Ask Lafeber

Baby bird just hatched today

Hi I was just wondering if I need to give the parents any other food other then the bird seeds they usually eat,like worms or fruit or vegetables I don’t really give them fruit because they never touch it should I still put fruit on the kappob stick in there cage and the water is on the bottom of the cage which is like 2/3 feet from there little home but still inside the cage should I move it or put it in there tiny home or just leave it as is I don’t want to disturb them am only trying to help them to keep there baby alive.they are Quaker birds

Hi,

Unfortunately, seeds are not a nutritional diet, and definitely not for breeding birds. You should have already been feeding the birds a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets, fresh veggies, greens, fruits and for breeders, an egg food. This can be a commercial dry egg food or you can cook an egg with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the egg. You need to go ahead and add all of these foods now, as well as  the seeds they are used to eating. They will go through a lot of food while feeding chicks. If the chick survives, you need to wean it to a healthy diet – NO seeds. Once the chick has left the nest box, remove the box. The pair should always be rested for at last 6 months between clutches, even if the eggs do not hatch. However, do not breed this pair again until you have converted them to a good diet with no more loose seed mix. We do make foraging diets that are nutritionally balanced the same as a pellet, but the ingredients are not ground up. Most birds will eat these diets right away.

Bird Food Guide

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda