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Wild goldfinch at home. Goldfinches goldfinches at home

More and more people prefer to keep goldfinches at home. A small singing bird with beautiful bright colors attracts attention and is very popular. If you want to get a goldfinch at home, you should not catch birds in nature and buy wild birds. Wild birds are also beautiful and sing a lot, but they are absolutely not tamed and do not sing in captivity.

The fame of the musical trills of goldfinches comes from ancient times, when they were taken to fairs to entertain people by pulling out lucky tickets. This kind of fun has long been in the past, but now many flooded birds live in apartments. They are able to sing a lot while in captivity, while males and females must be kept separately.

These birds are very smart and quite easily trained in some tricks, just like parrots. Quickly getting used to their position as a prisoner, with excellent care, they can live in a cage for more than twenty years. Goldfinches are very attached to their owners, often accept food from their hands and refuse to fly away if they are released into the wild.

Goldfinches belong to the group of finches. The length of an adult is about twelve centimeters and the weight is twenty grams, which is even much less than a sparrow. The body is decorated with very bright plumage, and the head, wings and tail are mostly black. Females practically do not differ from males, only with an experienced eye can one determine that the females are slightly smaller and duller.

Before you get a goldfinch at home, you should first study all possible information about its content in captivity. This bird is unpretentious, it is quite easy to keep it at home. According to experts, this is the most best bird for keeping in captivity. The presence of birds will give the owners a positive mood due to their bright appearance and friendliness, even when they do not want to sing. And they sing almost constantly, with the exception of the molting season.

For the goldfinch, a spacious cage is very important, which he agrees to share with other birds, the main thing is that there is a lot of space. From time to time they should fly freely around the apartment. To increase the life of a feathered one, daily cleaning of his home and replacement of drinking water and bathing water are required.

It is preferable to feed carduelis with grain mixtures for canaries or. They usually include sunflower seeds, dandelion, hemp, burdock, pine, plantain, oatmeal and other grains. Animal food in the form of mealworms and ant pupae is also important for captive birds. When feeding animal food, you need to monitor the bird, not every goldfinch loves it.

In addition, the pet will like various cereals and mash. It should be clarified that the birds are fed with porridge no more than twice a week, and at a time when the pets do not sing, then one feeding is replaced by porridge.

Goldfinches need two meals a day, they eat very little. Do not forget to treat your pet with a boiled egg with boiled carrots and small crackers - they love it very much. Drinking water should not be overlooked - it should always be fresh.

With the right maintenance and nutrition, these little birds will delight their owners with flooding singing and bright plumage for many years.

Where will the goldfinch live?

Males and females should live separately, better kept in ordinary cages or mesh enclosures. The length of the cage for a comfortable stay of a bird, despite its very modest size, should be at least fifty centimeters. The cage should be in two tiers, swings and perches are also required.

The location of the pet's home should be in a bright and sunny room, but direct sunlight and drafts should be avoided. The bars of the cage should be at a distance of no more than one and a half centimeters in order to avoid injury to the pet or his escape.

Supportive cleaning of bird housing is carried out daily in without fail, and general - once a week. When cleaning, only safe and hypoallergenic household chemicals are used. To disinfect the cage, many owners douse it with boiling water. After washing with detergents, the entire cage and what is in it should be thoroughly rinsed with clean water and well ventilated and dried. Sand and paper change as they get dirty. The bird itself, during the general cleaning, flies free in all rooms and kneads its wings.

Goldfinch breeding

The reproduction of these cute birds even in captivity occurs all year round. To begin with, the female builds a nest in a cage for future egg laying. To do this, the owner must provide necessary materials to create a nest. It can be grass, small pieces of wool, birch bark or tree bark, lichen or moss.

At one time, a female can lay up to six testicles, the shell of which is blue with purple dots and stripes. Only the female hatches the eggs, the male is not related to this process. The eggs hatch for two weeks, after which tiny chicks appear.

Pet owners need to remember that the male must be separated immediately after fertilization, otherwise the female will not be able to hatch the eggs and the chicks may die.

The development of the chicks occurs at a rapid pace, after fourteen days they are independent and able to leave their father's shelter. In order for the young to be completely strong and ready for a full independent life, bird breeders can hold them with their mother for an additional seven days.

