Aussie Finch Forum

Hi everyone just wondering what seed mix others are using & the ratio or blend. The commercial mixes have a lot of seed that my finches don’t eat called filler & very little of this seed sprouts
Thanks in advance & happy new year to everyone

I find that by mixing Consolidateds mix with T&R's I get a good mix. Neither are ideal on their own, but the combo is good. None of them are as good as they were even a year ago, and were even better 3years back. Bother the droughts.

The best thing i have done is to offer all the seeds given to my birds in seperate bowls.This has eliminated so much waste and you only buy what is good for them,no fillers.

My mother makes her own mix, but she goes through 3 - 4 times as much seed as I do, and buys several 20 - 25kg bags at a time.
Offering seperate seeds is the ideal way to go. But may not be practical for small holders, who have to pay over $3/kg for each type to buy in the small quantities they use. Even buying a 10kg bag of each and mixing as I do costs $2.90/kg

Sapperfinch wrote: ↑30 Dec 2020, 10:52 Hi everyone just wondering what seed mix others are using & the ratio or blend. The commercial mixes have a lot of seed that my finches don’t eat called filler & very little of this seed sprouts
Thanks in advance & happy new year to everyone

If not much seed germinates/ sprouts, find a different brand because you are wasting money and killing your birds with malnutrition.

I used a finch mix and blue ribbon canary mix in equal parts (50/50). I gave that to all my birds including the parrots. It takes the parrots longer to eat and that keeps them occupied for longer.

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Having separate dishes of seed is not the best for the birds. Some birds will eat their favorite seed and nothing else. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies and major health problems if the birds aren't getting a varied diet.

Years ago we used to tell people to leave the parrot seed in with their parrots until 90% of the seed was eaten. This stopped the birds eating nothing but their favorite seed and forced them to eat a variety of seeds. Some people didn't do this and every year there were parrots and cockatoos dying from heart attacks and fatty liver disease because the birds got a new bowl of seed every day, and they only ate the sunflower.

Years ago we used to tell people to leave the parrot seed in with their parrots until 90% of the seed was eaten. This stopped the birds eating nothing but their favorite seed and forced them to eat a variety of seeds. Some people didn't do this and every year there were parrots and cockatoos dying from heart attacks and fatty liver disease because the birds got a new bowl of seed every day, and they only ate the sunflower.
Not just years ago Rod. My mother still tells everyone she sells her Weerios to this and why, and it is how she treats them. Has been breeding them since i was a kid at home, breeds them consistently and in a mix of mutations.

just out of interest - can you name these so called filler seeds

thanks

Have had Kalo and wheat and oats and canola is common.
Oats and canola are not a big problem for me as I have Bengos and Canarys.
The only things I know that eat Kalo are pidgeons and rodents.
Wheat is good for many things - just not finches.

What is Kalo??

It's about 1.5mm round and hard as, tan coloured. That's what it's always been called here.