What Foods Are OK for Finches?

Just as people cannot thrive on a diet of bread and water, finches cannot thrive on a diet of seed and water. A diet of seed only will cause a finch to become more prone to disease and unable to breed. They will be much happier and healthier if fed a diet that combines a seed or pellet food mix with sources of calcium, protein, fruit and vegetables.

  1. Bird Food Mix

    • The base of a good diet is a high quality food mix. There are many different kinds of mix. These usually contain seeds and things such as dried fruits, dried vegetables, herbs and even natural additives such as bee pollen. These can be found at pet stores, online and in veterinary offices.

    Calcium and Mineral Supplement

    • Finches should have access to minerals. Calcium is especially important if you are breeding your finches. Most feed mixes have minerals, but you could give them extra calcium by placing a dish with crushed egg shells, or a mineral block, in their cage. Finches also need vitamin D in order to absorb the calcium. Placing the finch in sunlight, even indoors, will allow them to produce vitamin D in their skin, or they could be given a supplement.

    Protein

    • Protein is an important component of the birds' diet, especially when they are breeding or molting. Meal-worms, shelled hemp seeds, and sprouted or germinated oil seeds, like canola (rape) and niger, are all good sources of protein.

    Fruit and Vegetables

    • Finches should have fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Small amounts of dandelion, apples, spinach, carrots, corn on the cob, grapes, chickweed, lettuce, poppy or other fruits and leafy vegetables can be fed to finches every day. Dehydrated fruits and vegetables can be used instead and many birds will put the dried foods in their water dish to rehydrate. If you feed dried fruits and vegetables, only use ones that are free from artificial coloring and flavoring and from preservatives such as sulfur dioxide.

    Grit and Egg

    • Finches also need a source of grit, which aids the birds' digestion. This can be purchased in pet shops, or you could use crushed egg shell. If your finches have bred, you can feed an egg and biscuit mix, which the parents will feed to the chicks. Make this up by mashing a hard-boiled egg, along with its shell, with a slice of wholewheat bread soaked in water.