BOURKE PARAKEET DIET AND OTHER ISSUES, A QUESTION

Recent Inquiry. Some emails result from Rosie Bird Videos, and possibly not from this blog.

Rosy Bourke hen and her chicks.

QUESTION:

Good morning,

Please can you answer a few questions for me? I have recently acquired a pair of Rosie's and have not been able to get more info on them:

What seed do the eat? They don't seem to eat the parakeet seed but are in the budgie seed.
What supplement, veggies or fruit can they have?
Can they be put together in a cage with show budgies?
Do they have to be separated from other birds to be able to breed?


Grit, oyster shell, white mineral block, cuttlebone,
nestling food and brown rabbit circular salt block .


ANSWER:

Bourkes  primarily eat budgie seed, but can eat finch seed and some things in cockatiel seed. They like vegetables. I give mine cooked corn, peas, green beans and carrots. Fresh broccoli and/or kale are both very good. Mine won't eat fruit ... a few will try apple, but not fond of it. They should always have at least cuttlebone available. Other good things are mineral block, oyster shell and rabbit salt blocks (for the vitamin D in them).

When breeding I give mine egg food (boiled egg, including shell and bread crumbs blended together).

Bourkes can be housed with other birds in an aviary of adequate size. Larger birds may harass them, however. If you have a mated pair, the males will usually chase one another, and hens will also chase the other hen (an exception might be siblings, but more often than not, they will still be aggressive to the competition). Housed in an aviary, always provide more nest boxes than you have pairs. A budgie or cockatiel box is fine. In a smaller cage, it's okay to put young birds together until mature during breeding season. Then there may be problems if both sexes are present. I've had no trouble housing just hens, or just males together. Mix the sexes, however, and there will be problems when there's plenty of daylight (or artificial light) to simulate breeding season.

Please go to my website and enter "breeding" into the Search box. Many early posts will come up on this topic. There's even one on egg food.  Here is a link to one of them:

 

http://thesplendidbourkebirdblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/breeding-bourkes-splendids-or-other.html 

 

Lutino Bourke hen.

Peace and Blessings!

 

What to Feed Bourke Parakeets, A Question

 

Very young Rosy Bourke learning to eat. She is on a dish
 of nestling food. Spray millet and budgie seed behind her.

Question:

Dear Bourke Birds,

 

Our family recently purchased two Rosey Bourkes, one three months and the other seven months old.  

 

These two young Bourkes are hand fed, but also have easy to
eat food available for them. Nestling food, spray millet and
the typical Budgie mix. All available as they're being weaned.

We were sold two seed mixtures: Goldenfeast Australian Blend and ABBA 1600 parakeet seed; would you recommend any other brand(s) as preferable to these?

 

We read on another website that the Bourkes enjoy some cooked quinoa and brown rice?  I have both organic quinoa and organic basmati brown rice and could sprinkle some cooked in with the fresh vegetables.  Do you recommend it?  If so, about how much and how often?

 

For the boiled egg food that you mention on your website that contains the ground eggshell, should this be offered daily throughout the year, along with the vegetables?

 

Can organic carrot be grated raw or should it always be cooked? 

 

If possible, thank you so very much for your reply anytime that this may be convenient.

 

Gratefully, Catherine, New Jersey

----------------------------------------------

 

Rosie's four babies on April 28, 2013.

Answer:

I don't recognize the two seed brands you list. Check their ingredients and whether they are enhanced with vitamins. I have no reason to recommend the brand I use, but it seems fine. I buy Hagen budgie seed and get it online from PetSolutions. I usually order two 25 lb. bags at a time and store it in an airtight container. There are many brands and most are fine. They should be fresh and not stored on a discount store's shelves for months at a time, so I'd avoid grocery store boxes of Hartz Mountain seed. Hagen seed is vacuum sealed and drop shipped from the plant so that it will stay fresh. 

