The breeding of goldfinches is a very sensitive issue since in most countries it is considered a protected bird and capture is prohibited, possession or reproduction of females of this species. For this reason, you can only enjoy breeding animals if they have valid papers confirming their birth in a zoological center approved by the European community.
If you are thinking of raising your goldfinch chicks by hand, it will be very important that you offer them a quality and species-appropriate diet.
Keep reading and discover how make breeding paste for goldfinches step by step:
Before starting to make the breeding paste we must know that goldfinches require a very varied feed and therefore if not If we feed our chicks well, we will probably create important deficiencies that will have a direct impact on their he alth.
We must also value the importance of shredding more or less the brood paste depending on whether it is going to be the mother who feeds the chicks or if we are going to be the ones who provide the food with a syringe. In any case, we will need the following ingredients:
- Egg
- Cuttlefish bone
- Cereal powders
- Rusk (baked wheat flour)
- Olive oil
- Beer yeast
- Fruits (apple, pear…)
- Insectivorous paste
In addition, we recommend adding:
- Yogurt
- Honey
- Canola (turnip seeds)
- Omega3 omega6 oils
- Mineral powders
- Powdered vitamins
- Negrillo
- White Knob
- Dandelion
You can also add a small teaspoon of garlic powder and parsleywhich is an excellent natural anti-parasitic This is very important to prevent the appearance of intestinal parasites that can cause death in a young pigeon.
The egg will provide our little pigeon with protein as well as the insectivorous paste, fundamental for the goldfinch. Meanwhile, the eggshell and the cuttlefish bone will provide enough calcium to strengthen your bones.
The fruits, rich in vitamins, can vary since pears and apples should not always be the ones we use to make our breeding paste. Young sprouts, broccoli, peas, figs and even dandelions, a product consumed by wild goldfinches.
The different types of oils are very beneficial for the development and quality of plumage as well as for the supply of he althy and beneficial fats of the goldfinch.
Getting the little one used to feeding with seeds will be very useful for him to get used to them in his adult stage and not have habituation problems. Extras such as vitamins and minerals are appropriate if we want to enjoy a he althy and vigorous adult bird.
The step by step to make the breeding paste is really simple and very easy to follow, for this we propose the following tips, take note:
- Put water to boil and add between 2 and 3 eggs, we must wait about 10 minutes until they are completely hard
- Prepare the mixture of dry ingredients in a bowl: the powdered cereals, the rusk, the brewer's yeast, some of the chosen seeds and the insectivorous paste.
- With a fine grater we will scrape the cuttlefish bone and the fruits, which we will add to the mixture already prepared in the bowl.
- Once the egg is hard, we will crush it with the included shell, rich in calcium.
- To finish we will add the yogurt, the honey, the oil and the extra that we want to add.
- We will let it rest until it cools down and we already have our mixture prepared!
In principle, the ideal would be for the mother herself to feed the little ones goldfinch chicks, however, we can also feed them using of small syringes to get them through. If we decide to feed them ourselves, the mother will reject them and then we will have no choice but to continue filling their crop on a regular basis, a task that implies responsibility, perseverance and being presentpractically 24 hours a day.
The crop of the youngest chicks should be filled approximately every 2 hours and as they grow we will space the time more and more.
At first it may be a bit hard for them to relate that now you are going to be the one to feed them, so they will not open their beak to receive the new food easily. One trick is to emit whistles similar to that of an adult goldfinch, then it will begin to open its beak and we must be quick to administer the food with a blunt syringe We will go with a lot be careful to not soil the plumage or leave debris in the bird's beak. We will clean it if necessary with a cotton swab and water.
If you liked this article, you may be interested in knowing how to care for the goldfinch, learn how to tell the difference between a male goldfinch and a female one, or you can learn some tricks to attract birds to your garden.
