Fresh seed vs store bought seed...Guess the results?

[cindy]

Nancy, I am going to plant the seeds for sprouting this weekend....my birds will love it!!!! I am so excited about all this!!!

I don't know if this is something to watch but when feeding the store bought seeds my birds downed pellet and powdered almost every bit I gave them, they ate some of the store bought seed but mostly it ended up in the bottom of the tray or donated to the "Zoe cavalier lick up" on the floor. (Dogs eating seeds...I am surprised I don't have crops in my lawn!!!)....any way on the seed we are trying even when mixed with a simplier parakeet seed, the parakeet seed is still knock about but on the floor there are empty brown top and Japenese millet hulls...sorry Zoe!

Now what will I snack on......

zoe.jpg (7.32 KiB) Viewed 925 times

I run the vacuum and sweep up less. The pellets are still being eaten but not at the rate they were before...I wonder if the store brand seed is missing something they are now getting from the fresh seed, possibly why they comsumed more pellets to compensate.

[6finchfriends]

That's very interesting. One thing I noticed with mine is they will gobble up the fresh foods I give them every morning (dandelion, cucumber, egg mix, grated carrot etc.)but really don't eat much seed (mix from the store) I've tried lots of different seed mixes but they mostly just eat the millet and the rest goes in the compost outside. It's frustrating because I go through a lot of seed, but in reality, they aren't actually eating much of it.
* adorable King Charles! My daughter was able to adopt a sweet little girl that looks like yours. she came from a back yard breeder/puppy mill and is the sweetest little girl. Such lovely family dogs. Oh, and my dogs like seed too. weird

[cindy]

I think even though the store bands have all those "good additives" in them it is lacking, perhaps it is the freshness they like...maybe like the birds in the wild.

Thank you in regards to Zoe...we have a tri and a ruby...sadly our rescue has seen more cavaliers this year than ever. More are sent to the pound and recued by our group and the National group. Sweet dogs! Bless your daughter for opening her heart to a little sweetheart.

[Foosa101]

Nancy, I am going to plant the seeds for sprouting this weekend....my birds will love it!!!! I am so excited about all this!!!

I don't know if this is something to watch but when feeding the store bought seeds my birds downed pellet and powdered almost every bit I gave them, they ate some of the store bought seed but mostly it ended up in the bottom of the tray or donated to the "Zoe cavalier lick up" on the floor. (Dogs eating seeds...I am surprised I don't have crops in my lawn!!!)....any way on the seed we are trying even when mixed with a simplier parakeet seed, the parakeet seed is still knock about but on the floor there are empty brown top and Japenese millet hulls...sorry Zoe!

Now what will I snack on......

zoe.jpg

I run the vacuum and sweep up less. The pellets are still being eaten but not at the rate they were before...I wonder if the store brand seed is missing something they are now getting from the fresh seed, possibly why they comsumed more pellets to compensate.

Too funny...wish my dogs would do that! Slackers...all they want to do is play with "Flea" their squeaky toy.

As for seeds in your lawn, it is very possible - that's the way some of the "old timers" used to spread seed in their pasture. They would put it in the cattle troughs and let them eat it and then go distribute it. Not the ideal way of broadcasting seed in my opinion but to each their own.

You'll have fun sprouting the seeds...at least I do but look where I work. They are all quick to germinate and could very easily see the sprouts within 24 hours.

[Foosa101]

Wow.. the Jap millet looks SUPER fresh and still green!!

I would LOVE to try some of this!

Our millet will not always be green like in the picture as now is the harvest season for all you warm season crops and they will not be harvested again until this time next year. However, the seed purity and quality will hold for several years.

As I have posted before, a lot of companies that sell bird seed purchase "light" seed (low quality) in bulk, or stock up on it on the years that there are buffer crops, and then mix it with other seeds that are ideal for that specific mix. I cannot and will not say what companies but if a couple of companies are doing it you can pretty much bet that they are ALL doing it.....otherwise their pricing would be through the roof and they would be outta business. Just food for thought...

[CandoAviary]

great looking seed...nothing better than growing it yourself. I grow small quanities... mostly for treats. The birds go nuts over green stalks and and newly ripened mature seed! Great job.

[Sally]

What an interesting thread! IMO, the birds like these seeds because they are fresh. As Nancy has mentioned, no telling how old some of our mixes are, so any time they get a chance to have 'fresh' seed, it is like candy to them. Great job!

[nixity]

Well, I know the seed I use is very fresh as well, I just liked the look of the green seed in the photo and would supplement my birds' diet happily with that

[MLaRue]

Those seeds look wonderful!

I have a long list of "grass" seeds I would like to be able to give my birds but was never able to find a supplier that didn't cost a fortune or didn't know if the seed was treated or not.

Nancy I will send you a PM

[cindy]

Misty, we are going to try for every two cups of brown top and Japanese we will add 1/4 cup of red millet.

We are working on a mix of soybeans, oats and peredovik (sunflower) mix, it was a bit chunky but parts were finely ground, the ground sections were eaten by owls, some zebras. The shredded oats were eaten by most including owls and black cheek zebra...the dried soyeans were a little chunky and not eaten unless a powder.

I am going to grind the mix down to a powder and give it to parent zebras feeding hatchlings...the soybean is a good alternative for protein, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Protein and Manganese. We will see how this works compared to a dried eggfood mix. Ground Roudybush pellets can be added to for vitamins and minerals.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/leg ... z1W5ZIgNng

The peredovik is a high oil seed and helps with healthier feather development.

Oats...have antioxidants, is a cleansing grain that cleans the intestinal tract and blood. Oats contain an excellent balance of amino acids. It also contains proteins, high in lysine. Oats also contains high levels of carbohydrates.

[MLaRue]

Are you and Nancy trying to come up with a mix of seeds so to speak?

[cindy]

Kind of, to see what is eaten and what is not. Since I have a variety of finches we are using them as test subjects. It is amazing how they are not eating the prepackages brands.

[MLaRue]

Kind of, to see what is eaten and what is not. Since I have a variety of finches we are using them as test subjects. It is amazing how they are not eating the prepackages brands.

Mine never ate them either - that includes the Abba mixes And, also why I mix my own that my finches love - they eat everything. However, I'm finding they don't like the red millet anymore. It is their last choice.

I still would want to purchase certain seeds and go from there - especially if she has seeds like White Clover, Orchard Grass, and a few others that aren't coming to mind at the moment.

[cindy]

I will be planting alfalfa, clover and purple turnips for greens....I would also like to plant greens for my dogs.

[MLaRue]

Purple turnips? As in turnip green tops for the birds? I did turnip greens for mine and the dang things had little tiny spikes all over the leaves And, they were sold as the "turnip" greens you can buy to eat at the store. Not!