 

I've never given my birds quinoa or brown rice, although it should be okay occasionally. The thing to avoid is giving them too much starchy grains which will make them fat (corn, rice, etc.). Green vegetables are best. Fresh Kale (we chop ours), or pieces of fresh broccoli are both good. Avoid spinach...not good for birds. I like to give them mixed vegetables that we boil first (add no salt). That way they get peas, carrots and corn. Our birds LOVE cooked corn. But, it is high in starch, so it needs to be limited.

 

They would be happy to have vegies every day, but mine get them several times a week, but not daily. The most important time to make sure they have these additions is if they are breeding. Parent birds need extra energy, so that's a good time to add small amounts of corn and/or brown rice. Carrots can be cooked or shredded fresh. Although my birds aren't very fond of fresh carrots, they prefer them in the vegie mix when they're cooked and softer.

Cherry with her 3 babies on April 28, 2013.

In the winter, my birds get fewer vegies and extras. But, I'm careful to be sure they get more in the spring and summer when they are about to breed and are raising clutches of babies.

 

So, everything you asked is okay to give. But, give it sparingly if it's high in starch. A few years ago I was giving my birds safflower seeds because they loved them so much. I no longer do that. I lost a 3-year-old hen due to obesity. Had no idea that was a problem, as a an overweight Bourke doesn’t appear fat. However, an avian vet did an autopsy on her and told me that was the cause of her death.  

 

After that I quit giving safflower and reduced the amount of corn they get. Although it's okay for parents feeding babies because they need extra fat.

 

Seeds are fattening too, but necessary. Always have budgie/parakeet seed available for them. Don't ever let them run out. Everything else is secondary. Fresh vegies are very good, especially for pairs you intend to breed. Whether you breed or not, make sure they have cuttlebone and a mineral block. Wise to also add oyster shell and a rabbit mineral salt block (reddish brown in color. It has iodine in it). They will use as much of it as they need.

Fuchsia with her 3 babies on April 28, 2013.

 

You can offer fresh fruit if you wish, but mine never touch it. Bourkes seem to prefer vegetables and don't relate to fruit. At least none of mine do.

 

About the egg food. I offer it to breeding birds in the spring and summer. I don't bother with it in the winter. You can offer it to others, but it's not necessary to do so daily unless your hen is laying. Then it's good, but not a requirement if she's using her cuttlebone. We give it daily during breeding season only.

Splendids eat on the ground and like to scatter their seed.
Lining the cage with newspaper keeps more available to them.
They also enjoy finch seed, maybe more than Budgie mixes.

We have a lonely bachelor Bourke in a cage on my kitchen table so he'll get more attention since he is by himself. He's very tame, and at breakfast I've been giving him a corn flake, or a bit of bagel or toast, depending on what I'm eating. He has started begging whenever we sit at the kitchen table. I'm careful to only let him sample what I know won't hurt him ... like a piece of lettuce, particle of bread, or a vegetable or two. He has plenty of good food in his cage, but he likes the personal attention.

Thanks for asking.

 

Peace and Blessings.

Preparing EGG FOOD for Breeding Birds or "Egg Food For Young" ... Grin.

Flame and Fuchsia's 3 well-fed youngsters. Photo taken today,
April 24, 2013. Babies growing strong with added egg food.



Egg Food is inexpensive, nutritious and easy to make. My birds love it and I feed it to them throughout the breeding season. The American Egg Board tells us that eggs contain many essential vitamins and minerals along with high quality protein. They are one of the few foods naturally rich in vitamin D, which plays a role in calcium absorption and formation of strong bones. So it’s good for Mama and her babies. In case you’ve never made Egg Food before, we’ve created a detailed step-by-step pictorial for you to follow. Remember, this is a supplemental food and should not be fed exclusively! If given in the morning, remove it in the evening, or sooner if the weather is very hot. Keep it fresh, and always have parakeet seed available, as well.

 

Before We Begin…

The first problem you’ll encounter when feeding hard-boiled eggs to small birds is getting it into a form that they can eat. Most of them don't pick up chunks of food. So your first task, after you’ve boiled your eggs is to convert them into a fine enough form that your birds will eat them.

