when do i stop feeding

[Brendan]

i feed my birds a quality small parrot seed
i also sprout some fruit and nut seed every second day
then they get fruit and veg every day in the breeding season
it includes
endive, spinach, choy sum, beetroot, apple, broccoli, peas, corn,
carrot, mung beans, alfalfa sprouts, parsley, orange, grapes,
golden sweet potatoe, strawberries, grape tomatoes,
blue berries and black berries when in season.

about 1 week after the young come out of the nest
until the babies are fully sufficent i feed them a
soft food mix which i make myself

it helps that i work in a fruit and feg shop.

So i was woundering when should i stop feeding the fruit and
veg to the birds, just in winter or the start of march or sooner.

[jodabry]

i cut down on the extra after breeding has finished. I still give soaked seed about 1 day a week from about January to about june. I then increase the amount from then to breeding starts . This should go with the natural life cycle of the bird. Seeds dry up and and go to ground over the hot summer and then in winter they start to shoot and then in spring all the fresh seeds are about.or

[John]

I'm not being smart here I am genuinely asking why would you stop feeding them fruit and veg's. I feed mine all year round, am I doing something wrong?

John

[oaklee]

i agree with jodabry. i only feed mine seed and water and spinach every 3 days in the off season. off season meaning when i have taken my nest boxes away. you don`t need to be feeding them extra foods including vegetables and sprouts when they are not in the breeding cycle ie have a nest box because all they are doing this time of year is sitting around, and if you feed them to much they are going to get fat. and this time off year with the weather so hot you don`t need fat birds sitting around. also they are starting to moult this time of year and with the extra fat and heat the birds suffer more. and finally if you are giving them just a seed and water diet when you re - introduce the extra veges and sprouts in june and july it`s like an afro disiact and it signals to the birds that they are getting extra foods now so they commence the breeding cycle.
i know every body is different but this is the way i do it and they are my reasons. the best way is to experiment and work out what works best for you. i have tried most ways now and i have settled on these feeding habits.

[John]

That's very interesting Matt, I would never have thought of it that way but it makes sense. Thats the reason I started this forum to hear from all the experts and to learn the different methods of keeping them, Its like i said i wasn't trying to be a smart arse I was genially asking the question.

John

[Peter]

we didn't have a very successful breeding season with all our birds, and we were told it was because our birds were all to fat!

[oaklee]

the thing you all have to remember is in the wild the red rumps only eat the seeds from the grasses. that is there diet full stop. so if there is a drought or no rain they don`t eat much due to no grass therefore no seeds for them to eat, the same thing applies in winter when the grass doesn`t grow very much. they will only eat enough to keep them selves alive in these periods of no rain and cold weather. so once winter is over and the waether gets warmer the grasses grow and there is extra seeds for them to eat, this is when there body clock is turned on and they start the breeding cycle.
now in a aviary situation we all should be striving to simulate there natural diets. my point is you never see a red rump eating vegetables out of someones garden and they don`t eat fruit in the wild either. so we don`t need to feed it to them in a aviary enviroment. if you are feeding your red rumps sprouts and vegies all the time i believe you are just messing up there internal body clocks. and secondly the only time you need to be giving your birds sprouts is when you have babies in the nest box, because in the wild the cock bird will constantly feed on the grasses when he has young in the nest. and this is at the time of year when the grasses are growing in abundance there fore alot of the birds diet is made up of fresh sprouts in the natural form from the grasses this is what he feeds his hen and young with as well as his normal seeds that he eats all year round.
so we need to supplement or copy if you like the same diet that they eat in the wild. ie seeds all year and sprouts when they are feeding hens and young in the spring and early summer. anything extra is just over indulging them in my opinion. the only extras i believe they need is a bit of spinach or endive or broccoli once or twice a week as extra source of natural vitamins to stop sickness and disease. they get these naturally in the grasses because they are all forms of green vitamins but just seed hasn`t got these necessary vitamins that they need. i find in the off season by birds will have a few nibbles of spinach or endive and thats it but when they have young it is all gone.
once agian this is my opinion only and if you don`t agree with what i have said disregard it totallly. but i hope at least some one learns some thing from it.

[John]

It makes sense to me Matt, I would also think that other native grass parrots, ie: Cockatiels, budgies in particular, are in the same boat. Although budgies do breed all year around so I guess there is a case for feeding them vegies, sprouts and the like all year around, I am going to have to rethink my feeding schedules drastically.

John

[natenla]

Hmmm you learn something new everyday!! I have been giving my birds fresh fruit and vege almost daily like John thinking I was being "healthy" with my birds. Looks like my fruit and vege bill just wnet down a bit till breeding season! lol.

[Jane]

This concept definately makes sense, with stimulating the birds into breeding by the introduction of a richer diet ( especially in Qld where we now don't have very defined seasons).
I just wanted to ask how to address the idea of entertainment/ environmental enrichment for them? Can you still put in fresh branches?
Thanks

[Brendan]

i would say yes as it gives them somthing to do all day, they will chew and strip the braches.