Pellets or seed?

[Summer Bird]

I am currently feeding my Gouldian finches Zupreem Fruitblend Flavor pellets for finches and canaries, since that was what their previous owner fed them. I also give a finch seed mixture a few times per week for some variety. I like the pellets in that there is no "waste" (hulls), but I can't really find any information on whether pellets are as good as or better than a seed mix.

Should I continue feeding my birds the mainly pellet diet, or would it be a better idea to switch to seed, or at least feed them seed more often than I currently am?

[B CAMP]

Well this is well discussed on every forum.
But for me I don't feed any pellets to my finch's only seed and greens and fresh foods that I can get them to eat.
I have a nandy conure that will eat pellets .

[Ursula]

I think there were some discussions around this recently. If you search for "pellets" you will find recent postings and can catch up on them.

I personally feed seed mixes, and not always the same brand. Some do contain pellets some don't.

[franny]

I tend to think that pellets might be OK as an added treat, but pretty boring to eat all the time. They need the variety. Bird's beaks are specifically designed to hull seeds, so I think they should be able to do that.

A little scattered husk is a small price to pay for a happy bird, IMO. And as far as nutrition goes, offer a good seed mix, eggfood, and various greens (and insects for some), and they should be getting a balanced diet anyway.

[Summer Bird]

Thanks, and sorry to have asked a question that's been discussed. I guess I didn't look hard enough for the information. I definitely don't want to annoy anyone.

[ac12]

Take a look at the FIC.
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/seed_mixe ... _diets.php

I switched to pellets after seeing how much of the commercial (PetSmart) seed mixes they did NOT eat. Waste of $. All the "fortification" that I paid for was being ignored. Even with specific seed mixes, they only eat some of the seeds (white seeds), ignoring others (dark seeds), so they are not getting the benefit of the seed mixes.

Now, I do both seed and pellets, depending...

For my zebras, they get pellets, and maybe once a week they gets seeds as a treat.
For breeding zebras, they get seeds, pellets and egg. They usually ignore the pellets when seeds are available.

For my gouldian juveniles and male adult, they get seeds, pellets, egg and vegis, and they choose which they want to eat. They will eat both seeds and pellets.
The female gouldian is PICKY. She will ONLY eat seeds and miracle meal, can't get her to eat egg or vegis.

My societies (foster parents) get seed, pellets, eggs, vegis and (when they have a new chick to raise) hand-feed mix. They eat what they want to.

I am switching over to the "natrual" Zupreem pellets. The fruit flavored ones result in colored poop. And the red poop stains the perches.

[B CAMP]

Thanks, and sorry to have asked a question that's been discussed. I guess I didn't look hard enough for the information. I definitely don't want to annoy anyone.

Don't feel that way just that this a subject that has a lot of strong opinions for and against.Pellets are not good for hens when they are feeding chicks as I understand they are hard to regergitate.But to me it just seems like a unnatural food ,I will gladly throw a few seeds away that they don't eat at the end of the month it don't cost that much unless you have a whole lot of finchs, even then the doves and wild birds love all seeds

[L in Ontario]

No annoyance here. I have a decent number of finches (for me) and I feel them all finch seed mix enhanced with a few vitaminized pellets. I agree with the pellets being about as un-natural as can be for birds. My parrots get about a 1/2 and 1/2 mix of seeds and pellets whereas my finches get about 95% seeds and about 5% pellets.

[cindy]

Chiming in...My Lovebird is on Zupreem fruit flavors pellets for parakeets (it is basically the same formula but smaller sized)

I bred parrotlets in the past all raised on Roudybush pellets. I have used pellets for many years. My African Gray ate Zupreem Fruit flavored pellets (cockatiel size, less waste plus he refused and dumped the larger size pellets) My avian vet recommends pellets highly and feeds them to her birds. She told me they were more nutritional than seed and you don't have to try to balance their nutrional needs out with human foods. There is no harm feeding the colored vs the natural colored ones. Most pellets now a days are better balanced than years ago. I spent a while going over nutrition with her especially regarding my Gray.

With my finches though they get Roudybush ground and mixed in egg food, miracle meal and fruit pate. They also get seed and crushed oyster shell mixed in with grated cuttlebone and mineral block. They also LOVE Herb Salad. Occassionally I serve millet.

Pellets are great as far as I am concerned but for finches I do not follow the stick pellet diet I do/did for hookbills in the past. My lovebird does get millet and Lafebers NutriBerries as a treat, along with Avian Cakes.

