FINCHforum

A care site on breeding Parsons Finch suggests feeding half ripe seeding grasses but I don't know what that is. Can someone explain?

These are some of the ones they list:
African Veldt panic grass & oats, summer & winter grass, clover, barnyard grass, Guinea grass, Newcastle grass, milk thistle and shepherds purse

...don't know about those either.

Parsons

If I had to guess, I'd say that they're talking about seed heads that are still green, so before the seed is hardened or ready to germinate. You can probably only get seeding grasses that are still green if they grow in your area (so you would harvest them and feed them to your birds before they dried out).

Hmm.. well that stinks. I live in the Sonoran desert and nothing is growing in this heat other than the cactii.

I wonder if there are any alternatives or a way to get something similar.

Thanks for the reply.

Parsons

You're welcome. Since you live somewhere dry, you could probably germinate some of the finch seed without it getting mouldy; it won't be adult seeding grass, but it should still be quite nutritious.

I've grown these once in a while. This is not the time of year to try growing anything in AZ but come mid to end of Sept. will be the time to begin. Once the heat is ebbing all you'll need is regular watering. Depending on your location you can get successive crops all winter.

Try planting some of your birds' seed mix or millet. I suppose you could try the exotic grasses you mentioned if you can find the seeds. Just scratch the seeds into the dirt and water. Some will germinate and grow to produce sprays of seeds. Harvest when the sprays show green seeds.

thank you, paul

I will try that come September.

It is mostly called seed in the milk. With other words, the seed is already formed, but is still soft. In the milk seed is a great favourite of all finches.

It is very easy to sow the seeds and harvest them three months later. My birds enjoy them.