These birds are often considered family members, they are adored by both children and adults. They can be taught interesting things, and their pronounced friendliness helps them to become completely tame.

In contact with

There are many pet lovers among us. However, as a favorite creature, you can keep not only cats and dogs. Feathers are no less popular than four-legged representatives. In our article we want to talk about how to care for goldfinches at home. Do not think that wild representatives of birds are not suitable for home keeping. People have long learned to tame these beautiful and songful birds.

Description of birds

Goldfinches belong to the finches family. The size of birds is more modest compared to sparrows. The body length of goldfinches is only twelve centimeters. Adults weigh no more than 20 grams. They have a very bright color, but at the same time the surface of the head, tail and wings remain black, which makes the birds look like real dandies. But on the forehead, tummy and cheeks there are snow-white feathers. A red ring can be seen near the beak, and bright yellow stripes on the wings. Outwardly, it is very difficult to distinguish a female from a male. In terms of content, there is no difference between them. True, it is believed that their voice data is different.

In nature, goldfinches are quite numerous. They live in Western Siberia, in Europe, North Africa and Central Asia. But the northern regions prefer to bypass. Minor seasonal migrations of birds have resulted in several varieties.

Birdsong

Goldfinches are More than 20 melodies can be present in their repertoire. An interesting fact is that goldfinches can make not only pleasant melodic sounds, but also rude and unpleasant ones. Only canaries can compete in singing with goldfinches. By the way, goldfinches do not sing during molting. It is noticed that females sing more skillfully and beautifully than males. It is noticed that female representatives have a slightly more faded plumage than males. Therefore, some prefer to take boys. But this is just a matter of taste.

Is it worth it to have a carduelis in the house?

Goldfinches at home delight the owners with their friendly character. In addition, they are very smart, and therefore quickly learn. Feathers willingly become tame. A hybrid of a canary and a goldfinch is distinguished by its external beauty and a very attractive voice. In general, for keeping goldfinches at home, you should not take wild individuals, since you probably cannot tame them. You need to purchase pets in specialized places.

It is necessary to keep goldfinches at home in cages or aviaries. Birds quickly settle down and get used to completely new conditions. The main thing is to be able to create the necessary comfort. For a feathered cage, it should not be less than 50 centimeters in length. In addition, it must be necessarily two-tier. Inside it is necessary to equip a swing and perches. For goldfinches at home, you need to choose a room without drafts and without direct sunlight, but at the same time there should be a lot of light in the room.

It is very important that the cage has a distance between the bars of no more than 1.5 centimeters, because otherwise the pet can slip out and fly away, and in the worst case, even injure itself.

General cleaning of the feathered cage is carried out every week. To do this, use special non-hazardous detergents. Be sure to thoroughly wash the perches, feeders, drinkers. All items are not only washed, but also dried. Particular attention should be paid to drinking water and bathing water. According to reviews, keeping goldfinches at home requires owners to be careful about cell hygiene. Performance certain rules will create good conditions for the bird.

Some Features

According to reviews, goldfinches at home must be kept separately. Joint stay of birds in the same cage can harm pets. Oddly enough, but females and males strongly conflict with each other, being in the same space. And this is bad for the well-being of birds. Males, against the background of everyday problems, can become sad and lethargic, and even stop singing. But living in different cages or neighboring enclosures suits the birds quite well.

Speaking about how to care for the goldfinch at home, it is worth remembering that periodically birds need to be released from aviaries or cages to fly. In addition, every day you need to change the water for bathing and drinking. Fresh fluid is the key to your pet's health.

How to feed the carduelis at home?

At home, carduelis need to be fed with grain mixtures, which include plantain, sunflower, hemp, millet, dandelion, burdock, oatmeal. Speaking about what goldfinches eat at home, it is worth remembering the need for the presence of mealworms and ant pupae in the diet. If you just took a pet, then you should not immediately stock up on a large number of worms. You must first give the goldfinch a treat to try to see if he likes it. The fact is that not all pets like such food.

Birds love porridge and all kinds of wet mash. It is necessary to give food of this kind up to two times a week. Goldfinches usually eat twice a day, and eat a little bit at a time. What do you think is the bird's favorite treat? This is boiled carrots, which must be chopped on a grater. Add a boiled egg and crackers to the delicacy.

