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Theirs
a multitude of different kinds
of live food to feed our British
birds, for Softbills, and for
seedeaters with chicks.
Nowadays it can be bought from
commercial breeders which, compared
to many years ago makes life
for the busy fancier a lot more
easier. There
are several firms who advertise
a wide range of products which,
are only a phone call away
for those people who simply
want to give the birds the
best but they can but cant
spend the time looking for
"wild insects" in
the field due to today’s
hectic life styles.
There are a number of things
which the birds will eat from
the commercial growers.
Below is a list of the most
readily available. |
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MEALWORM:
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Most
birds will eat mealworms,
they are high in protein and
fat, but low in calcium, it
is advisable to dust them
with a calcium powder if they
are to be used for rearing
chicks.
The mealworm is the larvae
of the Meal Beatle.
Another live food which the
birds enjoy is fruit flies. |
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FRUIT
FLIES:
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Again
these can be bought, they resemble
a small midge, and although
don’t look much, the smaller
birds are greedy for them, they
are good for feeding to newly
hatched chicks, if room will
permit, a bucket of "rotten
fruit" with wire over the
top can be placed in the enclosure
where the birds are and a culture
of fruit flies be added, they
will bred on the fruit and the
birds will get a regular supply,
the only drawback with it is
it gives off a rather strong
unpleasant smell, as the fruit
must be rotten for them to breed.
Some people buy crickets also,
they are sold in various sizes. |
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CRICKETS:
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I
believe Softbill breeders use
the larger ones, personally
I have tried my seedeaters with
the small ones, they were eaten
but not enthusiastically, however
they are said to be very nutritious.
In my opinion the best commercial
live food is the wax worm; this
is the larvae, of the wax moth. |
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WAXWORMS:
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These
are available in two sizes the
lesser and the bigger American,
they are soft skinned, very
nutritious, and have a high
fat content so making them ideal
for rearing chicks.
As with mealworms these can
be cultivated at home so saving
costs if the breeder is interested.
In addition to the ones mentioned
there are others which are available
to buy if necessary.
Also other types of live food
is available should the breeder
have the time to collect them
from the "field". |
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APHIDS:
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| Commonly
known as greenfly and black
fly, these creatures are found
on several plants, usually in
gardens on flowers such as roses
etc, but are also found on several
wild plants such as nettles,
sow thistles and shepherds purse,
as well as under sycamore leaves,
etc, again valuable for newly
hatched chicks, as are small
spiders. |
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SPIDERS:
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Theirs
several types of spiders that
the birds will eat, the ones
that i feed my birds are ones
that are found around windowsills,
or on fences etc, the largest
being about the size of a little
finger nail.
Spiders are said to process
a medicinal compound within
them so passing it on to the
birds, i have also heard to
many at once is no good for
them, there is also caterpillars
that one can collect too. |
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CATTERPILLER:
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Several
species of caterpillar are found
in the wild in the U.K, the
ones i collect are the smooth
green ones, I am unaware of
the food value of these, but
the birds regularly take them
and feed chicks with them.
To collect these, you must look
into stinging nettle clumps,
in these nettles there are leaves
rolled up and usually within
the leaf, once opened the caterpillar
can be collected. |
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WASP
LARVAE:
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| These
are supposed to be one of the
most nutritious food sources
available, however collecting
them is a problem, and it will
be a brave person to attempt
to collect those from a wasp
nest. |
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JOHN'S
TOP TIP
A
way of collecting various kinds
of live foods for the birds
is by taking an old umbrella
& place under a bush and
open it, push the spike into
the ground, give the bush a
good shake, lots of different
live food will fall into the
brolly.
Close it up, take it to your
flight and empty the contents,
the birds will then get a free
meal. |
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