Best Finch Food Brand?

[QuakerCraz]

I'm just looking to get suggestions for finch food brands that would be a good mix for Gouldian Finches. I found a few that I do like the looks of but I'd like some opinions from others. I'm looking for a food that would be a good every day food but also be good for during the breeding season. I have egg food and calcium powder supplement among other calcium sources as well as a vitamin supplement to give as needed.

The brands I found that I like are Kaytee Fiesta for Finch and Canary, White Mill Pure Gourmet Seed Mixture for Finch and Canary and Healthy Select For Canary and Finch.

I don't think my girls are liking the food I'm giving them now. It's a Budgie food and they are eating it but not a lot of it. The finches were a sudden event so I didn't have time to get them the right food on top of not being able to find food I liked as well as being busy lately. They do have food at least and they have free access to egg food and millet sprays as well as a cuttle bone and calcium block. I have two seed sources for them to choose from so they always have something.

Other than the three brands I found, what other brands are there that would be a good daily mix that would also be a good mix for breeding season?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Destiny]

The diet for Lady Gouldians can be pretty tricky to get right. The short answer is there is no daily mix that would also be good for breeding season without significant modification. The dietary requirements of these two periods is too different. During breeding season and while the finches are moulting, they will need additional foods added to their base diet to meet the nutritional demands during those times.

Are you planning on breeding your finches? If so, diet (and timing) is very important for this finch, since dietary changes can be used to synchronize birds so they are more successful breeders.

This article talks in more depth about the diet:

Part 3: Gouldian finch diet - Planet Aviary

planetaviary.com

If you live in the United States, this website is a good source for quality seed mixes designed for Lady Gouldians.

Seed Diets - Lady Gouldian Finch Supplies USA - Glamorous Gouldians

Food for lady gouldian, finch, finches, canaries and parakeets, california spray millet

ladygouldianfinch.com

Keep in mind that you will also want to provide plenty of fresh food (kale, broccoli, sweet potato etc), not just seeds alone. Sprouts are an excellent option too. It is also a good idea to offer a multivitamin supplement and calcium supplement, either by feeding pellets or by dusting soft food, like eggfood, with a powdered multivitamin supplement.

 

[QuakerCraz]

I found that second site but I like to be able to get things locally to keep from having to pay shipping. If I have to buy two different diets, I'll buy two different diets. I already add vitamin and calcium dust to their food at least every other day and I provide a few freeze dried mealworms if they want them along with their egg food that I provide daily. Just want a better food mix for them. I don't have a male yet for them and I'm thinking its going to be a bit troublesome to find the one I want for them so I have time to get their diet down.

 

[Destiny]

Unfortunately, I don't think you will be able to find anything comparable locally, unless you have a specialty bird shop in your area. A general seed mix marketed toward "finches and canaries" will inevitably include a lot of filler - stuff that is inexpensive, but not very nutritious or palatable to Lady Gouldian finches. All that filler is just a waste, because it isn't helping your bird. Generic seed mix is a low quality food.

If that is all you have available or all you can afford, then it is probably good enough. You can help round out the diet in other ways, like offering fresh foods. But if you want a better seed mix, it makes sense to look for a specialty product that is actually made for Australian grass finches. Yes, it will cost more and you will need to pay for shipping, but there will be less wasted seed and you know that your birds will be getting a good mix of seeds that they like and want to eat. This means you get more "bang for you buck", compared to a more generalized finch mix.

As far as if it is truly necessary to feed Lady Gouldians a "resting diet" and "breeding/moulting diet", I can't say for sure. The majority of information I have read on this type of diet comes from finch breeders. It sounds like this diet improves breeding outcomes and reduces the risk of babies being rejected or abandoned by the parents. So if you are planning to breed your finches, I would say Yes, definitely look into this diet and consider using it with your finches. If you are keeping them as pets, good nutrition is still very important, but I don't know if it would still be necessary to provide a true austerity period each year or if you could get away with a more stable diet. It sounds like the hormonal triggers involved with breeding are also related to moulting, so it might be a good idea for all Lady Gouldian finches. If the diet isn't right, they can go bald (lose all feathers on the head) or have other weird molting issues.

