FINCHforum

This site offers some really good suggestions and combinations for sprouting for pets! It would be interesting to do a mix of seeds and sprout them to offer an all in one container ~ a tossed salad!

http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/critter.html

These are great people I bought about 10 mof the round easy sprouters at least 7 years ago and they are the bombs! I sprout me seeds and the birds. The cats prefer planted greens the fickled little things.
I highly recommend the sprouter as it is the easiest and best I have yet to find

Their site is a definate "bookmark"!!!! Excellent information on how to as well as nutrition facts, a few recipes....

Hi Cindy, sproutpeople is near where I live! I bought seeds before but I did not buy their sprouter because I only have a GS so I sprout only one tablespoon at a time, of a mix of rather small seeds. And also I don't let the sprouts grow past a small bud. So i don't need anything big.
I use a tea infuser like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Grosche-Surrey-9- ... 04&sr=1-14

Soaking, draining, rinsing is easy. the slits in the glass does not allow Niger size seeds to pass through. I rinse every few hours, spread the wet seeds to the side of the glass in a single layer, and would allow no more than 2 days. I run the cups in the dishwasher after each use. Though I'd share my method with others!

I buy big gallon jars and use screening from a big roll we had left over from our lania...I have to sprout lots of sprouts...lots of finches. Added bonus we like alfalfa sprouts on salads.

I have been sprouting wheat grass for my birds and they love it. I get mine from
Living Whole Foods, Inc.

I get the Mini Pet Grass Kits this time I bought 2 3 paks through Amazon.

I have been getting seeds to sprout from Nancy...now I have to do some planting and we will be set!

I can see the buds...I still need to get soil and big pots for sprouting soybeans, red millet, oats and some brown top and a little clover.

Nancy is the best source in regards to grow time. I think there is info on Hancock Seed's site about grow time...I'll have Nancy chime in. You can feed the soybean tops or green sprouts to the birds. I soaked soybeans and attemting to sprout them in a jar then either contiune in a jar or plant them.

Paradise Aviary wrote:I know the picture is not the best but I don't kno if you guys can see the tiny green seed growing

Hard to tell by the picture but I would put $100.00 up that the majority of it is millet. Millet germinates quickly (can be up within 48 hours under ideal conditions) and is the easiest out of all the grasses/forages to germinate in the summer months.

cindy wrote:Nancy is the best source in regards to grow time. I think there is info on Hancock Seed's site about grow time...I'll have Nancy chime in. You can feed the soybean tops or green sprouts to the birds. I soaked soybeans and attemting to sprout them in a jar then either contiune in a jar or plant them.

Okay, this is a quick run down for sprouting seeds at this time of year under ideal conditions.

Millets 3-4 days (will not germ if nightly temps drop below 65 degrees)
Hybrid Pearl Millet/ Soghums - 4-7 days (most varieties are sensitive to day lengths and temps same as millets).
Beans/ Peas -5-7 days
Grain Crops (wheat, oats, grain rye) - 7-10 days won't be easiest to sprout in comparison to the aforementioned varieties.
Brassicas - (PT Turnips, kale, rape) 3-4 days
Clovers/ Alfalfa - 3-4 days

All of your grain crops, brassicas, clovers (with the exception of Alyce Clover), and alfalfa are considered cool season crops in the southern U.S while they would be summer crops in more northern regions. Of course with some assistance you can sprout any of them at anytime of the year.

Annual Ryegrass would be an easier alternative to millets in the winter.

Please let me know if I can elaborate on any of these or if you have any questions in regards to sprouting.

A fun idea for those with large aviaries would be to sprout peas or beans in pots and have them climb the walls of your aviary. Cowpeas, Lablab, or Austrian Winter Peas would be excellent varieties but you can use others peas and beans as well.

Paradise Aviary wrote:I also found these growing and I'm not positive but I think that its from my European supreme pigeon seed mix. I don't know if the finches could eat them as they are kinda big and hard. Nancy do you have any idea what these are called or if they can be fed to the finches????

That's a variety of sorghum.

Sure...it is highly used in bird mixes and I am guessing that is how it got in your yard to begin with. Do you have larger birds other than finches? I would assume it to be in parakeet and up blends since it is a larger seed.

Paradise Aviary wrote:I know the picture is not the best but I don't kno if you guys can see the tiny green seed growing

You see the spray (seed head) of millet seed on the left hand side of this picture? Typically, millets will grow several feet in height but when the day lengths start to shorten and the temperatures start to drop they [millets] will still germinate and grow several inches in height but then start to produce a seed head. They have to do this, being annuals, in order to reproduce themselves. Now if that particular plant or seed had been thrown into that pot or germinated back, in lets say, June it would have probably reached 3-5' in height.

Just wanted to point this out for all of you sprouting seeds - hope this better explains what I was talking about in a previous post.

Paradise Aviary wrote:

Foosa101 wrote:Sure...it is highly used in bird mixes and I am guessing that is how it got in your yard to begin with. Do you have larger birds other than finches? I would assume it to be in parakeet and up blends since it is a larger seed.

Ok that's good . And yes I have cherry head conures and pigeons. That probably how it got there.

You could crush the seed or slightly chop in a blender and see if they'll eat it. It has the same nutritional value as millet so it may not be that great of a treat for them but you never know. Seems like every bird/finch has their own taste buds. Or another option is when those seeds turn brown or mature is to cut the stalk and put it in one of your cages...