Healthy food for Free
Greenfoods contain essential components of a bird's diet, especially vitamins and minerals which are deficient in a basic seed diet. Greenfoods are also a good source of fibre which is necessary to maintain the intestinal muscle tone and helps in the natural balance of intestial flora.
They also provide amusement and occupation, which is a good reason to offer them as they can be cost free toys!
Pick greenfood early in the morning during warm weather so as to avoid wilting. During winter never use frosted greens.
Always wash collected greenfood under running water and discard any leaves fouled by wild birds.
Make sure any greenfoods given to your birds are free from insecticides or herbicides and never collect greens from the road side where they could be polluted by vehicle exhausts.
They also provide amusement and occupation, which is a good reason to offer them as they can be cost free toys!
Pick greenfood early in the morning during warm weather so as to avoid wilting. During winter never use frosted greens.
Always wash collected greenfood under running water and discard any leaves fouled by wild birds.
Make sure any greenfoods given to your birds are free from insecticides or herbicides and never collect greens from the road side where they could be polluted by vehicle exhausts.
Chickweed:
Stellaria media.
Canaries, finches, budgies, cockatiels and many other parrots all enjoy chickweed especially when feeding young. Both leaves and flowers will be eaten.
Stellaria media.
Canaries, finches, budgies, cockatiels and many other parrots all enjoy chickweed especially when feeding young. Both leaves and flowers will be eaten.
Shepherd's purse:
Capsella bursa-pastoris.
Canaries and finches enjoy the seeds as soon as they are fully formed and ripe.
Capsella bursa-pastoris.
Canaries and finches enjoy the seeds as soon as they are fully formed and ripe.
Dock, curled:
Rumex crispus.
Enjoyed as much as the broad-leafed variety.
Rumex crispus.
Enjoyed as much as the broad-leafed variety.
Plantain:
Plantago major
& Plantago lanceolata.
Flowering heads are full of pollen. Excellent for lorikeets. Seeding heads can be fed to canaries and finches. The seeds are said to have medicinal value and benefit birds with respiratory conditions. Leaves will be eaten
as greenfood.
Plantago major
& Plantago lanceolata.
Flowering heads are full of pollen. Excellent for lorikeets. Seeding heads can be fed to canaries and finches. The seeds are said to have medicinal value and benefit birds with respiratory conditions. Leaves will be eaten
as greenfood.
Groundsel:
Senecio vulgaris.
Canaries and finches love this, especially when feeding young. Said to be beneficial to liver and kidneys.
Senecio vulgaris.
Canaries and finches love this, especially when feeding young. Said to be beneficial to liver and kidneys.
Dock, broad-leafed:
Rumex obtusifolius.
The seed is high in oil content and valuable as a winter food for finches and canaries. Leaves will also be eaten.
Rumex obtusifolius.
The seed is high in oil content and valuable as a winter food for finches and canaries. Leaves will also be eaten.
Dandelion:
Taraxacum.
The most valuable greenfood for it's high Vitamin A content. Can be fed whole to cockatiels and parrots, including the roots. Canaries and finches will also enjoy the seeding heads which contain large numbers
of mineral salts.
Taraxacum.
The most valuable greenfood for it's high Vitamin A content. Can be fed whole to cockatiels and parrots, including the roots. Canaries and finches will also enjoy the seeding heads which contain large numbers
of mineral salts.
Sowthistle:
Sonchus oleraceus
& Sonchus asper.
Similar feeding as dandelion.
Rich in Vitamin A.
Sonchus oleraceus
& Sonchus asper.
Similar feeding as dandelion.
Rich in Vitamin A.