Goldfinches also benefit from plant foods such as plantain and dandelion.

Breeding pets

Breeding goldfinches at home is a simple matter. Birds breed beautifully throughout the year. The female must be provided with everything she needs to build a nest in which she will later lay her eggs. As building material birds use feathers, lichen, meadow grass, bark, birch bark, moss, animal hair, and so on. Females lay no more than six blue-colored eggs. On their surface there are purple blotches and stripes. The responsibility for hatching offspring lies entirely with the female. She hatches chicks for several weeks. It is very important after fertilization to deposit the male in another cage. Otherwise, he can distract the female from her direct duties.

Having been born, the chicks develop very quickly. In just two weeks, they become completely independent, and therefore they can leave their native nest. But still, in order for the kids to get well and be fully ready for independent life, they need to be kept next to their mother for about a week.

Sometimes there are cases when females refuse to hatch their own offspring. But that's not a problem. Eggs can be kept under a lamp, as if in an incubator.

Feathered diseases

Diseases affecting canaries and parrots are also dangerous for goldfinches. If you notice that the bird does not drink or eat, there is a discharge near the beak, feathers are crumbling, the function of the gastrointestinal tract is impaired, the eyes are dull, the pet must be urgently taken to the veterinarian. The doctor will help to establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. By the way, it is worth knowing that birds suffer from diseases that are very dangerous for humans. It can be salmonellosis, ornithosis, tuberculosis. No matter how much love you treat your ward, do not forget about the rules of hygiene after communicating with him.

In addition, goldfinches are quite capable of having human ailments. The most common variant is gout. The first signs of the onset of the disease may be thirst and a sharp change in the mood of a feathered pet. If you follow all the rules for keeping a carduelis, the bird at home feels very good and does not get sick. But for this it is necessary to keep the cage clean and tidy, feed the bird with a balanced diet. In this case, the chances are high that the disease will bypass the pet. In many ways, the health of a bird depends on caring for it.

bird walks

We have already mentioned that goldfinches must certainly fly outside the cage. Free flight around the house or apartment is required condition healthy lifestyle pet's life. This is due not only to the fact that the feathered is bored and needs to spread its wings, but also to the peculiarities of nutrition. It's no secret that goldfinches get a lot of fat. And this means that they are prone to obesity. To avoid the occurrence of such a problem, it is necessary to give the bird more greens, fruits and vegetables. And without fail, the goldfinch must fly. Some owners say that they managed to tame their pets so that they fly into the cage only for an overnight stay. It is much more interesting for birds to flutter around the apartment than to be locked up. True, restless researchers can easily spoil something. But absolutely all pets are mischievous.

If you allow your bird to move around the apartment, then it will certainly take a fancy to places such as cabinets, high cabinets and other hills. This is explained quite simply, because in the conditions wildlife carduelis prefer to be in tall trees. An interesting fact is that goldfinches adore mirrors no less than parrots. If there is a mirror in the room where your friend lives, surely the pet will constantly spin around him. Well, where the goldfinch flutters, there is always garbage.

How long do birds live?

Many people wonder how long goldfinches live at home. According to experienced people, life expectancy directly depends on the quality of pet care. Proper care will keep the bird safe from disease. This means that the goldfinch will delight you with singing for a long time - exactly 20 years, if not more.

Is it possible to tame a goldfinch?

Goldfinches are distinguished by intelligence and ingenuity. They can easily be taught to fly to the hand for food. Very often goldfinches are taught all sorts of tricks. For example, pull out fortune-telling tickets for people.

However, it is worth remembering that wild individuals differ in behavior from acquired ones. Once in a cage from the will, pets often run wild. Speaking about how to tame a goldfinch at home, we can say with confidence that in just three months from wild bird can be done manually. True, you will have to show maximum patience and desire.

In the first week, the bird must be kept all alone. Next, the cage is transferred to a crowded place in the apartment, covering it with a rag. Gradually, the veil opens, showing the pet the world. During the third week, the goldfinch eats in the presence of the owner, who is only a few meters from the cage.

Gradually after a month most of Goldfinch starts to try to sing. In the future, you can get closer and closer to the bird during its meal. You can try to put one seed per perch and wait for the goldfinch to grab it. Then you can put in the next one. So gradually the bird gets used to your presence. In the future, she will learn to take seeds even from your hands. When taming, do not rush. Each new achievement must be consolidated within a few days. And then move on to something new.