We’ll accomplish this by mashing the cooked eggs and combining them with dry bread crumbs. When mashed, the yolks tend to become gummy and the dry bread provides texture. The laying and rearing process takes a lot out of the mother bird. Don’t be surprised if they begin to appear noticeably thinner. Bread flours are typically enriched, so the crumbs you mix in provide nutritional benefit as well as calories for energy. Be sure to save the shells when peeling your eggs; they are an important source of calcium.
 

You may be tempted to use a blender or food processor to make your Egg Food. I try to make mine in small batches so that it remains fresh and I’ve found the quantities involved to be too small for the blender to process efficiently. I also use a small coffee grinder to reduce the egg shells to a floury consistency. It’s probably not necessary, but it disperses in the mix easily that way. Be sure to dry the shells in the microwave or oven before grinding them.

With that out of the way, let’s make some Egg Food…



1. Gather Everything You'll Need

Egg Food is definitely a Lo-Tech project. All you need is a bowl; some fine, dry bread crumbs; your eggs, a fork, a potato masher, and a way to grind the shell. Instead of using a grinder, you could also put the dry shells in a plastic bag and go over them with a rolling pin.



2. Peel Your Eggs and Save the Shells

3. Coarsely Mash the Eggs

4. Use a Fork for Finer Texture

Keep working the tines of the fork through the mixture to break up the larger pieces of egg white and combine it with the yolk.



5. Oven-Dried Shells Ready for Grinding



6. Add the Shell and Blend

Spoon the powdered egg shells over the top of your pulverized eggs and use the fork to disperse it throughout. It is much easier to do this while the egg mixture is still a little gummy. The addition of dry shells will help give the mix a better texture.



7. Add Dry Bread Crumbs to the Mix 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You'll find recipes for Egg Food that give specific quantities of crumbs to eggs. I prefer to add a little at a time and test always following the cook's motto that it's easy to put it in, but hard to take it out. As a rule of thumb, I add about as much bread crumbs as eggs. You'll notice that I use a commercial product. You can, of course, make them yourself from bread crusts and loaves going stale. However, it's more work and saves very little money.
 

Store your Egg Food in an air-tight bowl in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. As I said earlier, I try not to make too much at a time so my birds always have a fresh supply. 





Close-Up of the Final Texture

The Result -  Happy and Healthy Birds. This is Rhett.

Rosie and Pretty Boy's four offspring. Also benefiting
from added egg food. Photo taken today, 4/24/2013.

Rhett and Cherry's three babies. Photo taken today, 4/24/2013.
Baby on top has pink eyes. Others have dark eyes.

 Peace and Blessings.

 

 

Parakeet Observation with Egg Food

He'd eaten a lot of this before I took the picture.
He's not even a father, he just likes egg food.

When I added Lady Gouldian finches to my flock, a breeder recommended giving them egg food. Since we make a lot at once, this year for the first time we're giving it to all parakeet varieties as well as the finches.

I've observed that many of the egg shells left after their babies hatch are still there. In the past, I assume they ate them for the extra calcium since egg shells were seldom present except after an immediate hatch.

This year, all the hens are leaving shells in the nest. They just push them aside. The egg food is probably providing them with all the calcium they need. It should also be noted that the father birds are gobbling up the egg food as soon as it goes into their cage. The first day it was given to them they viewed it warily, but now look forward to it fresh every morning.





My favorite male Bourke, Sweetheart.


Bourke and Splendid males feed their mates, who in turn feed the young. After the young leave the nest, fathers take over much of the feeding for about two or three weeks. Splendid males may feed babies while in the nest, however, it's unusual for a Bourke male to do so. With Gouldian finches, both parents feed the young in the nest. Typically, both attend to them during the day, but only mothers at night.

Egg food:
Boiled chicken eggs, including shell, cooled
Dry bread crumbs
Blend together in a blender until shells are ground up
If too wet, it can be dried on a cookie sheet in a low oven
Excess can be stored in the refrigerator for approximately a week.

Last time we blended in mixed vegetables, which kept it moist. The birds seem to love it, moist or dry. Inverted jar lids make excellent serving bowls for small portions that need to be replaced often. Don't leave egg food to go bad. If you leave it in the cage, remove anything that remains by the end of the day, or sooner. Some sites recommend not leaving it longer than an hour. If you live in a hot climate, that is good advice.

