Best Rearing Foods For Birds

If you are breeding birds, you will need to know what the best rearing foods are so that your chicks are well-nourished and grow up into strong healthy young birds. This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything here, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you the buyer.

The nutritional requirements of all birds will change at different stages of the year, and especially during the breeding season. This is when their need for protein rises dramatically. The extra protein is needed by breeding birds to meet the growth requirements of their chicks. So make sure that the formula you purchase has a lot of protein in it.

Let’s look at finches as an example. Young finches are likely to have left the nest within just a fortnight of hatching, and the adult birds may have reared five chicks, or more during this period. As a result, many finches in the wild become highly insectivorous and this is reflected by the behavior of their aviary counterparts. They crave protein while they are growing.

Members of the waxbill group like most softbills will only rear their chicks if they are provided with an almost constant supply of live food at this time. Young crickets are ideal for this purpose, being available in different sizes and they are far more easily digested than mealworms, which can pass through the body of a young chick unaltered, leaving it a serious risk of starvation. Luckily most pet shops stock crickets now, so you don’t need to go cricket hunting.

The use of egg food at this time is also recommended, even prior to when the chicks have hatched, so that the adult birds can get a taste for it.

Eggfood is especially popular with canaries, as well as other finches, and is often eaten by softbills and many parrots, such as cockatiels and Australian parakeets.

Budgerigars will also benefit if this type of food is provided for them when they have young chicks.

Although some bird breeders still mix up their own soft foods to feed to chicks during the rearing period, it is far more commonplace today for packeted recipes to be used, and many of those on the market provide a good nutritional balance.

Whichever brand you choose, do not change it suddenly during the rearing period, as this can lead to severe digestive upsets in the young birds.

Good hygiene is also vitally important. Clear up any spilled egg food after each feed, replacing the containers twice daily and washing them with a detergent before rinsing them off thoroughly, then drying, and refiling.

Some types of egg food are available pre-prepared and others you will need to add water to. As weaning time approaches it may be a good idea to use blue maw seed or millet which will help them move on to solid food from there.

If you feel a young check in the nest is not getting enough food from its mother, you may need to give it additional feeds manually.

Here are some rearing foods for birds that can be ordered online. Simply click on the picture or the link to find out more.

Pretty Bird International Bpb77007 19/8 Hand Rearing Bird Feeding Formula With 8-Percent Fat, 16-Ounce

Pretty Bird 19/8 hand-rearing is a general-purpose formula for use in mixed collections. This formula is great for lories, cockatoos, pigeons and budgies, and most Amazons.

The first number in the title of the Hand rearing denotes the protein content and the second number denotes the fat content. Hand rearing should be stored in a cool, dry place, refrigerated, or placed in a deep freezer. Available in 16-ounce.

Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding High Fat Baby Bird Food, 5-lb bag

Contains probiotics to encourage a healthy population of intestinal microorganisms. Digestive enzymes are included to ensure adequate digestion of carbohydrates and proteins.

Exact Hand Feeding Formula has compatible tastes and ingredients with exact Conversion and exact Adult Daily Diets to help reduce digestive upsets during weaning.

This product is formulated for use with Baby Parrots (including parakeets, Lovebirds, Cockatiels, Conures, Cockatoos, Macaws, Amazons, African Greys, and other Psittacines.

With over 150 years of avian nutritional experience, it’s no wonder why Kaytee is at the heart of every healthy feeding routine for your birds.

Vitakraft Peak Health Formula Egg Food Daily Supplement, 1.1 Lb, Package may vary

This Vitakraft Egg Food is a Peak Health Formula and is also beneficial during times of stress. It’s great to use when breeding, nesting, molting, and also during environmental changes.

Use it anytime to provide extra vitamins and proteins to your birds’ diet.

Higgins Intune Natural Hand Feeding Formula for All Baby Birds 10 Oz

Higgins Intune Formula is suitable for the feeding of all types of baby birds.

Please feel free to comment below if you have any other suggestions for great rearing foods for birds.