| The birds are offered fresh eggfood throughout the day every day just prior to and during the entire breeding season, then usually two or three times per week in the resting season. I check it often to make sure it hasn't spoiled.
Combine all of the above ingredients. If you're a lazy gardener like me, you can use a food processor - but don't over do it. It will turn into a big ball of mush! When I'm feeling too lazy to clean the big processor, I use my small processor designed to chop nuts or onions - small stuff - I'll use it for the carrot and egg. My birds go crazy when they hear either processor going. They know the "good stuff" is coming! The mix should be crumbly – the consistency of crumb cake topping - and will smell somewhat like cake batter. If it is overly dry or wet, add a little water or Petamine until the desired consistency is obtained. Store this mixture in a zipper bag or closed container in the refrigerator. The birds will eat approximately 2 tablespoons per day, sometimes more once they realize they like it – it should be offered every day just prior to and during the breeding season and until chicks fledge (leave the nest). You may adjust the amount of the egg food as you see them consume it. In warmer weather, it is best to remove the egg food after about two hours to avoid spoilage. This mixture will last approximately 1 week in the refrigerator. While I make sure they have it during breeding season, I usually offer it in the resting season as well, less the vitamin supplements. I've also been known to add frozen peas or other vegetables I have on hand. When I'm feeling especially lazy or don't have time to chop, I use the fresh frozen cut mixed vegetables that come in a bag though I'm not sure the vitamin content is as good as that of fresh veggies. Feel free to experiment with different combinations of fruits and vegetables. You may find your birds are particularly fond of some not mentioned here! If you don't want to make your own egg food, try Morning Bird Products' Miracle Meal. I use it as a substitute for my own egg food when I don't have time to make it fresh. My birds devour it! |
Meadowlark Farms
Lady Gouldian Finches - Nutrition: My Mix
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| I change my seed mix and supplements as the needs of my birds change. In the wild, birds will eat what is available during each season. During the rainy season, insects and sprouting seed heads are available (breeding season). After breeding season, a less rich diet is important to put the birds in resting mode. Again, these are just MY mixes! |
| There are a few other reasons I like to select my own seed: First, I don't like the looks of some of the prepackaged mixes on the market. I don't like the food coloring in some of them - the seeds are supposedly coated with "vitamins", but I have no real idea what is on them or how much each bird is actually eating with the "color" on it. In all honesty, I don't trust anyone to supplement my birds but me! I need to know exactly what is going in them and at what quantity! Mixes with pellets are great if your birds will eat them, but again, I don't like the food coloring or "attractant" fruit flavored additives. I do add pellet to my birds' feed, but prefer the non-colored type. My birds won't eat the colored stuff anyway! Remember, there IS a difference between adding the essential oil from a fruit, such as oranges, ON the food and in putting an additive that may or may not be real IN the food! Read your labels carefully! I've also found that specific brands seem to have more bugs in them. Because I cannot fit the large container in which I mix my seed into the freezer, I simply choose not to purchase those brands. I still have to set moth traps, but not nearly as often as with those particular brands. Yes, I do wonder WHY there aren't as many bugs in the feed, but because I purchase only human grade premixed seed when I have to buy premixed, I'm not too worried about it. If you choose to purchase prepackaged seed, be sure to read the ingredients. Goulds are AUSTRALIAN finches and need a higher amount of protein, iodine and calcium than some other birds. You want the highest protein content you can get! |
| Below are the mixes I use. Just prior to and during breeding season I increase oily seed and calcium to 1 1/2 times that of the resting season. However, I keep a close eye on how they look and act so that I can tell if they need something specific at any given time. I know my birds well and they will "tell" me what they need if there is something missing just by their actions! |
| EGG FOOD |
| MY TYPICAL HAND-MIXED FEED (Breeding/Molting Seasons) |
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| NOTE: |
| IN THE WATER |
| When I first started on my birding journey, I used prepared finch and canary mixes. At that time I had so many different types of birds that if one didn't like a particular kind of seed, one of the others would step up and eat it. Since downsizing to only Goulds and Societies, I prefer to choose and hand mix my own seed when time permits. Societies will eat pretty much anything the Goulds won't, but I still waste a LOT of seed because I rarely house the two breeds together! I began hand-selecting the different types of seed that my birds would eat because I grew tired of wasting the seed they wouldn't! It didn't make any sense to me to waste money like that! |
| During the breeding and molting seasons, Goulds require additional oily seed. These oily seeds are typically black or very dark in color and contain the amino acids essential for reproductive health of adult birds, give the extra energy needed during breeding season, and aid in preparing them for the rigors of molt. These seeds are also important to ensure proper feather growth in young chicks. |
| MY TYPICAL HAND-MIXED FEED (Resting Season) |
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| Sometimes we forget to listen to our own best advice. Other times we forget to listen to our instincts. If you are having great success with any mix you are currently using, please do not change it. If your birds are happy and healthy and produce strong young, don't change what you are doing! If you mess with success, the results can be disastrous! |
| Monday - A liquid multi-vitamin containing D3 (to aid in the absorption of calcium), liquid calcium and liquid iodine are added to the water Tuesday & Wednesday - calcium and iodine are added to water Thursday through Saturday - plain, fresh water Sunday - citric acid (in the form of apple cider vinegar) at a rate of 1/4 tsp per gallon of water Some hens require an additional boost of calcium. If you see their cuttlebone consumption go up, they are probably preparing to lay. I will sometimes up my liquid calcium to 1 1/2 times the normal amount for these hens. |
| Not all birds are equally accepting of new foods or even the same foods as others in the cage. You may have to try various types of greens in small amounts to see what they like and will actually eat! All greens should be thoroughly washed before giving to your birds to avoid poisoning from pesticides. My birds receive any of the following when in season: Romaine lettuce (dark green parts only - no hearts) Spinach Kale (all colors) Small amounts of broccoli (while high in calcium, a small amount is good but vegetables from the cabbage family can inhibit the absorption of calcium in birds) Cucumber Collard greens etc. |
| FRESH GREENS DAILY |
| MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS |
| Year round I offer my birds a combination of trace mineral dust, fine sand grit, crushed oyster shell, crushed sterilized egg shell, and charcoal. This combination is given in a separate seed cup and kept away from the watering devices. I pull this mixture and any seed mixtures when my birds bathe so that they are not contaminated or wet. Wet food and supplements can create molds that are very hazardous to your birds! |
| Meadowlark Farms Lady Gouldian Finches 2008 © All rights Reserved. |