Six baby Lady Gouldian finches, 3 wks old tomorrow
 and full of egg food.

Peace and Blessings!

Food For New Bourke Parents, A Question & Answer

This Spray Millet has been worked over by the birds.
Not all the seeds are there any longer.

Question: My Rosie Bourke just had a baby hatch, this is our first. Do I need to give her special food? Is there anything I can do or should do? She has 2 more eggs in there with her!

Answer: Your Bourkes can exist on seed alone, however, there are healthy things you can add. I provide Petamine Breeding Formula because it has healthy vitamins. They don't need a lot of it, just some each day. It's not a requirement, however. They also like fresh vegetables ... spinach, broccoli, kale, lettuce. Also cooked mixed vegetables, cooked peas, cooked corn, cooked carrots (or fresh shredded carrots). Mine enjoy an occasional piece of bread, especially with added seeds in or on it (like sunflower or sesame, etc.).  Birds also enjoy rice.

A young Bourke eating Spray Millet. Parent birds below.

Spray millet is high in fat content and very good when birds are feeding their young. Parents typically lose weight during the weeks they're feeding babies, so spray millet is healthy then. The rest of the year, you want to only give it sparingly so they don't become obese ... that's not likely to happen when they're raising their families, however.

Again, you don't have to give them all (or any) of this ... but, a varied diet is healthy. Greens are especially good for Bourkes all year round.

Best of luck. If you can, send photos of your mother and babies. I'd love to see them.

Young Rosy Bourke Parakeets. Two with pink eyes.
For young birds Spray Millet is a good introduction to eating on their own.

Peace & Blessings.

YOUNG PARAKEET ISN'T THRIVING ... A Question From Erik

Erik writes:

I am a regular reader of your bourke blog and have a couple of questions for you about my new bourke that I got yesterday. She is 8 weeks old and has spent most of this day sleeping. Is this a concern? Also her droppings were normal yesterday, but today it has seeds in it - is this  normal? I know this can be a problem in birds, but thought maybe she is  just a bit stressed and it will clear up in a day or two. She is eating and drinking regularly. I am very concerned at this point. I apologize in advance for asking you these questions, but you are very knowledgable and very experienced. Thank you for your time. Hope to hear from you soon.

----------------------------

Hello Erik,

Thank you for the compliments. I am always happy to share whatever I've learned about raising parakeets and to answer questions.

Young Pipsqueek should be eating
on her own by now, but isn't.

Eight weeks sounds young for a Bourke parakeet to be away from her parents. When birds leave the nest, they are fed for two or more weeks by their parents who help teach them to eat on their own. (Although handfed babies learn on their own with no help as soon as they're old enough).

Did the breeder tell you her hatch date and that's how you determined she's 8 weeks old? Or, has she been out of the nest 8 weeks? Have you witnessed her eating seeds, or attempting to? If she's alone, are there hulls in the seed to prove she's able to hull it on her own? Or, maybe she is reacting to a change in what she's being fed. Is the parakeet seed you are feeding her fresh? Hartz Mountain seed from a grocery store isn't the best place to buy parakeet seed as it may have been on the shelf too long. Also, hopefully, your parakeet seed is more than just white millet and oats.

For now, try offering her other soft foods, pieces of soft wheat bread, soft peas, corn, spinach, kale ... anything that she might like to eat. Nestling food is good if you have it, or can get it in a hurry. It's available online. Also, spray millet is easy for young birds to begin eating.

Don't want one to squirm away while the other is eating.

I suspect she may not be getting enough to eat because she was removed from her parents too soon. That, or the food may not agree with her. Taking birds away from their parents early requires handfeeding with an eye dropper. Exact Handfeeding Formula is what I use. Normally, if you're going to do that, they should be very young, not fully feathered. If she's fluffed up and looks sick, be sure she really is eating and not just pecking around and appearing to eat. Does her crop feel full? If she won't eat any of the soft foods we've suggested, and her crop seems empty, attempting to hand feed can't hurt and might save her ... if, in fact, she was taken away too soon.

