Finch Seed & Food: The Best Diet for Finches

Written by the Birdsville team. Last updated October 2026.

The best diet for finches is a fresh, quality finch seed mix, plus greens, egg and biscuit, live food or insect food, grit and vitamins. Seed makes up most of a finch’s diet, so its quality matters more than anything else. Many places charge a high price for an inferior mix, where the box is worth more than the seed inside. This guide covers the best finch seed and every other finch food we recommend, all available online from Petsville, delivered Australia-wide, or in-store at Birdsville in Sydney.

Finch Food Key Takeaways

Seed is the main part of a finch’s diet, so feed a fresh, quality mix.
Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary.
Finches also need greens, egg and biscuit, grit and a calcium source.
Many finches need live food or insect food, especially when breeding.
Breeding finches benefit from extra protein, vitamins and a breeding aid.
Everything on this page is available on Petsville and in-store at Birdsville.

The Best Finch Seed

The best finch seed is a fresh mix based on canary seed, white French millet, Japanese millet and panicum. Our top pick, and our biggest selling finch blend, is Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-finch-canary-500g). It’s a nutrient rich blend of canary seed, millets, hulled oats, linseed, vegetables, herbs, fruit and greens, plus niger, which is hard to find in Australia right now. It’s made for finches and canaries.

Birdsville Blends are bagged fresh on site from fresh, quality ingredients. Our turnover is high, so the seed never sits on a shelf going stale, and buying from the people who mix it means better value. Its highly recommended to mix this blend through your normal finch seed mix or to supply it separately.

Why Seed Quality Matters for Finches

Bird specialist stores will always stock the best seed. Many chain stores sell mixes padded with filler and cheaper seed to look like good value. You end up with a lot more waste and less healthy birds. We’ve seen many breeders struggle to breed their birds because of the quality of the seed they were feeding. At Birdsville and Petsville, we only offer the highest quality grains, at all times.

Finch Seed Mixes and Single Seeds

Basic Finch Mix (Avigrain Finch Blue)

Equal parts white French millet, canary seed, Japanese millet and panicum or red panicum, with no black oil seeds or panorama. A great everyday base mix. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-finch-blue-2kg).

Avigrain Finch Red

Panorama, white French millet, canary seed, Japanese millet, panicum, shirohie millet, red panicum and canola. This is our standard finch mix for all varieties, available in-store.

French White Millet

The most digestible seed for all birds. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-french-white-millet-1kg).

Plain Canary Seed

100% canary seed, a staple in most finch mixes. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-canary-plain-2kg).

Niger Seed

Niger is a tiny, oil rich seed and an excellent energy source for finches and canaries. It’s very hard to get in Australia at the moment, so we’re not selling it on its own right now. We do buy it in and blend it into our Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-finch-canary-500g), our biggest selling finch blend, so your finches still get niger in every bag.

Hulled Oats

A source of calcium, iron, B vitamins and niacin. Hulled oats are mostly fed to finches in winter. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-hulled-oats-1kg).

Canola Seed

A small oil seed often added to finch and canary mixes. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-rape-canola-1kg).

Japanese Millet, Panicum, Tonic Seed and Maw

Japanese millet is a small, soft, triangular seed that finches digest easily. Red panicum millet is full of vitamins and minerals. Tonic seed contains the amino acids methionine and lysine, which are essential for good breeding and feathering. Maw is a tiny seed that’s 44% to 55% good oil. All four are available in-store at Birdsville.

Millet Sprays

Fresh millet still on the stem, in French white and panicum varieties. All finches love them. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g).

Birdsville Blend Seed Enhancer

A mix of dried vegetables to sprinkle over your finch’s seed for extra nutrition. Buy on Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blend-mixed-veg-seed-enhancer).

What Else Do Finches Eat?

Finches need more than just seed. Their diet should also include greens and vegetables, egg and biscuit, finch crumble, live food or insect food, and grit.

Greens and Vegetables

Offer greens and vegetables every day or every second day: cucumber, endive, spinach, broccoli, beans, snow peas, peas, corn, seeding grasses and chickweed. Don’t feed lettuce.

Egg and Biscuit

Egg and biscuit is high in protein, and especially important when finches are breeding. Try Shep’s Egg & Biscuit (https://petsville.com.au/products/sheps-egg-biscuit-500g).

Finch Crumble

Crumble or pellets give an extra source of balanced nutrition. Vetafarm Finch & Budgie Crumbles (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-finch-budgie-crumbles-450g) can be mixed with seed or egg food.

Live Food and Insect Food

Many finches, especially Australian and African insect eating species, need live food, and nearly all finches benefit from it when breeding. We sell live food for finches in-store at Birdsville, including live mealworms. Some breeders also feed fly pupae or termites, though termites are hard for most people to find.

For easy insect food you can order online, try Vetafarm Insecta-Pro (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-insecta-pro-450g) or Vetafarm Insectivore Rearing Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/wombaroo-insectivore-rearing-mix-250g).

