Saturday, August 16, 2014

How To Get The Best Finch Seed Mix

By Dora Reed


There is nothing so much fun as being surrounded by happy little birds in or around your home. The hobby of feeding wild birds or raising them as household pets has become very popular in America. Many home owners have built structures adjoining or within their homes designed to mimic the habitat of the birds they keep. One of the most popular birds found in these aviaries is the finch because they adapt so well to captivity and have a fairly long lifespan. Having the proper type of finch seed mix is important for sustaining the population of the aviary.

Although they do consume some insects in the wild most of their diet consists of seeds, berries and vegetation. The content of their diet also changes with the seasons and with the natural stages they pass through such as molting and breeding seasons each year. When conditions allow it is a good idea to put live growing foliage in or surrounding their living spaces.

Some birders like to build their own feed for their birds. There are many different recipes available on line and most contain both soft and crumbly ingredients. They also include vitamins and other supplements that help maintain the health of the birds year round. Some of these recipes involve numerous steps for preparation and this leads to the purchase of premixed commercial brands that are available.

The drawback that breeders say commercial blends have is that they supply maximum nutrients for the birds year round. The ingredients contain more calories than the birds need during seasonal changes and when birds undergo physical need changes in their life cycles. When they slow down during these changes the crude fats and proteins needed to thrive lessen.

During the resting season the birds need less crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber. Feeding them too much of these things will cause the birds to become obese and can upset the natural cycles of the year. The best ingredients for resting periods include white proso millet, canary grass seeds and Japanese millet.

These birds need the highest level of proteins and fats during their breeding season and while they raise their young. Another time that their feed needs to be high in nutrients is during the molting season. They do well when their mixtures include Niger seeds, saffron seeds poppy and sesame seeds that have been treated with vitamin supplements.

Most people also add vitamins to the water supply they give their birds. Calcium and sulfur containing amino acids are important to help with bone development for the parents and the nestlings and feather production during the molting stages.

Whether you enjoy feeding wild finches or keep them in your home for pets having the proper mixture of ingredients in their feeders can only increase the pleasure you get from their presence. These colorful little birds bring hours of enjoyment with their activity and the songs they provide when happy and healthy.




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