Different Diet ?

[josiedownunda]

I have a question for you all regarding different diets. Do you all feed your birds the same thing all year round or do you change the diet when they are resting. All my birds are now in the large flight aviary having a well deserved rest and I was wondering what everyone feeds to help them recover from breeding.....like are there any special additives you give them and do you cut back on the rations compared to when they are feeding young. Up till now I have always fed the same diet all year round....with the exception of a variety of fresh foods........that changes from day to day. Any ideas appreciated
Jo-Anne

[fischer]

Hi Jo-Anne, I will stick to Parrot's here as I don't think your interested in Finches(a whole lot different feeding thing anyway)
About a month or so, before my Parrot's start breeding, I increase the amount of seed I'm feeding and the types of seed as well, Normally I feed all my Parrot's small parrot mix or lovebird mix, as its sometimes called. Before breeding I add to their diet Budgie mix, they seem to like the smaller seeds, and the greater variety of the types of seeds, in the budgie mix, and it aids in feeding the young because the seeds are smaller and more easily fed.
I also increase the feeding of fresh foods to twice a day, It ensures that anything they feed the young hasn't gone off, or gone a bit stale.
On the fresh food I sprinkle Soluvet, in small amounts, and also increase the amount of week days I do this, from twice a week to four times a week.
After breeding I maintain this diet for a further month, and then they go back to their normal diet.
Hope this is helpfull, Cheers Tony

[AussieBirds]

I also add canary seed to the seed Diet Jo-Anne and some hulled oats to the tiels seed. My greens and fruit diet changes every week so they dont get bored. I add Ornithon Vitimin and mineral supplement to the water every day during breeding season then reduce it to three times a week when not breeding.

John

[josiedownunda]

Thanks John and Tony. A question for you Tony! You say that a month after breeding you go back to their 'normal diet'....what is that? Do you give additives etc when not breeding and if so what do you recommend. I use Gold Cobb small parrot seed which is supposedly fortified with everything imaginable plus they always have cuttlebone and a calcium block to chew on but aside from that I usually don't give them any other additives....I rely on fruits and nuts and vegies to balance things for them.
Jo-Anne

[fischer]

Sorry Jo-Anne, I didn't explain that part very well .
The main diet is small parrot mix, this mix is a fairly basic one,
Im not sure of the exact percentages, but roughly its 12% sunflower, 12% safflower, 12% plain canary seed 5% hulled oats,40% french white millet and the rest is made up of other small millets, I fiddle about with the quantitys depending on the season. the basic seed mix is made by Tunbridge Seeds of Gunnedah. It has no extra additives , I prefer to add my own in either water or added to fresh food, it really gives you a better idea of exactly what your birds are eating. I stress here this is just my opinion.
Iv'e tried all sorts of vitamin supplements over the years but now only use Soluvet, it contains everything bird's need and is reasonably priced, again this is just my opinion.
I feed, all the normal greens, but limit fruit to apples and oranges, the main reason for this is that my birds just waste anything else and if you have a lot of bird's, it becomes expensive.
The mainstay of my vegie diet is simply frozen peas and corn,
I put some in a dish early every morning to thaw, when its ready I give it to the bird's, Every 3-4 days in non breeding time I sprinkle it lightly with Soluvet, In breeding time every 2 days, and I start the breeding diet with the extra soluvet 1 month before to build up the birds for breeding and continue 1 month after to help them after all their exertions. During breeding seasin I feed the peas and corn twice a day, its a soft food and easily re-fed to the young.
The bird's have constant acess to cuttlebone and mineral blocks
year round.
Hope this explains more, Cheers Tony

[hillcresttiels]

Hi Jo-Anne i wont go into greens and sprouts and multivitamins as we are all on the same wave length but i do use a different seed diet.

During breeding season I use a good quality budgie mix, which i add 5-7% grey sunflower and 10% Plain Canary. Why dont i use a Cockatiel Mix or Love Bird mix?
Plain and simple because Tiels wont eat half the stuff thats in them especially safflower i've never seen that seed eaten by Tiels! During winter I use the same mix only the Grey sunflower is raised to 10% and the Plain canary is replaced with a special canary mix 10% which has rape,niger, panicum and a little hemp and other millets also an extra serve of hulled oats is added this has worked very well for me. If you dont want to mix your own ther is a mix out there called Budgie Blue which has some of the added goodness cheers Frank!

[fischer]

Thats a very good mix Frank, I will try it on some Parrot's I have that don't Safflower, I think I will add some Canary Mix to my recipe as well during winter. One of the things I love about this Forum is that you can learn new things all the time .
Luv how P.C you are too Frank ;D.
Cheers Tony

[hillcresttiels]

Hey P.C fill me in cheers frank

[Catbird]

Yep - I'm a flusher!


In summer the birds get a basic diet of dry seeds and a few veges (they go off too quickly to give them too much), but in summer they get plenty of fresh branches as these provide a natural form of airconditioning also.

In autumn they are wormed and go onto the basic dry seed diet with extra sunflower and other fatty seeds to build them up for winter. They also get mineral supplements to help with their moult. They only get fed every two days, or from hoppers which I top up weekly.

In early winter they are still on the autumn diet, but in July I begin flushing . I start to introduce fruit and veges and sprouted seeds. They also get treated for Cocci as a precaution. Still only getting fed every two days or from hoppers.

By September they are on their breeding diet, good quality seed mixes, lots of fruit and veges, sprouted and soaked seed, seeding grass heads plus all the vitamins and minerals they need for producing babies. They are now fed daily, or twice daily if they have chicks.

So thats my regime - may not be right, but it works for me .

- Claire

[fischer]

It may have simply been a Freudian slip on your part or a product of my somewhat febrile imagination and poor eyesight,
but I think you changed it ;D, If not, you have my apologies.
P.C is politically correct ;D
Cheers Tony

[hillcresttiels]

Ok Tony sorry yes your right when you type niger as in the seed in its correct form nig ger it comes up as black person so i modified it cheers good to see your paying attention to detail

[fischer]

Thanks Frank, I thought I was going mad ;D ;D ;D ;D or madder Cheers Tony

[josiedownunda]

Ahhhh...so that is what 'person' or whatever seed was! I didn't want to act blonde again and have to ask! I hadn't read the post since you altered it so i didn't notice the niger. Thanks for clearing that up!
Jo-Anne