I think it is an individual choice, if it works for your finches that is great. I personally have never heard that pellet fed parents have a harder time feeding young, all the baby parrotlets fed out by parents did well. The pellet size for finch especially the Lafebers is smaller than seed, mine did not take to Lafebers.

I did notice that if I served plain Roudybush Nibbles in a bowl my finches would not touch it, once it was added ground to the egg food combo which they love, they have devoured it. I also noticed the more of the mixture they eat the less seed they eat. I do not add vitamins to the water since the dry combo has a good mix of what they need mostly due to the pellets being added.

[batuhan]

Hi Summer bird,
May I ask you what the pellets are ?(natural is natural)
why do we eat fruits and vegetables ?
to get vitamins .....(and minerals and so)

we do not take vitamin tablets instead of fruits and vegetables don't we ?except if we do not need an extra vitamin?(by Doctors)
follow the nature please more closer as possible as you can ..and any bird I keep I offer my birds wide variety of seeds,greens,tree buds,some fruits,fresh water,full of love...
I never give pellets(vitamin or any medicine/medical products unless my birds get ill...)

batuhan

[cindy]

It may help by looking at the break down of ingredients of each


Zupreem Fruit Flavor

Ingredients: Ground Corn, Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Vegetable Oil, Wheat Germ Meal, Sucrose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Ground fruit (Bananas, Oranges, Apples and Grapes), Iodized Salt, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Ascorbic Acid (Source of vitamin C), Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Citric acid, Natural and Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavors, Canthaxanthin, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin K Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Biotin, and Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 14.0% min
Crude Fat 4.0% min
Crude Fiber 2.5% max
Moisture 10.0% max

Zupreem Avian Maintenance Natural Diet

Ingredients: Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Vegetable oil, Wheat germ meal, Sucrose, Dicalcium phosphate, Calcium carbonate, Ground vegetables (carrots, celery, beets, watercress and spinach), Iodized salt, DL-methionine, Choline chloride, L-lysine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Natural mixed tocopherols, Rosemary extract, Citric acid, Canthaxanthin, Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate , Calcium iodate, Sodium selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin K Supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 14.0% min
Crude Fat 4.0% min
Crude Fiber 2.5% max
Moisture 10.0% max

RoudyBush Daily Maintenance Diet

Ingredients: Ground Corn, Ground Wheat, Soy Meal, Soy Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, DL-Methionine, L-Arginine, Niacin, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Lecithin, Silicon Dioxide (carrier for liquid antioxidants), Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (source of Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Yucca shidigera Extract, Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate, Dried Yeast, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Zinc Oxide, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Cyanocobalamin (source of Vitamin B12), Sodium Selenite (on Calcium Carbonate), Propionic Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, Acetic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Tartaric Acid, and Natural Apple Flavoring.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 11.0% min
Crude Fat 6.0% min
Crude Fiber 3.5% max
Moisture 12.0% max

[JohnBoy]

My birds have the option of both. Both are fed daily. I have to fill both dishes 2 times a day. They gobble up both. I feed pretty bird mini pellets and roudybush. I make my own seed mix. They also get fresh fruit, veggies, fresh egg food, miracle meal, and lots of chick weed when in season.
Vets recommend pellets if you can get your birds to take it and zoos use pelleted food for all their birds.

[Summer Bird]

Thanks for all the great information, everyone. I'm going to start feeding seed as a much larger part of their diet, though I think I'll still give them pellets as well. They do love their seeds!

[ac12]

@Summer
One more thing, you can do seasonal diets using different seed mixes (breeding/molting, austere, and resting), but you are essentially stuck with one diet for pellets (I think maintenance).

I think pellets are equivalent to the "maintenance/rest" seed diet. Which kind of makes sense as the Zupreem package does say "maintenance" on it. Don't know about the other pellet brands.

For breeding/molting, you need to suppliment the pellets. I think egg or similar high protein food (miracle meal or commercial egg mixes) will do it.

I don't know how you would duplicate the "austere" diet with pellets.

here is a link to check out
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/austerity ... _diets.php

[cindy]

Roudybush has a Maintenance diet also. I supplement with eggfood and Miracle meal. I think along with seed and supplements it is a good mix.

I look at how energetic finches are compared to hookbills and feel that they may need more of a calorie intake. By feeding the above and greens, millet and a calcium mix there are getting a good balance.