Sprouted Seed

Finches love sprouted seed, and it’s very nutritious. Rinse it thoroughly with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) before feeding to remove bacteria. See our Best Bird Treats page (https://birdsville.net.au/bird-treats-tips-and-sprouted-mix/) for how to sprout seed.

Grit and Calcium for Finches

Finches need fine grit to help grind their seed, and a steady supply of calcium. Offer a fine finch grit mix with shell, charcoal and crushed cuttlebone, such as shell grit (https://petsville.com.au/products/shell-grit-5kg), plus a cuttlebone (https://petsville.com.au/products/avi-one-cuttlebone-with-stainless-steel-clip). Always put grit in its own dish, never mixed into the seed.

Vitamins for Finches

A regular vitamin boost keeps finches in top condition, especially those eating mostly seed. Add Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) to the water a few days a week. Finches kept indoors without direct sunlight also benefit from Vetafarm Soluvite D (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-soluvite-d-25g), which supplies vitamin D. For extra calcium, add Vetafarm Calcivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-calcivet-50ml) to the water.

Feeding Breeding Finches

Breeding finches need extra protein, vitamins and calcium to lay healthy eggs and raise strong chicks. In the lead up to and during breeding, offer:

Seed soaked with Vetafarm Breeding Aid (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-breeding-aid-100ml), an oil based supplement that supports fertility, egg strength and chick growth.
Plenty of egg and biscuit, sprouted seed and greens.
Live food, Insecta-Pro or Insectivore Rearing Mix.
Calcivet in the water for strong eggshells.
Tonic seed and hulled oats, available in-store.

How Much Should a Finch Eat?

A small finch eats only around a teaspoon of seed a day, but finches eat almost constantly, so always keep the seed dish topped up.

Here’s a tip from our team. Blow the empty husks off the top of the seed dish every day. A dish can look full when it’s really just husks sitting on top, with no seed left underneath.

Seasonal tip: In hot summer weather, store seed in a sealed container somewhere cool and dry, so it stays fresh and pantry moths stay out. Remove egg food and greens within a couple of hours on hot days before they spoil.

Foods Finches Should Never Eat

Never feed finches avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion or salty, sugary or fatty human food. Leave out lettuce, which has little nutrition, and never feed mouldy or stale seed.

Finch Seed and Food Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best seed for finches?

The best seed for finches is a fresh, quality mix based on canary seed, white French millet, Japanese millet and panicum. Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Finch & Canary, which also includes niger, hulled oats, vegetables, herbs and greens. Avoid cheap mixes full of filler seed, as they lead to more waste and less healthy birds.

What do finches eat besides seed?

Finches also need fresh greens and vegetables, egg and biscuit, sprouted seed and millet sprays, plus fine grit and a calcium source. Many finches, especially when breeding, also need live food such as mealworms, or an insect food like Vetafarm Insecta-Pro, to give them extra protein.

How much seed does a finch eat a day?

A small finch eats only around a teaspoon of seed a day, but finches eat almost constantly, so always keep the seed dish topped up. Blow the empty husks off the top every day, because a dish can look full of husks while the seed underneath has run out.

Do finches need live food?

Some finches do, especially Australian and African insect eating species, and nearly all finches benefit from live food when breeding. Live mealworms and other live food are available in-store at Birdsville. Vetafarm Insecta-Pro and Insectivore Rearing Mix are easy alternatives you can order online from Petsville.

Do finches need grit?

Yes. Finches swallow fine grit to help grind their seed, and it also gives them calcium and minerals. Offer a fine finch grit with crushed cuttlebone, shell and charcoal, always in its own dish and never mixed into the seed. A cuttlebone adds extra calcium.

What should I feed breeding finches?

Breeding finches need extra protein and nutrients. Add egg and biscuit, sprouted seed, live food or Insecta-Pro, and seed soaked with Vetafarm Breeding Aid, which supports fertility and chick growth. Give extra calcium with Calcivet in the water so hens can lay strong eggs.

Buy Finch Seed and Food Online or In-Store

Every seed, food, vitamin and breeding aid on this page is available online from Petsville, delivered Australia-wide (seed can’t be sent to WA or Tasmania because of quarantine laws), and in-store at Birdsville, 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney. Live food is available in-store only. Visit us or call (02) 9669 1766, and our team will help you choose the right food for your finches. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@birdsvillepets) for live updates.

Related Birdsville pages: Bengalese Finch Care [Bengalese Finch care page link], Finch Cages and Aviaries [Finch Cages page link], Canary Seed [Canary Seed page link], Birdsville Blends (https://birdsville.net.au/birdsville-blends/).

About Birdsville

Birdsville has been trading in Sydney since 1985, and we believe we’re now the oldest bricks and mortar bird shop still open in Australia. Owner Ash brings experience from vet clinics and from zoo keeping at the Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, now Wildlife Habitat. We’re a small business that does things in a big way. Nobody tells us how to run things, so we keep our products the best of the best.