what to fed a rosy bourke?

[Mommabird]

I'll be getting 2 rosy bourke in august, just wondering what I should feed them? Do they eat budgie food, if they do that would be great because I already buy seeds and pellets for my 2 budgies. I heard they eat canary seeds and canary pellets, but I can't find any source to tell me for sure.

 

[lynne5]

After reading a lot of different sources, here is what I do. I'm sure there are many variations.
Mine are fed in shallow dishes on the floor of the cage, because they are ground feeders, and that is where they love to eat.

*I offer Roudybush crumbles in a small bowl. They don't eat much of this, but it is sort of a back up.
*I offer a mix of seeds which is their staple: 1)Goldenfeast Australian Blend, 2)a good finch blend (right now 'Smart and Sassy'), and 3)a 'small hookbill' or cockatiel blend (also 'Smart and Sassy'). There are other good brands and mixes. I like these products because they also have herbs, dried greens, etc., mixed in with the seeds.
Proportions are an even 1/3 of each. I mix up enough for a week or two and keep it in the fridge. The rest goes in the freezer.
*Lastly, I make up 'chop' (there are many recipes) and freeze in ice cube trays. Once frozen, they go in containers in the freezer. My two get one cube (defrosted the night before), mixed with a little sprouting seed to tempt them to eat it. Chop is good for about 3 months in the freezer.
Sometimes I sprout seeds and give this during the day instead of their regular seeds. I always remove this in the early evening and replace with some regular seed mix.
They also have cuttlebone, a mineral block and a calcium block. They love the cuttlebone.
I also try to put in something fresh every day in their cage like kale, broccoli, chicory, etc, in a little water to keep it fresher.

 

[Pockets]

Just like Lynne is showing in her post above - variety is key. Just seeds & pellets isn't really enough, and should always be supplemented with other types of food. Generally, what a budgie eats is similar to what a Bourke's can eat. Skip over any sources that suggest you can just use an entirely seed based canary diet.

Not an expert here, but this is what we do - in approximate order by quantity/proportion: Harrison's Super-Fine Pellets, Sprouted Seeds, Harrison's Bird Bread, Cooked Quinoa, Vegetables/Legumes (bell pepper, broccoli, romaine, carrot, chickpeas, celery) Treats: sunflower seeds & millet. We've noticed that with this diet, our Bourke's plumage has become more pink and vibrant, and he has tons of energy!

 

[Monica]

My last bourke I fed her cockatiel/budgie seeds and pellets and fresh foods. Basically, a variety of foods.