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:06 pm

No, they do not need little stones in their diet.
Here is a very good article about grit to help you understand what "grit" finches do need.
http://efinch.com/grit/grit.htm

Empyreal · Post by **Empyreal** » Thu Nov 26, 2015 2:22 am

debbie276 wrote: No, they do not need little stones in their diet.
Here is a very good article about grit to help you understand what "grit" finches do need.
http://efinch.com/grit/grit.htm

I see. It looks like they get the same benefit from egg shells so I'll just stick with that. It's cheaper

finchboy · Post by **finchboy** » Fri Dec 25, 2015 3:55 am

Has anyone tried crushed rolled oats? Seems to be a healthy food as it is also found in the fields.

Post by **lovezebs** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 4:48 am

jebediah

Personally, l like to feed fresh food mixes, rather than frozen. The only frozen veggies that I have fed, are thawed out and slightly cooked cirn and peas, all the rest are fed fresh.

Post by **lovezebs** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 4:55 am

Empyreal

The grit that I use, is more like sand, rather than rocks. There are two different products out there 'bird grit, and bird gravel'. I don't use the bird gravel ( which is a rather large and coarse mix). I do however use the bird grit, to which I add, crushed egg shell, bird charcoal, bird clay, ground cuttle bone, ground mineral block. I offer small amounts, which I scatter over tge floor of the flights. All of my birds love this stuff (from tiny waxbills, to budgies).

Stinch · Post by **Stinch** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 2:56 pm

I use oyster shell and mineral block (I only use cuttlebone when it is available) for grit. I use powder and water soluable vitamins, but it`s usually used for breeding and when not eating foods with certain vitamins.

Stinch · Post by **Stinch** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 2:56 pm

But I'm not breeding them anytime soon though...

finchboy · Post by **finchboy** » Mon Dec 28, 2015 7:49 am

I have in mind to collect some fruit flies for my two finches.
Does anyone has any idea if the finches will eat them? What appeals to me is their small size which fits finch beaks nicely. Any advice about this?

Post by **Sally** » Mon Dec 28, 2015 12:54 pm

If your birds are outside, it is very easy to attract fruit flies for your birds, and they will love them. Just put some ripe fruit in a dish/bowl/container, and the fruit flies will come. If your birds are inside, you probably don't want fruit flies in your house.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Mon Dec 28, 2015 1:03 pm

Finchboy, I use quick-cook rolled oats to help keep the egg-food dry. That is, 1 tablespoon rolled oats + 1 boiled egg (including shell). 12 very short pulses with the food mixer. That is my entire egg-food recipe. I don't know if there are any health benefits to oats, but something dry needs to be used or the egg gets sticky in the mixer.

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Rolled Oats?

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