Lentils?

[monotwine]

Still rather new to the forum and slowly reading through older posts, so I apologies if this has been discussed previously and I have not yet found it via reading or search.

Has anyone ever tried feeding lentils to their finches?

Perhaps boiled with rice as an additive to their complete diet?
Lentils are rich in vitamin B3, vitamin B5, folic acid, iron, potassium, zinc and selenium.

Are any of these good or bad for finches?

I am trying to slowly change my birds diet to include a lot more variety, but am a bit skeptical about adding just anything.

Our premade food on the market is rather poor or lacks my birds interest, so I am having to make up food myself by adding whatever will give them a balance diet with variety. They seem very open to options and eat just about anything so long as its introduced slowly.
I have quite a few insectiverous types and fruit eating doves in a mixed aviary. So my food on offer needs to be varied and quite high in protein as I cannot offer much live food.
We don't have the seed variety you seem to have on offer. Just the basics, millets, manna, canary, sunflower, niger, rape, grass seeds (when in season). I was thrilled the other day just to finally find a stockist of hemp.

I just don't feel mine are getting the best diet I could offer and am trying to see what I can and cannot include.
I am finding your forum a huge help with what I can add in veg and fruit variety.

[Sally]

Lentils are also high in protein. According to the FIC, legumes should be fed in moderation, but they are one of the safe foods. I think they need to be cooked.

[monotwine]

FIC - Finch Info center? Oh silly me I see the link on the left.
Thanks I will scan there too.

[cntrymeadow]

Funny...I came here to post this very question!!

There is a very good possiblity that we are getting a cockatoo this weekend so I will be doing 'bird cooking'.

Im going to order these Soak & Simmer beans and plan on adding vegetables to it. Since I will have to cook for the U2 I figured I might as well offer the finch (zebra, society, gouldian) some as well.

http://birdseed.com/shop/product/soak-simmer/