Goldfinch habits

Having acquired a pet, you will certainly have to teach him to fly around the apartment or around the room. Before each walk, you need to make sure that the windows and doors are closed so that the bird does not fly away from you. The cage must initially be installed in a permanent place. Then every day you can open the door and invite the pet to fly to you. Starting training, you can attract the attention of a bird with something tasty or a bunch of greenery, to which the goldfinch will certainly respond. The feathered friend must gradually adapt and leave the cage without any fear. Flying out into the wild, the bird will probably decide to sit on your head or on your shoulder. This is a perfectly normal desire. Get ready for the fact that she will do this all the time. In this simple way, the pet shows trust in you. And at the same time curiously studies you.

No matter how much you love your feathered companion and no matter how tamed it is, it is always worth following the safety rules. Open windows are taboo. You never know what's in the bird's head. She can even inadvertently fly out of an open window. But the birds cannot find the way back. The glasses themselves can also pose a danger - crashing into it from acceleration, the goldfinch can be injured.

In general, if a pet is on a walk and flies around the apartment, then the owners should be very careful not to inadvertently crush it with a door, sit on it or step on it. In addition, it is very dangerous to overfeed the bird. Obesity can seriously undermine your pet's health.

What kind of red-yellow-black lump with wings optimistically flies around the cage from place to place and fills with trills? At the same time, it is not afraid of a person and is quite comfortably placed in a small area of \u200b\u200bthe bird's dwelling?
This is a goldfinch! All brown, with a red mask, black markings on the yellow wings and back. The pet is busy all day long: it jumps and flies over the perches, checks the feeders, sorts out relations with neighbors, is interested in what is happening and constantly shimmers with beautiful trills. Very beautiful.
For this, connoisseurs of songbirds and domesticated forest birds love carduelis: for their resilient optimism, unpretentiousness in keeping and the ability to learn. Both new songs and new behavior the bird adopts very soon.
Content.
The birdcage itself should be spacious, at least 50 square meters. see on the head, with perches, twigs, rocking chairs - so that the goldfinch can stretch. They place the cage not on the windowsill (draft or sun kills little singers with colds or overheating), but in a bright place. In the morning, at sunrise, the bird joyfully fills with chatter and roulades, which should be taken into account by dormouse or families with small children.
It is not so common in Russia to keep goldfinches in open-air cages on the street, although this is very convenient. The interior can be customized general view at home, bring a sprawling tree inside, populate with several species of songbirds.
The goldfinch gets along with everyone except his relatives; constant strife arises with them: at the feeder, at the drinking bowl, on the branches, on the floor - all day long. And it does not matter whether they are heterosexual or same-sex: conflict follows conflict. This must be taken into account. Quarrels subside during breeding periods: February-April, then everything starts again.
Feeding.
Food for goldfinches is chosen by cereals with a high content of fats and fatty acids: oil crops (rapeseed, sunflower, flax, hemp), burdock, oatmeal, millet, pine seeds, spruce and cedar kernels are very good.
Settled goldfinches consume wet porridge and flour worms, however, this is not suitable for a recently caught or recently purchased pet.
Minerals are replenished with chalk, eggshell crumbs, charcoal, clay and activated charcoal.
Water is always supplied fresh and changed frequently! Especially if the birds use a drinking bowl and as a bathing suit. Now nipple drinkers are on sale - you can use them.
Receiving dosed ultraviolet (under the rays of the sun 1-2 hours a day) or under a special lamp, the bird will better shed and take portions of vitamins and calcium. The plumage becomes brighter and more expressive.
Reproduction.
The male from the female in goldfinches is hardly distinguishable, deceiving even experienced birders when replanting pairs. It is believed that the females are smaller, that the red spot is less pronounced, however, the surest way to determine the sex is only by the copulatory organs in the spring.
With such a simple and inexpensive maintenance, but strict sanitation, the goldfinch in captivity lives a very full life, sometimes up to 20 years. At the same time, he is easily tamed and trained, capable of tricks and adopting other people's singing trills, which invariably attracts and returns the attention of bird lovers.