 

[QuakerCraz]

I'm going to work out the best diet plan for my birds with what I have available and what I can afford. I'll use supplements and other nutrition boosting foods and whatnot to give the best with what I have available. I may do two different diets, a breeding diet that's high energy, protein, calcium and whatnot for optimal health of parent birds and chick and then a more mild but still notionally sound diet for the down season after chicks are weaned. I'll keep the chicks on the high nutrition diet to keep giving them everything they need till a little bit after they finish molting then I'll wean them onto the mild diet. I think I have an idea of how I want to start the breeding cycle though but I need to find a male for my little beepers yet. That's the hardest task for me right now. I'd like to find one before spring but not holding my breath.

 

[QuakerCraz]

I believe I have a plan. Unfortunately, I have to wait till I start working which won't be for at least a month give or take. In the mean time, I'll find a good quality food I can get locally that I can give for the time being till I can order the food I found. It's inexpensive and I can create a great healthy bi-seasonal diet for optimal health for both breeding and non-breeding seasons of my finches. I found a tonic seed, a base seed mix, canary seed and white millet. I'm looking for ryegrass seed and might look for a couple others but for the most part, I think I found all I need. I'll look into some more supplements as well. But overall, I think I have a pretty solid plan in mind. Just a little more research on the chicks and I should be good to go.

 

[Destiny]

Sounds like a solid plan. Don't forget to offer fresh foods as well. Finches will benefit from leafy greens and chop, just like parrots. They also go nuts over sprouted seeds. You should be able to use the same seed mix for sprouting as you are feeding dry. It is a great way to add fresh food to their diet at low cost.

 

[QuakerCraz]

I heard a lot of good with sprouting the seeds so I'll try a bit with that. I know I have to be careful with it to keep it clean and whatnot so it doesn't develop bacteria and fugus growth as well as mold. I was thinking about getting this pearl morbide stuff(bad spelling of it probably but it's like a green powder stuff) as it's supposed to replace sprouts as a healthier, safer alternative to them. Fresh foods are expensive and getting pricier these days. I did find something that petsmart now carries which is a chop salad for birds in little single serve 3 pack cups. I might get something like that. It will be a matter of what my finches will like. I have time to figure it out still.

 

[Destiny]

I have Perle Morbide and feed it occassionally. My birds like it and eat it readily. I am not sure if it actually provides similar nutrition compared with sprouted seeds. Probably not, honestly. I think that is just a marketing gimmick. It is basically a different kind of "softfood", similar to egg and biscuit, and highly processed, like pellets. But it is easy to prepare and you can keep the open bag in the freezer until the night before you serve it so it stays fresh. A single bag should last a long time, if you are feeding only a few birds, especially in the resting period when it would not be offered daily.

You add water to rehydrate the little pellets and let it soak overnight in the fridge. The instructions recommend adding some dry eggfood mix or something similar to absorb excess water before offering, since the birds like it better that way. My birds took to it immediately - the pellets are the same size and shape as millet seeds and the main ingredient is ground corn which tastes very good to many birds. The ingredients are quite similar to pelleted feed and it is fortified with vitamins/minerals so it is a nice way to get picky eaters to take their vitamins.

I find it a nice option for when life gets too busy for seed sprouting and I want to give the birds a nice treat. I always come back to empty dishes, so they obviously don't hate it. Very little waste.

 

[QuakerCraz]

I'll for sure get that then to make it easier to provide a nutrition boost during the breeding, molting and weaning periods. This is kind of what I have planned so far. The base mix I have found is a wild finch seed mix that's just seed and not fortified with anything which is what I was looking for. I have a tonic seed which has more oily seeds in like canola to use as a supplemental seed mix and isn't fortified with anything. I have egg food which I think I should keep in the fridge to keep it fresh longer. During the breeding season I'll beef up the nutrition by adding high quality supplements to the food and provide the egg food as well as a small amount of the tonic seed and keep free calcium sources like cuttle bone and blocks. I'll keep chicks on the breeding mix, up the tonic a smidge and add some supplements that are meant to help with feathers. Once done molting, I'll move them to the same diet the parent birds are one which is the more base mix and lower the amount of supplements given but not eliminate it completely. I might have a basic supplement to give them during the resting period and give it maybe once or twice a week. The young birds can have whatever high quality diet that works well for them as they will eventually have new homes and won't be used for breeding. Though I may end up keeping a chick or two but that's for later on down the road.