How to Make Bird Brood Paste? – 5 Easy Steps

Translated by Nick R

What is bird breeding paste?

The breeding paste is a supplementary bird food specially created for parents, who spend a lot of vital energy in raising their chicks. Breeding Paste for Birds works as a booster, almost like an energizer for parents who are exhausted after long days of care. A great advantage of brood paste is its cheapness and the fact that it is a great food supplement, which you can give during and after the rearing of chicks.

Let’s do a mental exercise…

Imagine for a moment a pregnant woman accompanied by her husband. Think of everything a pregnant woman must eat, including cravings, to feed herself and take care of her baby. So it is with winged mothers, they too require a lot of food at this time of year. The difference is that birds are oviparous and hatch the embryos while they are inside the egg. Now, keep in mind that the brave couple lay not one, but two consecutive clutches (as is the case of most species); imagine the energy expense.

But what is the best brood paste?

Types of brood paste

Dry brood paste

An excellent basic paste that requires complementing with other foods. Bear in mind that some birds are not very fond of granulated brooding pastes and prefer others with finer textures, so you will have to choose other options or add moisture to the mixture. With this basis, you can also make your own homemade brood paste.

Wet brood paste

What comes to mind when I say wet brood paste? You probably think of it as a type of feed with a higher amount of water. But in fact, it is not, in fact it is a breeding paste with more fats; with a finer and wetter texture. The truth is that birds love water, so adding some water to the paste to make it look more like mush is not a bad idea; on the contrary, it will be more pleasant for your friend.

Brood paste for insectivores

This type of breeding paste contains a lot of protein. As its name says, it’s a special paste for insectivorous bird species, that is, birds that like “bugs”; it is therefore made with ground insects. However, it’s also recommended for species that don’t eat insects precisely because it is rich in nutrients, providing a little more protein, especially for African granivorous birds.

Fruit brood paste

As its name says, this feed is made from fruits. Generally, it’s a mixture of several fruits extruded (thermal process to homogenize the components). Some birds are a bit more capricious and will want you to supplement this paste with seeds and other foods. It helps to have a well-balanced mix of vitamins (fruits) and proteins (seeds).

Vegetable brood paste

Like the fruit paste, the vegetable-based paste is rich in vitamins and can be used to supplement the wet breeding paste, balancing its fat content.

What is the purpose of the breeding paste?

This special food is a source of additional protein and calcium in the birds’ diet, but it is not a replacement for their basic diet. Both the mother and father should continue to feed on their dry (birdseed) and fresh (fruits and vegetables) food, as well as insects in the case of insectivorous species. To lay eggs and breed, especially the mother requires additional protein, calcium and vitamins.

The mother’s health and energy will be largely decisive for the survival of her offspring, whether they grow up strong or become mature birds with less chance of survival. Therefore, brood paste is critical in the life cycle of a developing bird, from embryo to young bird (when they become independent). If the mother’s diet is deficient in calcium, the chicks will be born fragile and less likely to survive or, failing that, will be in poorer health.

Where to get bird breeding paste?

If you finally realized that supplementing the new parents’ feed with brood paste is the best decision, you have basically two options to get it.

Purchase breeding paste

The first alternative is to buy it ready-made. The breeding paste is sold in all authorized poultry stores, where they sell all kinds of products for pet birds, and this is a must-have food. Depending on the species, breeding paste has different components and, as you may have noticed, there are several types precisely because one type of paste is available for each couple of birds.

Recommendations

I think some advice wouldn’t hurt. If looking at the two options you choose the first one: buying, you should know this:

Breeding paste has to be made from natural ingredients.
As far as possible, choose a breeding paste that is suitable for your pet bird species.
Make sure it has little saturated fat. It’s good that it has fats, but not too much, and certainly not bad fats.
The paste must contain the proper amount of protein, obviously, depending on the species (remember point 2). For example, lovebirds need 17% protein pasta.
The pasta must not be too dry, better if it is well hydrated.
As a bonus, I recommend paste containing probiotics, which will improve digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Prepare homemade breeding paste

The other alternative is that you prepare your own breeding paste at home. Yes, stay uncomplicated, universal breeding paste for any bird is really easy to prepare. You’ll see how practical and economical it is if you want to save a couple of bucks. The nutrients will be the same, don’t worry.

Want to know how to do it? Read on…

Learn how to make breeding paste for any bird

What birds is homemade breeding paste made for?

