Tap water

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 3:38 pm

hi all
glad you are rethinking some of your regimes as they can be time consuming also
one day i feed eggfood only if they are not breeding,as obviously they need it when they have young
one day they get soakseed
one day they get tonic seed
one day they get greens
one day they get some kind of treat...then all you do is rotate this and they will get something new everyday and its not time consuming ..or labour intensive....i make a list so they dont get the same thing twice in a row they will welcome the change and so will you as you will not have to be constantly thinking of new stuff to give them..in my book thats all they need as the greens you give them can be rotated and the eggfood can be beefed up with boiled egg if you wish but as i said you can give them to many additives i dont give my birds any at all....apart from the ones i am speciailly breeding i have bred 30 plus zebras on just standard seed and water and as i said my rotated regime...i will stop preaching now

ken

some of my happy band

lia-w · Post by **lia-w** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:18 pm

They are gorgeous!

What is tonic seed though?

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:54 am

tonic seed is a mixture of all the best seed,with the most nutrients..that are non fattening and usually coated with aniseed or orange oil you only feed half a teaspoon per bird and usually there is nothing left within 5 minutes...the thing is you can alternate this in winter with a few groats as they are fattening so it helps to build them up to get them through those cold months ..but to much will make them to fat

ken

Hoji · Post by **Hoji** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:38 am

Once again I agree with Ken. A nice variety of wholefoods (like with people) is better then 'enriched-up' mass-marketed convenience foods. I give mine pellets (only for variety, never as a whole diet) and commercial eggfood (because it's dry and doesn't spoil) but the main diet is a number of brands of good old-fashioned seed mix, some of which have supplements, some do not. Some fresh veggies, cuttlebone, some grit and we're happy.
There are alot of companies that want us to believe we need their product or we are bad bird parents.
Somehow the poop doesn't bother me, it doesn't stink, and the seed hulls, well, to me they are no big deal. Then again, I only have 9 birds.

lia-w · Post by **lia-w** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:13 am

Sorry for hijacking the board, but I have another question for Kenny....

What would considered the 'best' seeds?

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:12 pm

Formulated diets versus seed mixtures for psittacines. (Journal of Nutrition) - research article published in 1991 by the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University