Basic Care for finches
DIET FOR LADY GOULDIAN FINCHES
- ABBA 1900 exotic finch food (1 teaspoon daily per bird, make sure that birds consume all seed before offering new supply)
- ABBA soaked seed (add one teaspoon of bleach after soaking for 24-48 hours, wash thoroughly few times per day and wash it really well after adding the bleach)
- Vanodine (two drops per gallon of water) - gouldians need more iodine than other birds
- Sterilized eggshells (shells should be washed and microwaved for at least three minutes to kill bacteria)
- Cuttlebone (it's best to shave it in the seed or water so they can have a source of calcium)
- Eggfood - all the time (commercial) but it has to be moist (add some broccoli or carrots to keep it wet during the day). There is a great product (Quicko) called RUSK - it has the ability to absorb and keep moisture for a long period of time (it's perfect for mixing with dry eggfood)
- Daily I boil fresh eggs for at least 15 minutes (to kill bacteria) and add bread crumbs
- Vegetables - twice a week - broccoli, lettuce, carrots, apples...
- Apple cider vinegar - occasionally a few drops in the water (1/4 cup for a gallon of water)
- Mineral powder, grit, charcoal - all the time (Hi-Cal-Grit)
EGG FOOD RECIPE
Egg food (also called soft food) is after the seed, the most important food for finches (especially for lady gouldian finches). I provide egg food every day because of their need for the proteins and vitamins that egg contain. They need it especially in the breeding and moulting periods, it's great source of energy for juveniles also. You want your finches to be healthy and strong so the food dish is "very important".
Commercial egg food is very expensive and not as great as your own "homemade". Amount of egg food I was preparing is for 100+ birds so if you have only a few finches work with a small number of eggs and other additives.
I started with 36 eggs, adding enough water to cover all of them and boiled them for a 15 minutes (it's long enough to kill bacteria).
After boiling the eggs I put them under cold water and leave them in for another 15 minutes.
It's necessary because it's much easier to peel the eggshells which is a next step.
After you removed all eggshells put them in the microwave for five minutes. It'll dry them so it'll be very easy to crush them in small pieces. In the meantime I crushed two medium size fish cuttlebones and added into the egg food. It'll be a little extra calcium for our finches.
I also added a two teaspoons of Quikon Plus and Quikon Forte which are great for their plumage. Another additive was 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil and of course on the end - BREAD CRUMBS. Thanks to bread crumbs egg food will separate (won't stick) and it'll be easy to consume.
Voila....
So here it is, the final product - homemade eggfood , very natural and very healthy. Best on "market"!!!!!!!
Put in smaller containers,freeze it and thaw it overnight in the fridge.
So needless to say - BON APPETITE to our feathered friends....
When ready to breed gouldian hen beaks turns dark.Cock sings all the time and hen makes tweet sound.Some of them are poor nest builders so you can put some coconut fiber in the nest.Lady Gouldian Finches are known as picky in choosing their mate but when in top breeding condition they won't hesitate in acceptance.Cock will perform courtship,singing and jumping,and if hen likes him she'll start vibrating her tail.Mating takes place in a nest.First egg is laid a week or more after mating(sometimes sooner).Female lays 4-8 eggs and they start incubation after the last egg is laid or on the fourth day.Incubation period is usually 14 days.Babies will fledge after 3 weeks.They'll be fully weaned around 6 weeks of age.It can take up to 9 months for them to moult in their adult color.It's advisable not to breed them young because females are prone to egg binding.
All photos copyrighted-belong to EJ AVIARY-breeders of lady gouldian finches , society finches , owl finches ...and should not be copied without our permission
Bird leg bands for sale -finches size
Previous page: News(archive)
Next page: Bird leg bands