But you said she appears to be eating and drinking. If eating is not her problem, and your concern is how much she's sleeping ... remember Bourkes are most active at dawn and dusk. They are early morning birds and sleep a lot during the day. So, maybe she's just exhibiting normal behavior. In the evening when the lights dim, she might become active. Check and see. Also, baby birds sleep more than adult birds, just like we humans.

Rarely a bird will hatch that--for whatever reason--isn't able to adequately feed itself. It is unlikely that this is the case with your bird. When it happens, however, parents will sometimes ruin their own health continuing to feed that youngster long past when it should be eating on its own. After decades of raising countless parakeet varieties, and more Bourkes than I can count, I've had three Bourkes handicapped in that way...so it is rare.  

We're full and sleepy now.

The first one was given away to someone willing to feed it, but it later died. The second, when I realized the father was becoming extremely thin due to feeding his offspring over-long, I removed it and sadly ended up dispatching the bird in a humane fashion rather than let it starve to death (it was not tame). The third bird, I noticed wasn't thriving in the nest and removed it to handfeed. I am still handfeeding this very tame, sweet little "Pipsqueek," a year later. I'm unable to kill her. She does manage to eat some nestling food and picks up the hulls of other birds and runs them through her beak. She only gets an Exact feeding in the morning and usually in the evening now. God willing, maybe she will eat enough on her own someday. I'm not eager to hand feed her for a dozen or more years, smile.

That said, the fact that Pipsqueek has to come out every day for a feeding means that I also let all my other tame birds out at the same time. They get to spend more time with me, and I'm forced to put aside any jobs and allow the birds to bring me joy. So, this bird is really a blessing in disguise.

"Pip" can eat cooked mixed vegetables. Maybe yours will too. A change in diet might be your problem and your solution. Let's hope so.

Young, full-grown Bourke likes snitching samples of the baby's food.
It's fattening though, so not too much!  

Best of Luck! I hope your little one will start to thrive soon.

Peace & Blessings

Recycled Containers Serve Up Healthy Bird Treats

Plastic lids of all kinds work well for treats.

Here is an example of nutritional treats that our parakeets love. We add and remove these foods frequently, so excess plastic lids that pop in and out of cages easily make wonderful serving containers. I wash and reuse them, and always have a stash of fresh, clean lids available when needed.

Our birds’ favorite treat is cooked corn, however it’s fattening, so go easy with it. They like cooked peas, cooked or shredded carrots, cooked green beans, cooked mixed vegetables, fresh broccoli, fresh spinach, fresh kale, lettuce and celery tops. Sprouted seeds are good for them too, although I’ve not been particularly successful at sprouting or collecting them … not enough patience.

We have many instant tea lids.

Many bird books indicate that all members of the parrot family appreciate fresh fruit. My Bourkes and Splendids ignore fruit. Frown. However, yours may not.

With coaxing, tame Rosie did try a bit of Honey Crisp apple. These apples are sweet and I gave her a slice of a particularly good one. She agreed to nibble it, then turned and walked away. It sat in her cage all day, ignored by her and the others with her.

Vegetables, on the other hand, make all the birds happy. The Splendids especially enjoy soaking leftovers in their water cups, requiring fresh water sooner than just once a day. But, it’s worth it to make them happy.

May your birds keep you smiling! Peace & Blessings.

Feed me, Feed me ... & More on Breeding

In this first photo, all the birds want out to be fed at once. Sometimes I let them all out together, but it's easier to feed them one at a time (and less messy).

The three babies I'm feeding right now are almost weaned. They're scratching around and appear to be trying to eat seed. Hopefully, they are. Spray millet is the easiest, and I've given them nestling formula, as well as typical adult parakeet seed mix.

Once they are eating on their own, they will still want to be fed occasionally. Maybe it's only comfort food, or maybe it's needed to augment what they are eating on their own. No matter. I don't want them to go without, so I'll feed them until I'm certain they no longer need it or want it.

The three photos above are of three different babies. Although similar, I can easily tell them apart.