The goldfinch is a songbird. It has long been popular with nature lovers. It is interesting to observe him in natural conditions. The goldfinch is distinguished by bright plumage and melodic sounds that publishes. His repertoire includes over twenty different melodies. In the spirit of a real bird star, he is ready to continue his show every day.

Characteristic

Appearance

A real dandy, a dandy among small birds. The miniature size is more than compensated by the colorfulness of the feathers. The light belly is shaded by brown sides and a brown back. The feathers are black at the base with bright yellow tips. The head is scarlet. Saturated colors focus on the appearance of a nimble little bird.

Goldfinches belong to the finches family. The size is inferior to ordinary sparrows. Body length up to 12 cm, wingspan 20–25 cm. Weight only 20–25 grams. The body is rounded, dense. Feathers are thick. Plumage color varies with representatives different types .

Species diversity:

Gallery: black-headed goldfinch bird (25 photos)

Habitat

Favorite nesting places for birds are light forests, light groves, parks, squares, plantings. Their flocks can be found on overgrown wastelands, in floodplains of rivers or orchards. Goldfinches prefer well-lit places and do not favor gloomy dense thickets.

The long thin beak is equally useful for catching insects and pulling out seeds from dried inflorescences. Goldfinches prefer plant foods. They feed on the seeds of wild and cultivated plants Pinch Young Grass In Spring. Burdock, thistle, burdock are especially fond of them. The availability of food almost all year round affected the attachment of goldfinches to habitats. However, there is no unambiguous answer to the question: is a goldfinch a migratory bird or not.

In most cases, goldfinches do not leave their habitat. Only certain types fly away for the winter to warm countries. As a rule, females are engaged in flights, and males winter in their native lands. For wintering, migratory goldfinches choose the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Central Asia. Thus, part of the goldfinches migratory birds, and some are not.

Mating season and reproduction

The reproduction of birds directly depends on their habitat: the more north the region of residence, the later the mating season begins. At the end of winter, goldfinches begin to group in flocks (over 40 individuals). Together they make short flights in search of food. With the advent of heat, pairs are determined inside the flock, which begin to independently look for places for future nesting.

Nest building takes place in May. The ideal place for the construction is long horizontal branches of trees, equidistant from the top of the tree and the ground. Like other finches, the black-headed goldfinch is an excellent builder. Nest correct form, with sloping edges and a deepened center. The inner part is lined with thin stems of plants, moss, lichen. The outer walls almost merge with the bark of the tree. Finding the nest is not easy. Excellent disguise– protection from uninvited guests : predators, snakes or humans.

To give out the location of the bird's dwelling, the boastful behavior of the male can. He loves to perch on top of a tree above his nest and sing. At this moment, he resembles a real artist - he makes all kinds of body movements, chirps, bows. But his performance is intended only for one viewer - the female. She responds to the call and the couple ends the concert together.

The female lays 4-6 small eggs at a time in the nest. The average length is only 1.6–1.8 cm. The color varies depending on the species of the parents. By color, goldfinch eggs can be:

Greenish.
Blue.
White with red dots.

The chicks hatch in two weeks. In the first weeks of life, the chicks behave like insectivorous individuals. Their parents constantly feed them leafy aphids. Thus, saving plantings from harmful insects. Gradually, the kids switch to vegetable food and begin to eat seeds, like adult goldfinches.

Bird couples living in the southern regions manage to raise 2 broods of chicks during the season. Grown up chicks leave the parental nest, but at first they prefer to settle nearby. And only in autumn gathering in flocks with the same young birds and fly to another place.

Home keeping conditions

Arrangement of the cell

With their singing and bright plumage, goldfinches have long attracted the attention of people. Lovers of melodic trills specially caught forest dandies and settled at home. It turned out that the bird has another important advantage. The goldfinch quickly gets used to captivity and adapts to life at home. He easily adopts new sounds, learns different tricks. This makes the woodfinch one of the most popular pet birds.

For favorable living conditions, a winged pet needs a capacious cage (40–50 cm in length). Best fit cage made of wood with metal rods. The distance between them is no more than one and a half centimeters. For convenience, there are several perches inside, on which the bird can sit.

The cage is installed in a well-lit place, away from drafts. AT summer time it can be taken out to the balcony or terrace. For accelerated adaptation to new conditions, it is desirable that the cage with the goldfinch be located in a place where people most often gather. For example, in the kitchen or in the common room. So, the bird quickly gets used to the person and becomes tame.