Although it is a breeding paste for almost any bird, in this case, I recommend it for the following five species:

Domestic canaries.
Australian parakeets.
Agapornis or Lovebirds.
European Goldfinches.
Zebra Diamonds

If you want to know more about pet bird species, click here.

You’ll see how easy it is to make this paste at home…

What materials do you need to make breeding paste?

To make the breeding paste by yourself, keep in mind the following elements to make a very nutritious homemade breeding paste for your baby birds that are in the midst of growth and need nutrients

Bread, toast or crackers (without salt). Remember, you can also use dry breeding paste.
Egg.
Eggshell.
Broccoli.
Apple
Carrot.
Containers.
Grater or grinder.
Live or dead insects (optional).
Oats (optional)

Prepare homemade bird breeding paste

If you have finally decided to make homemade breeding paste and you have all the necessary elements mentioned above, you can now start making delicious homemade breeding paste for your birds. Follow the step-by-step instructions.

1. Prepare the base

First of all, you must prepare the paste base, consisting of bread, toast, cookies, and biscuits that contain no sugar or a very low percentage. This base gives consistency to the mixture, generating a granular paste, as birds normally like when they eat seeds or bird seed.

If you want, you can add some other ingredients that species such as canaries, European goldfinches, Australian parakeets, mandarin diamonds and agapornis like:

Cereals with honey.
Brewer’s yeast.
Oregano.
Ground almonds.
Black pudding.
Oatmeal.

Some of these ingredients serve as sources of fiber, such as oats, improving metabolism. While oat seed is very good, the oatmeal you get in the stores is also bird-friendly.

Why without sugar?

Birds cannot assimilate sugar, their organism is designed in such a way that feeding them food with sugar could affect their vital organs such as the heart and the nervous system. Although many fruits are sugars (fructose), they are natural sugars; whereas, we consume processed sugars. Both sugar itself and processed products containing sugar such as chocolate, and candies, among others, can cause insomnia or hyperactivity in birds.

2. Prepare the egg

Now, take the egg, peel it and boil it until it is “hard-boiled” or “cooked” as it is commonly known, so once the egg is ready, you can mash it with your hands or with a masher. The other option is to beat an egg and then put it in the microwave for a minute until it is cooked. Finally, mash the egg with your hands or with a fork.

Don’t throw away the eggshell, keep it!

3. Add

You have reached the middle of the preparation. The next step is to add both the egg and the shell that you had saved and pour them into the masher along with the base paste that you had mashed previously. Both the egg and the shell are sources of essential nutrients for the new parents. The shell, in particular, is an incredible source of calcium and will help the mother for her eggs and the chick for its optimal development.

If you plan to add other ingredients, now is the time to do it. So, add and mash everything before moving on to step 4.

4. Add even more

Additionally, add the fresh feed to the mix, as it is very beneficial for the birds. You may know that most pet birds are granivorous and love seeds as much as fruits and vegetables, especially broccoli and carrots, two nutrient-dense vegetables. Of course, there are other vegetables and fruits, including:

Pear.
Cucumber.
Celery.
Tomato.
Banana.
Melon.

I recommend apples as they are just as good as vegetables, providing vitamins and moisture to the mixture. Remember that the paste must have a spongy texture for the bird to feel like eating it. If the paste is too thin, it may be difficult to digest, and if it is too thick, the bird will not want to eat it.

Learn what pet birds should eat

5. Grind

Finally, with all the ingredients in the grinder, mix until it is completely homogeneous. Remember that you can use another type of utensils, such as a masher or grater. The mixture should be, preferably, like mush or something like a very loose dough; you are not making arepas, but breeding dough.

It is best to only make the paste to be consumed by the birds at the moment, it will last a day at the most and will lose its nutritional potential as time passes. Don’t leave it uncovered and refrigerate it.

Bonus

If the bird is an insectivorous species like the European goldfinches, then you must add insects to the mixture, which will supply it with the nutrients that neither seeds nor fruits and vegetables will provide. Insects are an incomparable source of protein.

What other uses does the breeding paste have?

The breeding paste is essential during the breeding season, but it is not its only use. In fact, as I mentioned to you earlier, this food can be a permanent supplement as part of your pet bird’s diet. On the other hand, it’s also very useful during the molting season, thanks to its high content of vitamins (essential to avoid false molting and avitaminosis, which affect feathers), minerals, and proteins.

In this case, I recommend you balance the amount of fruit and vegetable with the protein sources, getting a slightly higher percentage of vitamins.

You know, take care of the parents as well as the chicks. Strong and energetic parents raise strong and healthy future birds.