Monday, October 24, 2011

Calcium for your finches

Calcium is very important to finches especially if they are breeding.  Just like humans moms need calcium.  However they all need it for strong bones and beaks, but especially for egg production.  If a hen does not have enough calcium to produce a hard shell, it could rupture inside the bird when she is trying to lay it and this can cause death.  Or if she lays the egg and the shell is not hard, it will crack when she sits on the egg to incubate it.  So it is very important. 
It can come in several ways.  One of my favorites is crushed oyster shell.  Not powder but tiny pieces.  Just think how small their throat is and it must be swallowed to get into the crop.  This also helps with the grinding of the food they eat in the crop. 
Second way is Cuddle Bone.  This should be available like the oyster shell at all times.  They will eat the cuddle bone and also use it to groom their beak.  Very important.  If you can find the softer ones at bird shows rather than the "Manufactured" ones at the pet shops, they are better.  Bigger, cheaper and softer.
Third great way to recycle is when you use eggs for yourself, wash out the shells, and store them in an airtight bag in the freezer.  When you have enough, crush them up, put them on a piece of parchment paper, and put them in the oven at 325 degrees for about an hour.  Once they are very brittle, poor them into a bag and use a rolling pin or crusher to break them up to very tiny bits and give them to your birds in a separate dish like the oyster shell. 
Very important and easy to give.

Friday, October 21, 2011

BIG Birds

Most of my comments are on the smaller finches.  This is the type of bird I have the most of, however I have several large hookbills such as Macaws, Pionus, African Grey, Conures, Rosellas, Parakeets and Linnies. 
I try to have the majority of the larger birds such as the Macaws, Pionus and African Grey on a pelleted diet, however the smaller birds do get a mix of pellets and seed.  They are all very healthy and active birds. 
One of the items I do follow with ALL my birds is to give them plenty of light.  Just like us, if we are stuck in a dark room, we don't feel happy and content, birds I feel are the same.  My birds are more vocal, talking and active with lots of light.
One little tidbit I like to share is my Military Macaw is so funny.  When the other birds start to yell and make lots of noise, its the voice of George who stops them from going at it too long.  When I hear them all screaming (not often, but they do, they are birds after all) I hear George yell, " That's enough!.  Knock it off" then he starts telling them by name "Chloe,  that's enough!"  "Good Girl", when she quiets down.  I tell you, it is the funniest thing.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Let the Sun Shine In - How much is too much and too little?

All birdies need some sunshine.  If you have your birds near a window that does not have a draft, then good for you, BUT, remember to leave a place in the cage that allows your feathered friends to be able to get out of the sun.  They can get too much just like you.  NO they won't burn, but it can heat up their little systems really fast especially if they are not used to it. 
If you don't have your birds near a window, there is an alternative.  I use the full spectrum reptile lights.  I get the 60 watt bulbs and set it on a timer for about 8-10 hours a day.  Again, leave a place your birds can get away from it if they choose.  My birds love the light, they take turns basking under the light and look so relaxed, it looks like they are at the spa.  They lay down, all their feathers pushed up as far as they can go and they take a nap.  They look so relaxed. 
Some birds need the sun or a replacement sun, in order to produce the powder they have on their feathers.  This powder has Vitamin D in it and when they preen themselves, they ingest this powder and get the Vitamin D.  If they don't get enough sun, their feathers won't produce the powder and they can become vitamin deficient.  So if you don't have the sun shinning in on your birds, try a full spectrum light.  The reptile ones are much much cheaper than the bird ones and work just as well.  Just go to your local pet store in the reptile section and try it.  Your birds will thank you.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Veggies

Have you ever wanted to give your birds something nutritious but easy.  My favorite is giving my birds veggies.  I buy a bag of frozen mixed veggies.  Like the kind with peas, green beans, corn and carrots.  I put it into a microwave safe dish, add a tiny bit of water, cover and cook long enough to thaw and make the veggies warm.  Drain the water, then I use my food chopper and chop it into little tiny pieces.  Let it cool till it is either completely cool or just barely warm. 
Then if you have any birdie vitamins, you can add it to the veggies and stir.  I put my veggies on a paper plate and place it in the bottom of the cage, and here they come.  My birds are so used to goodies being on the paper plate that when they see me coming near the cage with the plate, they come over to see what I have.
The reason I use the paper plate is it is easy to clean up after they are finished or after its been out for about 2 hours.  Just throw it away. 
Don't ever leave fresh foods out for more than 2 - 4 hours due to bacteria growing.  It can harm your birds.
I hope you give this a try and make your birds happy and healthy, just remember not every day, maybe about once a week till they get used to it.  Then twice a week is very nice.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Lots and lots of baby birds

