Bird Pet Feeding

Correct bird feed with proper nutrition is one of the most important factors for healthy and contented birds. In the case of seedeaters, the seed diet is straightforward. The soft bill fancier must take extra care, since the requirements of the many species of soft bill are more exacting than those of seed eaters.

It is always worth while to make a little extra effort to provide as wide a variety of food as possible. Additional nutrition and favored tit-bits make the difference between the average healthy bird and the specimen with excellent show potential eager to breed. In general, hot weather causes the problems with regard to following hygienic feeding routines. With nectar feeding soft bills, however, cold weather is a nuisance if severe enough to freeze the nectar mixture in its plastic tubes.

All birds require the following:

• Vitamin A promotes healthy skin and feathers and is essential for young birds.


• Vitamin B is needed for the central nervous system and vitality.


• Vitamin C prevents skin disease. Vitamin D aids formation of bones.


• Vitamin E prevents sterility and aids fertility.

Egg Shells – Birds especially female birds need good amount of calcium for strong and tough bones. To prepare egg shells as bird feed you have to first wash few egg shells and when they dry up. Bake the egg shell at about 200 degree to 300 degree celsius just before the egg becomes brown. Then grind the egg shells into powder before offering them to eat.

Fruits – Oranges, grape fruits, chopped raisins soaked in water and apples. Provide them fresh fruits to eat and clear the left over every day in order to avoid growth of bacteria. Birds like orioles, jay, tanagers love to feed themselves with orange segments and grape halves.

Mealworms – Several species of birdss love to have worms as their diet food. Birds like blue birds mostly prefer meal worms.

Seeds – Many of the species are of seed eating breeds. There are many seeds like milo that may not be popular among few bird breeds. So, it would be always wise enough to buy mixed seeds. While buying a bag of mixed seeds you should be careful that the mixture should not have large amount of milo seeds as one of the constituents.

The sunflower seed is a popular bird feed. The black oil sunflower seeds are highly preferred by birds. It is also quite easy to open and so it is ideal food for soft billed birds.

Suet – Suet is dense form of fat that is found around the beef kidney and loin regions. The suet mixed with sunflower seeds, peanut butter and chopped peanuts. Birds like woodpeckers enjoy having suets. Suets are ideal for birds of cold climatic regions. In the warm regions the suet has to be rendered with a hard substance so that it does not melt.

Provide your pet bird with fresh and clean water to drink. The water has to be changed regularly in order to avoid contamination.