What's in your seed blend?

[lovemyfinch]

Here is where I get the mix from
http://avizoo.ca/index.php?cPath=31_40_57&&page=3

The gentleman who owns the business is just wonderful.

[Foosa101]

Gary I was talking to Nancy today...I mentioned mine don't eat the dark seed either. Pellets are now a big portion of their diet mixed with some seed.

All my hookbills ate pelletes only.

Where do you get your pellets from? I know you have told me....but I cannot remember. Herman Bros., was it?

As you already know I am having a day of days here.

[Foosa101]

That is the same here. Most carry parrot, parakeet, conure type foods and not much finch food.

Story of my life here too...down here in FL

[Foosa101]

Has anyone used the ABBA 1900 (exotic finch) blend? I've been contemplating switching to that because foryourbird.com (Beaver Creek Aviary) has reasonable shipping on it. It does have some of the "extras" in it, but they appear to make up less of the blend, and are smaller pieces. Any experience with it?
(sorry Nancy - not trying to steal your thread!)

No worries at all! I want to hear what everyone is using so I know what to experiment with. Also, I am going to take pictures of the individual seeds and post them on here eventually so you all can identify the seeds your birds are eating if you'd like.

[nixity]

Many of my birds will gorge on Nyger if they have free reign to it, but maybe these birds aren't eating the thistle/nyger in these mixes because it's sterilized.

I've only been feeding the BRU blends and these have the Early Bird live nyger in them and my birds eat it just fine.
What I never see them eating in the Breeding blend are the poppy seeds, but they're so small if they were eating them I probably wouldn't be able to easily keep track of the consumption.

Just a note, I noticed the blend Janine is using has a high concentration of Canary seed, so even though it doesn't have a lot of black seeds, the Canary itself is relatively high in protein/fat in comparison to a largely millet based seed. This looks pretty close to the Breeding/Molting blend in terms of composition, with some differences obviously

[Chichireeo]

I buy some seed blends and then add other seeds to them. If I get a new straight seed, I test it out in a separate dish first. If my bird doesn't like it then I don't put it in the mix. I have only one green singer. His seeds are nyjer, canary, hemp, flax, perilla, rape, vetch, panicum, Japanese millet, plantain, chicory, evening primrose, lettuce seeds, switch grass, poppy, sesame. I am also offering him the abba 3800 and the BRU mixes.
There is a lot of waste, I'm sure, since I just give him a variety and let him choose. But I figure I only have one little bird and I don't want to keep seeds for over a year anyway, if he doesn't finish the one kg bag, the whole bag will be tossed out when it gets old anyway.
I wish I could always get the most recent season's harvested fresh seeds. It would be great if I could plant some of these and let my bird go at the seed heads himself.

[Foosa101]

Many of my birds will gorge on Nyger if they have free reign to it, but maybe these birds aren't eating the thistle/nyger in these mixes because it's sterilized.

I've only been feeding the BRU blends and these have the Early Bird live nyger in them and my birds eat it just fine.
What I never see them eating in the Breeding blend are the poppy seeds, but they're so small if they were eating them I probably wouldn't be able to easily keep track of the consumption.

Just a note, I noticed the blend Janine is using has a high concentration of Canary seed, so even though it doesn't have a lot of black seeds, the Canary itself is relatively high in protein/fat in comparison to a largely millet based seed. This looks pretty close to the Breeding/Molting blend in terms of composition, with some differences obviously

The nyger seed that I fed mine was freshly harvested and had no treatments other than being processed - which does not sterilize the seed. All birds are different though and I suspect that it comes down to what they were raised on and accustomed to.

[Foosa101]

I buy some seed blends and then add other seeds to them. If I get a new straight seed, I test it out in a separate dish first. If my bird doesn't like it then I don't put it in the mix. I have only one green singer. His seeds are nyjer, canary, hemp, flax, perilla, rape, vetch, panicum, Japanese millet, plantain, chicory, evening primrose, lettuce seeds, switch grass, poppy, sesame. I am also offering him the abba 3800 and the BRU mixes.
There is a lot of waste, I'm sure, since I just give him a variety and let him choose. But I figure I only have one little bird and I don't want to keep seeds for over a year anyway, if he doesn't finish the one kg bag, the whole bag will be tossed out when it gets old anyway.
I wish I could always get the most recent season's harvested fresh seeds. It would be great if I could plant some of these and let my bird go at the seed heads himself.