The picture in the lower right is of Rosie crowding into the box with the babies. See her long tail sticking out? The babies' tails are shorter. Rosie has been asking her brother, Flame, to breed so maybe she thinks she's ready for a nest box. She's not! Only three months old, she won't be ready until a minimum of 10-12 months of age ... best at two years old.  In a week or less, the tissue box will be history and the babies will be ready to sell.

As beautiful as Flame is (that's why I kept him), I may go ahead and sell him. Rosie needs a mate, and it shouldn't be him. I already have enough pairs, so keeping Flame and getting a mate for him simply adds more birds. I had considered keeping him because of his color and selling Rosie, but have decided I like Rosie too much, even if she's not as dark pink as Flame. 

Although distantly related, one of these babies may stay instead. However, at this point it's a guess which one is male. I hope to choose correctly. One looks just like Rhett, his father, and I think that might be the one to keep. He flies to my finger like Rosie does ... a good quality. The fact that I can call Rosie, hold up my finger and have her fly to it from anywhere in the room, is the main reason she's my favorite. Smile.

More on Breeding:

Three of my hens have had their three clutches in the last few months and deserve a rest to maintain good health. In the past, I've only allowed my hens to breed once a year. I put up nest boxes in Feb. or March and took them down after two or three clutches per hen. All came down in the Fall irregardless. Last year, however - because of noisy disruptions - we didn't have successful clutches in Spring or Summer. When things quieted down, the hens decided to go back to their nests in the Fall before the boxes came off, so I let them. Indoors with lights on in the evening, the day length didn't affect them much. Now, they want to continue to breed since the weather's sunny & warm.  

In discussing this with bird expert, Bob Nelson, he said that a two or three month rest period should be adequate. His recommendation? Close off the boxes until the Fourth of July and reopen them then. Sounds like a plan!

For us, this year has already proven to be a bountiful one for baby Bourkes, and may get better. Two other young hens have laid fertile eggs that didn't hatch. Maybe they will succeed next time, so their boxes will stay up. We have seven pairs of Bourkes altogether (not counting babies or Rosie or Flame).

Splendids, as mentioned in another post, haven't done well for the past two years. All eggs have been infertile. I moved males around recently, and am hopeful a change will create success ... even if only with one of the pairs! I have two extra males and it would be nice to have hens for them.

Peace & Blessings.

Healthy Additions for your Bird’s Diet

I have a cage of tame Bourkes who get preferential treatment. Whenever we cook vegetables, they often get some, and I’m learning a lot from them.

Along with seeds, I’ve always offered my birds extra vegetables or fruit, usually raw. They favor most veggies over fresh fruit. (Go figure, I like fresh fruit myself). However, our birds seem to prefer cooked vegetables, over raw. An exception to this is Spinach or Kale, which are favorites. They also like lettuce, but it doesn’t have the same nutritional value. They love sweet corn, petite peas and steamed broccoli, just as we do. I also offer them bits of bread of any variety we’re having for lunch or dinner. They enjoy taking the treats from my fingers as much as I enjoy offering them.

Here’s a list of foods that will introduce more calcium into your bird’s diet – especially valuable for breeding hens, or young birds.

Calcium in mg From Highest to Lowest:
Turnip Greens 694
Mustard Greens 582
Cabbage (outside green leaves) 429
Chinese Cabbage 400
Kale 390

Kohlrabi 390

Broccoli Leaves 349
Chard 300
Beet Greens 188
Dandelion Greens 168

Spinach 156
Okra 144
Turnips 112
Broccoli Stem 111
Endive 104

Rutabaga 99
Carrots 90
Raspberries 82
Strawberries 68
Cantaloupe 64

Yellow Wax Beans 63
Green Beans 55
Watercress 53
Oranges or Tangerines 48
Parsley 46

Cabbage (inside white leaves) 46
Celery 44
Yams 44
Blackberries 43
Squash 36

Watermelon 33
Blueberries 33
Lettuce Dark Green Leaf 25
Guavas 15
Pears 15

Collards (cooked) 14
Apples 10