BFA breeding pair feeding

We have a aquired a breeding pair of BFA. I have been struggling to get them off of a seed based diet and onto pellets with a variety of seed, nuts, fruit and veggies to no avail. Please help!

A little background, I used to (25 years ago) help a friend of mine when I lived in Cali hand raise his birds anywhere from cockatiel to a variety of parrots. A couple of months ago we answered an ad on Craigslist (yikes) for a pair of breeding BFA. I made them an offer and they practically drove to our house dumped the birds (cage and all) into our house, took the cash and ran away! We knew they were not friendly when we got them so that is not an issue.

I believed the female (sorry for a better choice of words) had blood in her poop. They had been breeding but I had them checked out by our vet. She informed me that she is not egg bound and he was probably being a little rough with her. Also they r both open banded so vet and I are thinking wild caught.

Well on October 5th and egg appeared. Now we are the proud grandparents of 4 eggs waiting for the big day. My problem is that I can only get them to eat seed for the most part. Nutriberries r a fav. I have tried fresh veggies, steamed veggies, numerous types of fruit, nuts, brown rice, pastas, cooked beans, quinoa, sprouts. Anything I can think of.

What I'm trying to figure out is what is the best diet for a breeding pair sitting on eggs. My cockatiels love brown rice and turkey when feeding their babies and these BFAs I just can't figure out. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again Tanya.

P.S. Where can I find metal bands for the babies when they arrive?

Hello, Tanya! And welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

Congratulations on the new eggs! I'm hoping all goes well with their hatching and rearing.

As for your questions about converting your breeding pair from an all-seed diet, here is one of the best threads I've seen on the topic. There is a wealth of suggestions and information provided. http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

It seems as though you've tried quite a few different things thus far. One thing you might want to try is to let them see you enjoying the kinds of foods that you are trying to get them to eat. For birds, eating is largely a flock activity. As such, watching you enthusiastically eat certain foods might eventually spark their own interest in said foods. It might take time, but this is a tactic with a good track record for success.

You could also try mixing in their favorite seeds with some finely diced chop. If diced small enough that they would have difficulty separating out the veggies, legumes and fruits from their beloved seeds, they just might come to the realization that the other stuff isn't really that bad.

Anyhow, please keep us updated! And good luck with both the conversion and the new babies! And we'd love pics of your pair... and the eggs... and the hatched babies as they become available.

Hi, and thank u for ur reply!!! I will definitely try the chop. My next question is while they r eating mostly seed will they still b able to feed their young easily or will I need to take them at hatch? I'm hoping that mom and dad can do the first couple weeks and then I will try and take them over from there. I'm kinda nervous since I haven't done this for so many years.

You're welcome!

I definitely would not take them from the moment of hatching. There are others more well versed in hand feeding than I on this board, but I can definitely tell you that it would be in the babies' bet interests for you to let them feed from the parents for at least the first few weeks. When one of our experienced breeders or hand feeders comes on, they'll be able to give you a more exact timeline.

I most definately want the parent too raise them for the first few weeks! And I tried the chop today and he seems to be eating it. As long as I can get him to eat this type of mix-up then I think all will b well! Thanks again!

I'm not a breeder, but you may want to reach out to breeders on the forum on the "breeding" subform.

If you haven't already, I would get both birds in to see an avian vet for a thorough checkup. Breeding takes it's toll, especially on the females. Also, if they are carriers of certain diseases, they may be at risk of passing those along to their young. Vet can also advise on proper diet for a breeding pair, which is different than a pet.