60 Winston S. Rowe—Some Notes on Feeding


SOME NOTES ON FEEDING


By Winston S. Rowe


I have just set myself the pleasant task of reading the Avicxjltural.

Magazine from 1894 to 1930. After a rapid perusal of the later volumes-

I find that the species in which I am greatly interested are not always,

discussed at length as regards the feeding. Whereas the species in

which I am not greatly interested, have full details ! However, by the-

time I have read thirty-six volumes I shall have found what I require.

Meanwhile a few notes as to my own way of feeding may be of

interest.


Firstly, however, I have only kept Foreign Birds for just two years,,

so that I am far from being able to dogmatize.


Redrump Parrakeets


Age 18 months ; aviary 8x6x7 feet high. Food : 1 dessert¬

spoonful sunflower daily and a pinch of hemp. If the aviary were of

larger dimensions I should increase the amount. Access to canary,,

white and Indian millet, of which only canary and Indian millet is

eaten, therefore I provide a separate dish of Indian millet. After

three months they have just commenced to eat soaked oats. These-

are soaked for 48 hours, approximately two teaspoonsful are provided

daily. Groundsel is the only green food appreciated. Apple provided

daily, but still untouched. I live in hopes ! Fresh water daily. A

fair amount of cuttlefish is eaten but no grit, no doubt sufficient of

this is found on the groundsel roots.


Alexandrine Parrakeets


Cock aged 2J years, hen over 3 years. Aviary 17 X 4J- x 7 feet

high. Access to canary, white and Indian millet, of which only canary

is eaten. Soaked oats daily, same quantity as before. Six peanuts

daily. Five or six grapes and half an orange or half an apple. Sun¬

flower and hemp are provided in a tin hopper holding 3 lb. This makes

the availability*rather more difficult and so tends to obviate the risk of

feeding solely on these seeds (?). One or two fresh branches are provided

weekly and so far the woodwork has remained free from having chips

taken out. I have not yet seen them bathe, they prefer to cling upside^



