Feeding Lady Gouldian Finches

Lady Gouldian Finch Nutrition Made Easy!

One of the most frequent questions that we are asked is how to feed a Lady Gouldian Finch to maintain health and breeding vitality. And many of the questions we get regarding health and breeding problems arise from poor nutrition.

Here is the diet and nutrition program we use at Fabulous Finch. It is based on Mike Fidler's Annual Dietary Cycle for breeding Lady Gouldian Finches as described in the book "The Gouldian Finch" (Fidler/Evans). This dietary cycle simulates the natural availability of food to the wild Gouldian, and will condition captive Gouldians for optimum health and fertility. Mike has developed a very simple method of delivering a complete nutritional package using the foods described below. It features a diverse and nutritionally rich diet of dry seeds, sprouted seeds mixed with a soft food, and calcium grit to allow your birds to forage for the nutrition they need (as they do in nature). This diet contains everything your birds will require, and nothing else needs to be added.

Your Gouldians will have to learn how to eat healthfully. It takes a finch about 3 months to typically accept a new food. You must be consistent, and keep new food offerings fresh to attract your bird's interest. Initially, your Gouldians will likely ignore your new offerings. But over time you will see nibbling at first, and then complete acceptance as they discover and crave your nutritionally rich offerings. You will also find that during different times of the year, your Gouldian will eat different parts of your offerings more heavily than at other times of the year. That is his or her body telling them what it needs.

Mike Fidler's Annual Dietary Cycle for Breeding Lady Gouldian Finches is as follows:

1.  Maintenance/Resting Season Diet (3 months)
2.  Austere Diet (1 month to reduce body fat, cease hormone flow, and rest the reproductive organs of adult birds)
3.  Breeding Season Diet (6 months)
4.  Austere Diet (2 weeks to help induce the molt of adult birds...DO NOT USE ON UNMOLTED JUVENILE BIRDS)
5.  Molting Season Diet (6 weeks)
6.  Repeat Maintenance/Resting Season Diet in Step 1 to restart the annual cycle

You'll notice the schedule doesn't have months assigned to it, as the Gouldian's life cycle is primarily driven by diet (they breed well into the shortest days of winter). So you can assign the months as you wish, as long as you stick to the sequence of the schedule over a 12 month period. If your birds typically begin breeding in the Fall, then set up the cycle to suit!

For the definitive article on Breeding Gouldian Finches read "Breeding Gouldian Finches: What Wild Gouldians Can Tell Us." Combined with the food schedule listed below, it is everything you need to know to be a successful Lady Gouldian Finch Breeder!

Water Schedule - Fresh Daily
Sun:   Fresh Water
Mon:   Sweet Water (Vetafarm Australia)
Tue:   Sweet Water (Vetafarm Australia)
Wed:   Fresh Water
Thu:   Sparkle (Morning Bird Products)
Fri:   Sparkle (Morning Bird Products)
Sat:   Fresh Water

Breeding and Molting Season Diet
Seed (Fresh Daily or Constant Supply Provided by Seed Hopper):
    Birds R US Gouldian Pro TM Australian Grassfinch Seed "Breeding & Moulting Season Blend"

Food Supplements (Offered fresh daily):
    Mike Fidler's Complete Soft Food mixed with Birds R US Black & White Sprouting Mixes

Food Supplements (Offered continuously in foraging bowls):
    ABBA Premium Mineral Grit

Resting Season and Maintenance Diet
Seed (Fresh Daily or Constant Supply Provided by Seed Hopper):
    Birds R US Gouldian Pro TM Australian Grassfinch Seed "Breeding & Moulting Season Blend"

Food Supplements (Offered twice a week):
    Mike Fidler's Complete Soft Food mixed with Birds R US Black & White Sprouting Mixes

Food Supplements (Offered continuously in foraging bowls):
    ABBA Premium Mineral Grit

Austere Diet
Seed (Fresh Daily or Constant Supply Provided by Seed Hopper):
    Birds R US Gouldian Pro TM Australian Grassfinch Seed "Austere Diet Blend"

Nothing else in the cage except fresh water during the Austere Diet Period - No Soft Food, Sprouted Seed, Calcium Grit, Vitamins, Fruits, Veggies, or Greens

Summary
A healthy finch doesn't eat much, relatively speaking. The trick is variety, not volume. You will find that the above ingredients will last you a very long time. Good nutrition for Gouldians doesn't have to be hard, and this is one program that works!

P.S. Don't forget a Cuttlebone. They are something fun to do, and an additional source of calcium!