Boiled seed mix?

[Jossi]

I read an article in witch they mentioned making your own egg food. And they wrote that you could boil your seed mix and blend it with hard boiled egg and numerous other things. I just never heard of boiling seed before... Have you guys tried it? And what would be the benefit of doing so? Sounded like a nice thing to try if it would be beneficial for the birds

[debbie276]

Never heard of boiling your seed, interested to hear from others.

[cindy]

I never heard of boiling the seed...I would imagine boiling the seeds might change the composition of the value of the seed. Unless their thought is it makes it softer. Not sure their thining on it.

You can also grind the seeds to a powder and add it. Chitted would be fresher.

[L in Ontario]

Can you post a URL link to the site where you read that?

Personally, I like to boil a lot of eggs in a large pot and remove the eggs when done - saving the hot water. When the eggs are sitting for 15 minutes, I get the soakseed ready in 2 pitchers (each 1/2 full). Then I pour the hot water over the soakseed. I think it helps speed the process and IF there are any nutrients from the eggs in the water - it goes to the soakseed.

[Jossi]

I found the article in a bird magazine here in sweden, so I cant ad a link to it, but it dosent say anything about why to boil the seed. Maby it is for the texture as you mentioned, but it would be nice to know if this makes the seed more nutrient in some way (more than dry seed that is).

[cindy]

I found this article on making bird cakes for wild bird, I imagine you can do the same with finch seed. I calls for seed to be added to the mix which includes boiling water. The gelatin is mostly collagen.

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2010 ... cakes.html

Cute idea for both wild and domestic birds.

[L in Ontario]

I found the article in a bird magazine here in sweden, so I cant ad a link to it, but it dosent say anything about why to boil the seed. Maby it is for the texture as you mentioned, but it would be nice to know if this makes the seed more nutrient in some way (more than dry seed that is).

Soaking seed so that they begin to "chit" makes them MUCH more nutrient rich. I would think/presume boiling for a short period would simply hasten the process...?

[cindy]

I found this that helps explain it

http://www.canaryadvisor.com/soak-seed.html

The Controversy :
Boiled Seed vs. Soak Seed

Soft seed--whether boiled seed or soak seed--is one of the great canary treats.
It’s highin vitamins and minerals and your canary will devour it like he hasn't eaten in a week...it will disappear faster than Michael Jackson's money...or his sister's top. The only choice you have to make is...


Boil or Soak?
This is where the controversy comes in. The overwhelming majority of canary breeders will recommend soaking seed.

As a matter of fact, you may never hear anyone other than me suggest boiled seed as an alternative to soaked seed. But here's the thing...

Boiled Seed is SOooo Much Easier.

And when included with a healthy diet of greens, fruit, healthy treats, fresh water, and a clean, stress free environment, boiled seed is sufficient. Notice I said "sufficient" not "superior"...or even "equal"...

There is no argument about which is more nutritious...soaked seed or boiled. Soak seed is richer in nutrients...you'll get know back-talk from me there. But when time is tight and the kids are screaming and the dog is barking and the bills need to get paid and put in the mailbox by noon, I say, "BOIL"...

I use soak seed as much as possible but when necessary I boil. As I've stated in the Canary Tips! Ezine, I've even gone an entire breeding season feeding boiled seed and no soak seed what-so-ever and all the birds turned out strong and healthy.

The quick and easy way--but less nutritious for your canary--is to...


Boil Seed.

The benefit to feeding boiled seed over dry seed is not higher nutrition. Boiling seed is mainly used as a nestling food which parent canaries can feed to their babies. But boiling seed for your adult pet canary is beneficial too. It simply softens the seed quickly and makes it easily digestible and a pleasure to eat. Boiling is the fast and easy way to provide a soft seed treat for your canary. Simply...

1. Boil your seed for 20 minutes
2. Drain and let cool.
3. Serve to your canary.

You MUST keep boiled seed in your refrigerator to prevent spoiling. It will last for 4 or 5 days in the frig.


Simple. Easy. Fast.

But if you have the time and energy to spend making treats for your canary, then try...


Soak Seed.

"Soak seed" is soaked and rinsed over a 24 to 72 hour period. It will then begin to sprout creating a high vitamin and mineral content that was not available in the dry seed form.

Dry seed of course has an acceptable protein, vitamin, and mineral content but sprouting initiates the activation of the vitamin precursors. This process transforms the dry seed into a nutritious vegetable. I don't want this to turn into a lesson in botanical science so just remember...

"Sprouted seed is rich in vitamins and minerals"...and your canary will love it.


Beware of Spoilage

Be aware that soaked seed is susceptible to bacteria growth and souring.

It's not the best idea to use your regular seed mixture as soak seed. Many mixtures add pellets, dried bits of fruit and vegetable, and other additives that may accelerate the souring action. However, if you use a seed mixture that contains none of these additives you may be OK soaking it.


Soak Seed is Easy to Prepare

Although some "seed soakers" will weigh themselves down with a taxing cycle of...

soak, rinse, soak, rinse, soak, rinse, r-i-n-s-e, R--I--N--S--E...

Soaking seed does not have to be burdensome.

While some recommend rinsing your soak seed as many as 5 timers per day, according to birdhealth.com rinsing twice per day is adequate. Adding a little bleach to the mix will help keep bacterial growth to a minimum.


Soak Seed “How To”

1. