I feed my budgies corn on the cob 3 times a week, Calcivet in their water and occasionally apple cidar vinegar, shell grit, budgie seed ( I buy the seed off an experienced show breeder, he mixes all different seeds together and makes it all himself) Cuttlebone and a calcium bell/block.

 

I just wanted to see if corn 3 times a week is bad for breeding budgies. The budgies go crazy for it, they will eat a whole cob of corn in 1 day. Can to much be bad for breeding budgies? They wont eat anything else, I've tried carrot tops, carrots, eggs, parsley, and lots more. They will eat silverbeet but It stops them from getting enough calcium or somthing.

Is that to much corn to be giving them?

 

Thanks for all your help everyone.

Edited July 19, 200816 yr by **Liv**

I see no issue with corn my guys get alot, what I am wondering is why are you feeding them shell grit?

The corn $ fine, but remove the shell grit. originally it was believed that birds needed shell grit so they had rocks in their stomachs to grind food. This was proven to be false. Shell grit is not needed and may be more harmful than beneficial

The breeder I get my budgies from feeds all his budgies shell grit and He gave me a bag of it. Is their somthing wrong with shell grit?..

It's very 'old school' Pearce, we are now more enlightened

Shell grit can get impacted in the crop and cause issues. There is a bunch of things that it can cause in Budgies and is not needed. Old school breeders will still use it and alot of pet shops will still say that you need it but you don't

okay I will get rid of the shell grit.

THanks very much everyone.

Looks like ill be the exception , Im 32 and I dont class myself as old school , I use shell grit and another product called F-vite from rob marshall , Budgerigars have a gizzard which in this gizzard there will be particles of grit that help the bird grind the seeds up , this then allows for better food absordtion, Grit isnt Calcium so you still need to supply your birds with a calcium source.

Gizzard compaction , I have never had it and I believe is only caused when there is another underlying problem where the birds are lacking in something.

But its your choice , and keeping budgies is a forever learning curve.

Edited July 19, 200816 yr by lonebudgie

I dont use grit either but like LB I use F-vite

REMEMBER; To remove your corn at the end of each day you feed it, Corn left out for a long period like most fruits and veggies creates bateria ....

 

I feed mine corn, I will not feed them Grit as they can Hull their own seed where are Doves and others can not - :hap:

A local breeder always tells me to feed them grit LOL I tell No

 

I am sure that Chrysco can clear this up maybe in her Avain biology thread :hap:

THanks very much for all the replies and help. I always take the corn out after 8 hours to prevent disease, besides its already been eaten by then.

 

Thanks again

THanks very much for all the replies and help. I always take the corn out after 8 hours to prevent disease, besides its already been eaten by then.

 

Thanks again

Corn doesnt last long enough in my aviaries to go off either Pearce. The birds love it !!

Grit is not needed by budgies because they dehusk their seeds before eating it. Chickens and doves eat their seed whole, so they need it more. Overeating of grit is quite a common cause of crop impaction as grit would be either very hard to digest or undigestible and would thus not leave their system, sitting in their stomach and crop and slowly building up in numbers as the bird eats more and more.

The idea that budgies needed grit came from when people raised poultry and thus they assumed because chickens needed it budgies did too. But they don't.