FINCHforum

So we tried a new treat for the birds. KALE. Didn't think they were ounce to love as much a they did. They are the while thing In 2 hours . I was glad they liked it .

Kale is one of the best dark greens you can feed your birds! I throw kale in my breakfast smoothies for myself, it is good for people too.

Yes Sally ik. It was so nice to watch them. And my mom bought it for herself too lol. She always puts spinach in her smoothies too so basically all the extra treats we give them we already havE LOL

I use it in a lot of veggie chops for the birds....and salads for us!

Kale is definitely their favorite, delray. I'm glad mom picked some up for them

Cindy yes they love it . Ginene I am too

I don't like kale, so never have it on hand. Since so many on the forum feed it, I bummed a couple of leaves from the produce guy in the grocery store for them to try. It was a definite no for them. Maybe they saw my face when I put it in the cage and figured they were not in for a treat, but something good for them. I should have persevered, but since I don't eat it, I would have had to buy an awfully lot of it at a time for 7 little birds.

I'm glad yours like it - the more variety the better. Have you given them corn on the cob? Mine all but freak out from excitement when they see it coming. I've used fresh, but most often cook the frozen, cut off the kernels for me, and put in the "shaved" cob for them to pick out the part of the kernel left behind. Talk about a fun food! Of course, it was only fun after they got over the terror of that huge weird looking thing in the cage in the first time.

dcompt I remember kale was not my friend the first time I tasted it. We grow it in our garden. I learned when buying seeds there are a lot of varieties. Some are much stronger flavored than others, darker than others, or milder than others, less cabbage tasting. You may try one and like it because it's mild...if you would make kale chips in the oven with olive oil...or something like that. If you break yourself in that way, you can work up to kale and bacon steamed down, so it doesn't taste so strong, etc.. My birds love it too!

Do you just tear off a piece and put it in their food?

I think some do tear off a piece. I chop it fine in the food processor, but that does make it a bit mushy. If I only had to do a small amount, I'd chop it with a knife, more like minced kale.

My Javas don't like kale at all, but love romaine lettuce & spinach. Maybe they just didn't like the type I bought. I'll have to try it again.

Abby,I actually have these great clips that after I wash a piece I put it on it. They really enjoy it!

wildbird , my birds also love the romaine lettuce, the spinach is OK to them. Doesn't seen like a big hit for them lol

My guys love Kale! It's really the best green in terms of nutrients. I actually discovered kale with my guinea pigs, who went nuts for the stuff!

Mine prefer it all chopped up, but the only downer to this is that it dries up and gets wilty pretty fast. (Though it's a bit better if you put it in a pile....which they spread out in short order, but it staves off wilting until they decide to eat it.)

So I usually chop up with a knife, and also put up a full leaf for the latecomers. (I think I have the same clip as you, Delray. It's a little yellow clip intended for millet. I wish I could find another! It came with a package of millet ages ago and I've never seen one again.)

Be careful, though, if you have guys who are nesting.
I can't offer the full leaves when they're involved in nest building as otherwise, the leaves end up as part of the nest!.....all wilty and icky.

Mine love Kale. I either finely chop it, or cut it into 1 1/2 inch or so squares and love to watch them trying to eat it. Just big enough to lift...but you must step on them to get a good bite. It's really funny to watch sometimes!
About Kale...and not liking it. I used to hate Kale but we grow 3 different kinds in our garden. Some are more mild than others...so don't give up on it. Also, Kale chips...olive oil and roasted in the oven is great for people who hate Kale! Recipes online. Yes, it gets mushy quickly...and it's not great nesting material.