My birds have been very busy this summer and have given me lots of babies.  I have Gouldians, Owls, Zebras, Societies, Lovebirds, Scarlet Chested Parakeets and Pionus.  I no longer have the Pionus, they went to their new forever homes.  But at the show next week there will be lots of finches.  I forgot, I also have several canaries too.  Some will be going to their new home on Saturday, and maybe some others before the show. 
New babies for me are Chestnut Sided Zebra finches.  I got the pair about 2 or 3 months ago and I have 3 new babies that fledged today.  They are very cute, almost a silver color.  NOT gray, but a silver, they will get a chestnut color on their sides and under the tail like the parents.  I will try to get another pr soon that is unrelated to mine so people can buy prs. 
My new favorite of all is the Zowls.  They are a cross of a Zebra finch and an Owl finch.  Two little cuties that sing all they time.  They are clutchmates but they are never far apart.  They are staying with me, I enjoy them too much.   They sound like owls and look very striking.  Love em. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Finch Pellets

Besides the many other foods I feed my birds, one that they seem to love and thrive on is La Febers Finch Pellets.  My canaries love it too.  It is a great "soft food" when they have babies.  I always have this in a separate dish for all my finches.  I have been using this product for about 6 yrs.  If you have lots of finches as I do, it is cheaper to buy it in #5 or larger containers.  I have gotten it at the feed store in #25 box, that's the cheapest.  No fancy packaging but the birds don't care.

I also love egg food for my birds and usually have both the finch pellets and the egg food.  I really like the Miracle Meal egg food, and have tried several times to become a distributor, but have so far been unlucky in getting the company to call me back.  I really like this food.  It has helped greatly in the breeding of my finches.  I don't know if its the nutrition before they lay the eggs or the better soft food they feed to the babies.  All I know is I got a lot more babies using Miracle Meal than regular commercial egg food.  I go through a lot of egg food, and if I hadn't found it commercially in a #20 bag from Higgens, I would be making my own.  I have not been able to find a recipe that I trust to remain in the cage for more than 2 hours.  I know the commercial food has more preservatives in it, but I feel safer with that than making something that may become rancid in a few hours.

To come I will talk about Feeding Frozen Veggies.  MMMMMMMMMMM

Monday, October 10, 2011

Calcium

Do you give your birds enough calcium?  The best source I have found is ground oyster shell, however there is another option for free calcium that you can add with your oyster shell that the birds will love. 
When you cook something with eggs, instead of throwing out the shells, wash them out and put them in an airtight bag and freeze them.  Once you have enough, then take them out and turn your oven to 325 degrees. 
Get a flat baking pan and cover it with parchment paper or foil.  Parchment paper works best. 
Then with the shells in the sealed bag, use a mallet or a rolling pin and crush the shells.  Then spread the shells out on the pan covered in parchment paper.  Try not to make it too thick.
Bake the shells for about an hour or more, longer if you have a lot of shells. 
Take them out and while still on the parchment paper, use the rolling pin and crush them further.  Make sure to make the pieces very small, same size as the oyster shell.
Cool the egg shells, bag them up and distribute to your birds as needed. 
My birds love it and I'm not throwing out something my birds can use and saving money too. 
Hope you like this hint, Beth

Baby Black Mask Blue Lovebirds

Good afternoon, I had to share.  My pair of blackmasked blue lovebirds had 6 eggs and when I checked yesterday, 3 had just hatched.  Maybe there will be more hatched babies today when I look.

I'm getting ready for a bird show on Oct 23rd, lots of finches to sell.  Zebras, Societies, Owl Finches and Lady Gouldians, I also have a couple of canaries.  Its in Collinsville IL, hope lots of people show up.

The tip for today, when trying to breed your finches, be careful of the nesting material you choose.  Never use any kind of string or fabric, it can get caught around toes and feet and can be impossible to get off once it is embedded into the skin.  Birds have been known to loose toes and feet because of this type of nesting material.  Always use natural materials like Sisal, coco fiber or Excelsior moss. 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Welcome

Hi, I am new to this but I am willing to give it a shot.  I am a small hobby bird breeder in Missouri and I mostly breed finches and canaries.  I have over 30 kinds of finches and enjoy them all.  My hope is those that have not had finches before and those that have finches now can learn some new helpful hints.  I will be giving thoughts on care, housing and general maintenance, along with money saving tips that work for me.

Did you know that finches need food available at all times.  Their metabolism is so fast that some can starve in as little as 18 hours.  Fresh seed is more important than you think.  Summer is a bad time of year for seed, often stores sell seed with bugs in it and it is often OLD seed.  Check the expiration date, if it is past, then the seed won't have the proper vitamins in it any more and you will starve your birds. 

You can check for bugs sometimes by holding the bag of food.  Look at it carefully, is there anything moving around that shouldn't be in there?  Slowly move the bag on its side, upside down and look again, do you see webs in the food?  Is it clumping and sticking to the sides.  If it has any of these things, don't buy it and go somewhere else.  Most bird stores will have fresh seed, the most often stores that don't specialize in seed will have the bad seed.  Also watch some of the larger pet food chains, most are good, but you should still look.

More to come, hope this helps.