update on my goulds.

[Misso]

Hi everyone.

currently trialing my first Austere Diet with my gouldians. iv also have the cocks and hens in separate avairies.

im going to keep them on this diet for appox 4 weeks, finishing a week before feb. when i will then start them on their breeding diet.

iv been harvesting my panic grass, hopefully it stays good in the freezer( first time freezing them ) any tips??

and last night i purchased some of Mike Fidlers Soft Food from birds r us, as they had 20% off online orders. i also brought a crop needle and some mason jars i can use for seed or water. a little Christmas present to myself.

has anyone used mikes soft food before?? i was not sure if i was going to leave it in dry form and let them eat it that way or mix it with sprouted seed( which is also going to be a new adventure for me, got my virkon s too) which from his dvd: At home with mike fidler said can mix together then frozen to be feed daily.

im also reading that mikes soft food needs to be refrigerated after opening?? is this true??

Iv also been busy with reno's on my first aviary.

put smaller wire over the existing big wire, so i can finally have piece of mind for my goulds not escaping through the wire. i also added new attachments for my blinds to zip up and down easier.

then in the middle of jan il be building a cabinet( with help from the Old man ) to allow my 4 new breeding cages to sit on.

hoping these changes give me better results compared with previous years. "fingers crossed".

Jarryd

[Diane]

I put my adult gouldians on the austerity diet after their three clutches earlier in the year. Within a matter of weeks they were losing feathers and now are back to full feather and that includes a hen that lost her head feathers, she looked like a little vulture she had a remarkable comeback!
I have been feeding the grasses to the birds as it pops through the leaves so any info about freezing would be would be helpful here too. Im trying to grow more in different pots so that I can put a pot in and let the birds go to town on it, then take it out to recover.

[Misso]

yeh im hoping to do the same with the panic grass probs have 7 pots of it growing down the sideway atm, it would be easier then picking it every day and giving it too them. the panic grass iv picked iv put in a zip lock bag.

Jarryd

[Suerus]

Hi Jarryd
I mix my Mike Fidlers Soft Food with my soaked seed and egg food mix - the birds love it. I found they tended to ignore a dish of the soft food dry on its own as suggested on the pack.

[Misso]

Hi Suerus, i received my soft food today! except they didn't come with the outside packaging!!!!

how do you store your excess soft food??? do you refrigerate your soft food( in its dry form??)

or do you mix it all up with the soaked seed then store it all in the freezer??

thanks a bunch

Jarryd

[Suerus]

Jarryd
I do mix up a batch with the combined soft food and soaked / sprouted seed and put it in the freezer in little containers.
I then make up eggfood mix fresh each day and add a portion of the frozen mix to that - it seems to give a nicer / flufffier texture but I suppose you could mix it all up and freeze the egg mix too.
The dry soft food I just store in a cupboard. ( I never noticed the refrigerate after opening notice ) I might move it to the fridge now though!

The outer box that you were missing mainly talks about the ingredients / protein ratios etc of the food - but it does have the following feeding suggestions:
1. feed direct from the container without adding anything
2. mix 50 / 50 with either frozen green seed or sprouted / soaked seed
3. mix 40 / 40 with frozen green seed or sproutes seed plus 20% clean fly pupae
4.80% soft food 20% mashed peas and chopped green food

[Misso]

thanks a bunch for that!!!

so it says on the pack, refrigerate after opening??

Jarryd

[nixity]

Yes - the packaging states it needs to be refrigerated after opening.
It contains beef meal and although it's preserved this probably helps extend the freshness and shelf life.

I had a difficult time getting my birds to eat it, and I still can't mix it at the recommended ratio or my birds ignore the sprouts all together.
Forget about offering it on its own, mine won't touch it.

The only way I can get them to eat it is by sprinkling it lightly on the sprouts or mixing it in at a far less ratio than what is prescribed. But I feel as though they are not getting the full range of benefits when used very modestly like this.

I was advised by Bill VP to try putting the birds through a severe regimen that involved removing absolutely everything from the cage at sundown and only offering the sprouts and soft food for the first 2-3 hours of the day.
So far I have not had an opportunity to try this because of my work schedule... but maybe over the holidays I can give it a shot.

[E Orix]

Are you all talking about Mike Fidlers products,if so reply back and I will ask Mike for his opinions.Also if you have any other queries let me know and I will also ask him as well.

[Misso]

thanks for the info nixity.