If possible, large aviaries are built to keep the birds. Representatives of different species live in them at the same time. Goldfinches will feel comfortable in such an environment, although they may be cocky towards other inhabitants of the enclosure.

diet

The diet at home is not much different from the natural one. A feathered pet is fed with grass seeds with the addition of coniferous nuts and oatmeal. To maintain health and normal digestion, coarse sand, chalk, ground eggshells, and activated charcoal are given.

The cage must have a drinking bowl with fresh water. In the hot season, the bird not only drinks a lot, but also bathes with pleasure.

Care

So that the goldfinch bird does not lose its flight skills, it should be periodically released from the cage. Having previously provided security measures - close windows and vents, turn off the gas, remove hot objects.

The cage is cleaned regularly, at least 2 times a week.

Subject to all simple conditions, the goldfinch will look great and delight the owners with its singing and colorful appearance.

The life expectancy of goldfinches is from 8 to 13 years.

The goldfinch is an unpretentious bird well adapted to life in a cage, but this does not mean that it can be fed with anything. One of the main requirements for feeding is variety. Proper nutrition provides goldfinch required level health. A healthy and active bird pleases the owner with spectacular plumage and flooding singing. Receiving a varied diet in captivity, a tamed bird will sing at home almost all year round (except for the molting period) and will live for more than 10 years, while in nature even a five-year-old goldfinch is a rare occurrence.

Content Rules

The sex of the birds is determined by the "mask" on the head:

In males, a red spot protrudes beyond the eyes, the “whiskers” are black.
In females, the red color reaches only to the middle of the eyes, the “whiskers” are grayish or brown.

Goldfinches are kept alone. For their maintenance, an ordinary cage and easily accessible feed are suitable. Optimal dimensions cells:

length - 50 cm;
width - 30 cm;
height - 34 cm.

In a cage that is too small, the goldfinch will move little and become fat. In a more spacious design, it is inconvenient to take care of a bird, it will feel uncomfortable, stop singing, start to run wild and will only stay at the top, as if on its own trying to reduce the size of its overly spacious dwelling.

There is a criterion - the minimum size of the cage for any bird is the one at which, jumping between two perches, it must help itself with its wings. That is, the bird should not jump, but flutter. This allows her to keep her pectoral muscles in good shape.

Goldfinch cage

Goldfinch care consists of feeding, daily cleaning of the cage, washing the feeder and drinker. Once a week, the cage is washed with soap. The bird needs ultraviolet light, so twice a week for two hours the cage is exposed to sunlight or under a UV lamp.

Feeding

Goldfinch feeding rules:

always enough food;
plenty of drink - without water, the pet will not live a day;
grain feed in combination with succulent products;
the constant presence of sand and a mineral mixture in the cell, which is due to the peculiarities of the digestion of goldfinches.

Birds are highly organized animals, they have highly developed individual tastes, so it is normal if the goldfinch does not take all the food. There is no cause for concern if the bird, for example, does not eat carrots or salt, which are recommended in many guides.

Diet

You need to be careful with the amount of food. It is worth adhering to the recommended norms. If you just make sure that the feeder is always full of grain, the birds will get fat and die.

Estimated amount of grain per bird (in teaspoons):

in summer - 1;
autumn and spring - 2;
winter - 3.

Goldfinches are usually fed in the morning, pouring 10-15 g (2-3 teaspoons) of grain mixture per bird into the feeder. Water is changed daily. Grain and grated carrots are placed in a feeder. Pieces of an apple are stuck between the bars of the cage, the branches are fixed there with a clothespin.

It is necessary to give as much food as the bird can eat in one day so that there is nothing left for the next feeding.

When watching a pet, it is very easy to notice that he is hungry. The goldfinch begins to jump on the perches, jump on the walls of the cage - this is how his search reflex manifests itself.

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diet

Goldfinches are granivorous birds, but they also need berries, fruits, grass, and protein supplements, including live insects. In addition to everyday food, from time to time they give special products - as a treat or for the prevention of diseases.

grain mixtures

The main food of the carduelis is a grain mixture. In nature, these birds eat the seeds of several hundred plants. Home grain mix may include:

Basic seeds for goldfinch - burdock seed, rapeseed, canary, linseed. The rest are used insignificantly as additives.

