Will let you know if they take to it. I have added codliver oil as well, as they have been eating seed with the oil mixed in, and it doesn't seem to bother them.
Pellet experiment
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fishtales
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- Posts: 81
- Joined: 08 Mar 2014, 08:27
- Location: Newcastle, NSW
Has anyone tried finches on pellets? I bought some small parrot pellets, ground them up into a powder, and placed them in the cages about a week ago. The birds have been ignoring it, until yesterday when I placed green seed heads in the feeder that had the pellets. Spoted one of my male gouldians eating the pellets this morning, and he was having a good old munch. Today I thought why not try, a seed and ground pellet mix....so I placed seed, and pellets in the grinder, and this is the result:
Will let you know if they take to it. I have added codliver oil as well, as they have been eating seed with the oil mixed in, and it doesn't seem to bother them.
Will let you know if they take to it. I have added codliver oil as well, as they have been eating seed with the oil mixed in, and it doesn't seem to bother them.
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werty
My goulds and zebs wouldn't touch the pellets for months...but I just kept trying a spoon a day....finally they tried it...and the goulds love it now after finishing off their greens all the birds go straight for the pellets
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wagga
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- Posts: 678
- Joined: 24 Apr 2010, 22:08
- Location: Port Macquarie NSW 2444
- Location: PORT MACQUARIE NSW
Not all finches are easily 'converted' to eating them and others can eat more than their fair share. I use something similiar in my aviaries as a supplement food mixed with greens & grains seeds. I find most species, especially the Australian grassfinches, will fly to their bowls to investigate the contents.
Just a word of warning on using these type of pellets. I know of an elderly gentleman who thought he had converted all his finches over to a straight pellet diet from seed. His reasoning was to use the pellet only diet to reduce waste and mess from seed husks, save time, and his main reason was he had no reliable bird people available in his small country town to help out during his hospitalization including the post op rehabilation time. He had left extra large bowls of pellets, finch crumbles, in each of his 6 aviaries more than enough for a month or so. Like all good finchos he had given the aviaries a good clean including removing any old seed waste out the day prior to his admission to hospital. His next door neighbour, a good gardener not into birds, had to check that the auto water was working and report back to him, if anything went wrong. 3 weeks later he arrived home to find that the aviaries plants where growing perfectly. All finches were accounted for including some recent fledglings, except his all the mask finches were no where to be seen. Thinking they had nests in the lush green growth. A closer inspection found them all dead, mainly located below the old empty seed containers, in all 6 aviaries. The masks were seen pecking around near the pellets bowls and had assumed they eating it prior to his operation. Unforunately it would appear he was wrong.
Just a word of warning on using these type of pellets. I know of an elderly gentleman who thought he had converted all his finches over to a straight pellet diet from seed. His reasoning was to use the pellet only diet to reduce waste and mess from seed husks, save time, and his main reason was he had no reliable bird people available in his small country town to help out during his hospitalization including the post op rehabilation time. He had left extra large bowls of pellets, finch crumbles, in each of his 6 aviaries more than enough for a month or so. Like all good finchos he had given the aviaries a good clean including removing any old seed waste out the day prior to his admission to hospital. His next door neighbour, a good gardener not into birds, had to check that the auto water was working and report back to him, if anything went wrong. 3 weeks later he arrived home to find that the aviaries plants where growing perfectly. All finches were accounted for including some recent fledglings, except his all the mask finches were no where to be seen. Thinking they had nests in the lush green growth. A closer inspection found them all dead, mainly located below the old empty seed containers, in all 6 aviaries. The masks were seen pecking around near the pellets bowls and had assumed they eating it prior to his operation. Unforunately it would appear he was wrong.
Life in Port Macquarie is the ultimate Aussie sea change lifestyle.
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Suerus
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- Posts: 78
- Joined: 09 Nov 2008, 10:55
- Location: Illawarra, NSW, Australia
- Location: Illawarra, NSW, Australia
I have a container with finch crumbles in the aviary which all my birds seem to ignore but I do add the finch crumbles to my egg and biscuit / soft food mix and it gets eaten there.
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TomDeGraaff
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- Posts: 1024
- Joined: 25 Jul 2012, 11:04
- Location: Melbourne
I'm not a fan of pellets except as a supplement. Finches and parrots husk their seeds. This is a natural behaviour. Pellets do not necessarily reduce waste. How much dust blows away as the birds pick at one then drop it?
Doves and Pigeons, quail eat seeds whole. This may be why pellets have been so successfully introduced to domestic strains of these birds.
Also, perhaps frugivorous parrots such as eclectus, caiques etc may enjoy them. However, they still add nuts and berries that require some manipulation before eating.
AS a supplement, however, they may provide variety and nutrients for those that will take them. They may be a good digestible food for young. As some have said, crushing them and adding them to soft foods or sprouted seeds is an excellent idea.
IMO
Tom
Doves and Pigeons, quail eat seeds whole. This may be why pellets have been so successfully introduced to domestic strains of these birds.
Also, perhaps frugivorous parrots such as eclectus, caiques etc may enjoy them. However, they still add nuts and berries that require some manipulation before eating.
AS a supplement, however, they may provide variety and nutrients for those that will take them. They may be a good digestible food for young. As some have said, crushing them and adding them to soft foods or sprouted seeds is an excellent idea.
IMO
Tom
