Well the pellets & veggie delight arrived!

[Virgil]

UPS just delivered my Harrison's Lifetime fine, Roudybush Crumbles (no Nibles available) and Veggie Delight. I hope the male Bourke will eat the pellets better than he has the Zupreem (won't touch that!). I put a few sunflower seeds on top of the Zupreem to verify that he knows that is food. He ate all four sunflower seeds and ignored the pellets.

Tomorrow I am trying the new stuff - maybe mixing it together with sprouted seed will motivate a taste test. Wish me luck --- I would like him to try it before the chicks are expected to hatch.

I know this is Bourke space, but I have to announce that I had two baby owl finches hatch today under foster parents. Wish me luck there, too.

Virgil

[CocosMomma]

Oh, that is so cool (both about the pellets and the owls)! My birds love the Harrisons, and while I have never tried the veggie delights, I know many of our members have birds that love them.

So what would be the chance that we could get some pics of the baby owls? Good luck - that is so very cool! I love owls!:wub:

[Shirley]

Congrats on the Owl finches! They are SO cute!!

As for the pellets --

Give them the pellets all day, and then a little seed or whatever they are willing to eat at the tail end as you put them to bed. Then in the a.m., remove the seed, and leave them with the pellets. This works - I've converted cockatiels, Bourke's, and Pionus this way - and it is per Dr. Cook's instructions. If you are worred, then weigh the birds first thing in the a.m. every day.

[Virgil]

Thanks, I will try your suggestion, but will still provide fresh veggies. He seems to wait for those each morning and I thought I heard 'begging' from the nest box (today is day 18 from the observation of the first two eggs). Certainly do not want them to avoid eating with new chicks in the box.

Per one website, the nest box should not be checked until at least a week after hatching so the hen does not abandon the nest. Is that also your recommendation for a 'non-pet' Bourke pair?

Virgil

[Shirley]

Oh yes, continue with the fresh veggies.

Bourke's will not abandon their babies, even wild ones won't. I'd check as they hatch, and band them at 8 days or so if you plan to band with year of hatch. Now... Gouldian finches are another story all together. Even a new person (stranger danger) walking in the same room can cause them to toss their eggs and/or babies out of their nestbox!! :eek: :eek:

[Virgil]

CocosMomma,
Thanks for your support.
It will be a while before I photograph the babies just to be sure I do not spook the foster parents. Owl babies are a lot smaller and look a lot different than society babies. And I read they have different begging methods and their mouth markings are different.
And if the owl parents actually hatch their current clutch I won't even check their nest for fear of them abandoning it. Owls are reportedly flighty sitters. I am getting a a whole new respect for bird parents! (or foster parents!) :)
This hobby certainly grows on a person!
Virgil

Oh, that is so cool (both about the pellets and the owls)! My birds love the Harrisons, and while I have never tried the veggie delights, I know many of our members have birds that love them.

So what would be the chance that we could get some pics of the baby owls? Good luck - that is so very cool! I love owls!:wub:

[Shirley]

You're right about waiting to photograph your Owl finches. After photographing the Gouldians, I'll never do that again. I was *very* lucky and nearly lost them on account of that. (posted the pics in your intro thread)

[scotty]

Virgil ...curious, did they like their veggie delight????????????????

[Virgil]

Scotty,
I am feeding Veggie Delight to all of my birds and they all seem to pick out things they like and leave the rest. (So what's new? :)
The Bourke male leaves the carrots (or at least all the orange items).
[BTW - isn't it obvious that the fruit orange was named BEFORE the vegetable carrot?] ;-)
The smaller birds really like the cous cous, so I have bought some and will cook it up to add to the chopped fresh mixed veggies of my own. I also have some dried greens to throw into that mix. I will use the canned meal worms for added protein since the African waxbills turn up their beaks at those, they don't even eat the live meal worms very well.
Thanks for asking.
Virgil

[scotty]

Scotty,
I am feeding Veggie Delight to all of my birds and they all seem to pick out things they like and leave the rest. (So what's new? :)
The Bourke male leaves the carrots (or at least all the orange items).
[BTW - isn't it obvious that the fruit orange was named BEFORE the vegetable carrot?] ;-)
The smaller birds really like the cous cous, so I have bought some and will cook it up to add to the chopped fresh mixed veggies of my own. I also have some dried greens to throw into that mix. I will use the canned meal worms for added protein since the African waxbills turn up their beaks at those, they don't even eat the live meal worms very well.
Thanks for asking.
Virgil


Mine seem to leave the carrots too, so I grate raw carrots and put them on the bottom, and they clear their dish by noon.:agree:
my guys love their cous cous too. :drool2: oh... they also like apples :D