The seeds of burdock (burdock) are especially important. In nature in winter time goldfinches mainly feed on this food and cannot do without it in captivity. Burdock seeds are an essential ingredient in grain mixtures. They contain a high amount of fat.

In the burdock shell, instead of grain, there is often a larva of some insect, that is, the bird receives two-in-one food - grain and protein supplement. Burdock seeds ripen in August-September. At this time, you can collect prickly fruits and then give them out to the goldfinch 3-4 pieces a day all year round. The bird will turn them over and choose seeds with great pleasure.

Flax, sunflower and hemp seeds are high in fat. But they can be given only in limited quantities so that the bird does not become obese. Sunflower and hemp seeds must first be crushed. Germinated sunflower seeds are more beneficial than dry ones.

Rape seeds (turnips) are one of the best grain feeds. Rape comes in different colors. Reddish - bitter, birds eat it badly. Large purple-red grains peck willingly.

Ready grain mixtures

Do not feed goldfinches with ready-made grain mixtures for canaries or budgies. They are insufficient in calories, goldfinches on them lose weight and get sick. If necessary, the bird can be kept for 2-3 months on canary food, adding 5% sunflower seeds and 5% flax seeds to it.

Popular ready-made grain mixtures for goldfinches:

Name	A photo	Compound
RIO feed for forest birds "Basic ration"		canary seed; rape; milk thistle seeds; paisa; Abyssinian noug; oatmeal; millet - red, yellow, black; flax seed; hemp seed; railing; seaweed; calcium gluconate
Fiory Cardellini for Goldfinches		canary, hemp; thistle; oats; granules (cereals and bakery products, cereals, honey 10%, oils, yucca schidigera extract); carrot; railing; chicory; Abyssinian noug; anise; cereals
Kiki Excellent for goldfinches		Canadian seed; small hemp; thistle; white salad; vitamin granules

succulent feed

In winter, a day or two later, the birds are given a piece of apple, grated carrot or lettuce. In summer - half a dandelion or chicory leaf. Goldfinches are very fond of this green, it does not cause them stomach upset.

In winter, any grain mixture can be turned into a vitamin top dressing. Seeds are sown in a box with soil and germinated. When the shoots grow by 5-10 cm, they are uprooted and given to the birds.

animal feed

Protein feed is given occasionally - once or twice a week. Small insects are suitable, especially aphids, which can be given directly on the leaf. Goldfinches eat beetles, caterpillars and flies. Worms - flour and bloodworms - not all individuals eat.

In June, it is useful to give ant pupae. At this time, the birds are preparing to molt and they need protein.

Feeds and treats

All granivorous birds need constant access to sand. Without it, pets wither and die. The reason is that birds don't have teeth. To grind solid food, pebbles and grains of sand are used, which birds specifically swallow.

Sand is placed in shallow containers (some birds like to swim in it) or poured in a layer of 1-2 cm at the bottom of the cage. For goldfinches, both river and sea sand are suitable.

Mineral mixtures are a source of vitamins and minerals. They include:

You can simply put chalk powder, shell rock, sepia powder in separate jars, and then see what the bird is more interested in.

At home, you can make a mineral "bird stone". Goldfinches will peck at him with pleasure.

Ingredients:

All components are mixed with a small amount water, rolled into cakes and dried. Many poultry farmers give goldfinches a few grains of table salt daily. It used to be thought that birds needed salt. However, some goldfinches are indifferent to it, while others willingly eat it. If the bird does not eat salt, it will not cause noticeable harm to its health.

You can not add salt to food or mineral supplements - in a mixed form, the bird can eat more than it is safe.

Some goldfinches love honey. It can be given by spreading a thin layer on an apple slice, and candied simply put in a cage. An apple replenishes iron stores, and honey serves as a carbohydrate supplement.

Thuja branches with nuts, willows and cherries are popular with carduelis. Their bark and kidneys contain vitamins and minerals in their natural form.

To prevent and improve the functioning of the immune system, goldfinches are given to drink a decoction of red onion husks - 2-3 drops per day. Onion peel is rich in biologically active components. It contains vitamins E, C, PP, carotene, phytoncides, potassium, calcium and iron.