FINCHforum

Im kinda late asking this question since I've been feeding this for the last couple of months. My birds never did take to greens like Kale and Spinach but dang they sure love a handful of fresh grass from the lawn. They make short work of it and I try to make sure they have a handful a couple of times a week.

Any negatives to this? I havent seen anything detrimental since I've been feeding this but would stop in a heartbeat if there was any cause of concern.

Any advice very much appreciated.

As long as you aren't using chemical pesticides or fungicides on your lawn, it should be OK I would think. Organic fertilizers are best when growing anything to eat, whether it is for the birds or for you.

I was told previously that as long as the greens from the yard do not have fertilizer/pesticides, then whatever is in season is fine. I give my finches the stalks of grass/millet that grow from left over seed that has fallen. I do not fertilize or use pesticides on my yard. A la natural, as they say. LOL. My finches will not eat Kale, but love Spinach and Romaine lettuce in the winter. They prefer the Romaine of all the choices given to them. Hope this is helpful.

I don't see any harm in feed lawn grass. if you know they like grass, maybe you could plant some wheat grass and give that a try. I hear it's very good for them.
Just a thought

Ok the grass idea sounds wonderful but....there are a lot of things wild birds, animals carry. Personally I would opt for grasses I can grow in pots, that is not exposed to things I don't want my birds to eat. I live in Florida, we have possum, racoon, rabbits, wild birds galore....I would not use the outdoor grass here.

Some of our forum members has a wonderful idea...wheat grass. They plant the seeds in shallow planters, lets it grow and gives it to their birds like that.They love it.

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... heat+grass

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... heat+grass

I would stay away from Fescue, should this be what you have in your lawn, as it carries endophyte that is known to be harmful to livestock. Don't know how it would affect birds but most other grasses should be fine.

Also, other cool season grasses like Orchardgrass, Bluegrass, Timothy, & Perennial Ryegrass can have higher carbohydrate levels (sugars and starch) that have been known to cause horses and other livestock to be prone to laminitis, metabolic syndrome, Cushing’s, gastric ulcers, and Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy.

Should any of these grass varieties be what you are feeding your birds I would make sure you harvest it during the mid afternoon on cool days - by mid afternoon the carb levels will have decreased considerable and should not be a problem.

Again, I know this is an issue with livestock and have never heard of any issues with birds but I would take caution with my birds.

Should you have warm season grasses, like Bahia, Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, or even St. Augustine, feed away!! Unless you are applying herbicides or insecticides like previously mentioned.

I grow a variety of millets, brassicas, clovers, and alfalfa for my birds and small trays and rotate them every day or so. They absolutely love it.

Thanks everyone!

Maybe I'll scale them back and try other to get them interested in other types of greens. After all it's their health I'm concerned most about. And there are roaming dogs and cats in the neighborhood. As for any future use of lawn grass I'll definitely avoid any "yellow" grass

You can sprout greens (brassicas) like kale and turnips (use the greens not the root) but you can also buy it at your grocery store too. That's the easiest way and buy organic should you have an additional worries about that.