Once I get this mix down to a science I will be able to offer freshly harvested seed that either can be used for feed or for planting. Millets are almost as easy to grow as annual ryegrass and mature within 60-90 days depending on the variety but they have to be planted during the summer months as they are sensitive to the day lengths.

I also want to note that that I am not intended on making any profit off of this...I am just trying to create a blend that will save us all $$.

[cindy]

Looking forward to meeting with you this afternoon...I will try the seed you are bringing me...I be they will gobble them down!!!!

[Foosa101]

If your birds have the same taste buds as mine - just wait until you see them mow through the Browntop Millet. I don't understand why it is not incorporated into seed mixes.....maybe because it is brown and not as attractive as the other seeds in these mixes? But, birds don't care what it looks like, people do, so I am looking forward to hearing what your birds "have to say about it".

[Foosa101]

Cindy - also the Browntop that I am bringing to you was harvested two weeks ago...that's as fresh as it comes!

[finchmix22]

I have thrown seeds outside in our backyard, which I only use organic and pesticide free products for pest control. After about a month or two, I have fresh seed heads of whatever was in the seed bag. I can only do this in spring and summer, sometimes fall, but they birds love to pick off their own seed heads. The fresh millet stalks are their fav.

[finchmix22]

Has anyone used the ABBA 1900 (exotic finch) blend? I've been contemplating switching to that because foryourbird.com (Beaver Creek Aviary) has reasonable shipping on it. It does have some of the "extras" in it, but they appear to make up less of the blend, and are smaller pieces. Any experience with it?
(sorry Nancy - not trying to steal your thread!)

No worries at all! I want to hear what everyone is using so I know what to experiment with. Also, I am going to take pictures of the individual seeds and post them on here eventually so you all can identify the seeds your birds are eating if you'd like.

Nancy,
That would be a great idea. I am trying to figure out what my finches eat and what is just picked through too. If I can identify them better, maybe I can make better choices for them. Cool.

[Foosa101]

I have thrown seeds outside in our backyard, which I only use organic and pesticide free products for pest control. After about a month or two, I have fresh seed heads of whatever was in the seed bag. I can only do this in spring and summer, sometimes fall, but they birds love to pick off their own seed heads. The fresh millet stalks are their fav.

Same here and the millets are most likely what you are seeing. We are about to harvest more Browntop and I am going to go and cut a whole bunch of the seed heads prior to harvest and let my birds have a go with it. I am going to hang them from the from the top of my flights like I do the spray millet. I betcha that will get them flying. Mine won't touch the spray millet anymore. Well my new Goulds do, but once I start incorporating these millets into their diet I doubt they will either.

[Foosa101]

Has anyone used the ABBA 1900 (exotic finch) blend? I've been contemplating switching to that because foryourbird.com (Beaver Creek Aviary) has reasonable shipping on it. It does have some of the "extras" in it, but they appear to make up less of the blend, and are smaller pieces. Any experience with it?
(sorry Nancy - not trying to steal your thread!)

No worries at all! I want to hear what everyone is using so I know what to experiment with. Also, I am going to take pictures of the individual seeds and post them on here eventually so you all can identify the seeds your birds are eating if you'd like.

Nancy,
That would be a great idea. I am trying to figure out what my finches eat and what is just picked through too. If I can identify them better, maybe I can make better choices for them. Cool.

I should be able to get them [pictures] within the next couple of days. I am still waiting on a lot of the other millets, like Red Millet and German Foxtail, to arrive from my growers, but I will get them posted asap. I don't know the variety of the hemp that these mixes contain since the just like "hemp seed" on the label so if anyone knows the actual variety of hemp that is used I can get it as well. We grow Sunnhemp here, but that is not what is used in the bird seed mixes so I am at a dead end.