Fresh seed vs store bought seed...Guess the results?

[Foosa101]

Hi foosa are you still given out sample of the seed/millet if so please PM so I can give u my address if not please lmk prices. Thanks

I do apologize but I am unable to offer free samples at this time..maybe again sometime in the late future.

[Foosa101]

Were the bags labeled? I have heard that some of them were not

No labels on the bags but I use the descriptions you've told me when I PM'd you plus I looked at the pics Cindy posted ( though she mixed up the labels on the pic, based on your comment).

Anyway, I did mixed the two seeds as Cindy suggested and still my goulds eats the japanese and very little of rown top. I found a lot of whole brown top seeds on the floor. I think birds even of the same species have their own individual favorites. I will continue to offer both seeds but this time I will mix it with my old seed mix to see if this will make any difference.

I agree with with your statement on birds having their own individual favorites..My Goulds love the BT Millet the most.

[Foosa101]

Thanks so much for the samples -- they are large samples but I am glad since I have so many finches -- they can all taste it.

That's something that also amazed me the samples are very generous in size I Definetly did not expect them to be that big ...

I wanted everyone to have enough seed for all their birds to try and a small sample wasn't going to supply us with adequate feedback.

[Foosa101]

Nancy, got the seed late today and I am going to remove all my trays with the old seed and then place the old seed in a container and the new seed in a similar container (so the birds will have the same sort of offering) and see what happens. I am going to be ready to take pictures.

I will definitely publish my findings (hopefully) by end of day tomorrow.

Thanks so much for the samples -- they are large samples but I am glad since I have so many finches -- they can all taste it.

You're quite welcome and I look forward to the results.

[Foosa101]

Got the seeds yesterday. Thanks so much Nancy. What nice big sample bags! Wow!

I put some in the aviary last night and ALL the birds have been eating it. I cannot say which they like the best because they are eating all of it. In fact, this morning they went for it and left the spouts alone.

I would certainly be a good customer for more of this! Thanks again Nancy!

I am so happy that they are loving it and thank you for posting pictures and feedback. You're Gouldians are gorgeous by the way.

[cindy]

I could not get my birds to eat the red millet so I ground it to a powder to try it that way. The BC zebras and owls were the first to eat it, the rest followed. I mixed it in with dried eggfood and ground pellets. So far they are eating it.

I also chitted some and got it to sprout a little ans set 3 trays out to sprout and grow.

I am now chitting soybeans, oat and German foxtail along with Japanese and brown top millet to plant. I am starting a salad bar!!!!!

[annague]

Here is my report on the fresh seed:

All my finches seemed to like both the Japanese Millet and the Browntop Millet about the same; the Parrot finches showed a small preference for the Browntop.

They seemed to enjoy the fresh seed once they decided to try it; at first they eyed it with suspicion because it didn't look like their normal seed.

I had great success with my small waxbills eating the seed, my parrot finches, owls, gouldians and even my doves all liked the seed, preferring it over their normal seed. I did notice the second day, however, that some of the finches went back to the normal seed to pick out their favorite bits -- like the sunflower seeds and seemed to 'dig' through the Browntop and Japanese to find other varieties of seed.

Overall, I was very happy with their response to the fresh seed -- never let it be said that the birds don't know what is fresh and good from what is not!

Below I posted some photos.

[cindy]

Thank you very much Anna for posting your results!!! Glad they liked it!!!

[calman]

Hi Nancy,

Thank you so much for the seeds. I put both seeds in separated bowls and my bird went crazy for one seed #1. They empty 1/3 of the bottle in two days! They went for seed #2 only after the first had been empty.

Could you name the seeds? I took close up pictures of them here. Also, should I worry about "too much of one kind" now, as they kept eating the seed number 1?

Seed #1, my birds favorite:
http://www.finchforum.com/gallery/displ ... ?pos=-1214

Seed #2:
http://www.finchforum.com/gallery/displ ... ?pos=-1213

Thanks,
Cal,

[cindy]

#1 looks like Brown Top millet
#2 is Japanese millet

It seems the almost everyon'e birds like the brown top! Mine eat both but like the brown top first.

[finchmix22]

Update: I tried Cindy's suggestion of mixing the seeds with regular food like veggies. The finches ate all the seed if I sprinkled it over veggies with Feather Fast on top as well. They ate mostly all, but left some Proso and some Jap Millet, but ate more of those than previously. Now, I put the seeds together in a mix of al three and some of their regular pellet/seed mix. They eat everything but the reg seed/pellets now.

[cindy]

They will go back and eat the pellets....mine do that and I find powder or partially eaten noes at the bottom of the dish. This is a new food so they may go to it first. My owls and a few zebra go to the pellets first then the seed.

I could not get them to eat the red millet we tried with the German foxtail (tiny golden seed) finally I tried grinding the red millet and offering it in a separate dish....they ate it, one of the cages of owls ate almost all of it. Perhaps the seed hull was to hard.

I am growing Brown top, red and German foxtail in planters outside on my screened lania. Also growing soybeans and oats for the greens.

[Foosa101]

#1 looks like Brown Top millet
#2 is Japanese millet

It seems the almost everyon'e birds like the brown top! Mine eat both but like the brown top first.

Thank you Cindy and I appreciate all the feedback!!

[CandoAviary]

I am growing Brown top, red and German foxtail in planters outside on my screened lania. Also growing soybeans and oats for the greens.

Awesome, your birds are going to love you even more

[cindy]

my patio under the lania is going to be my little garden of fresh treats!!!!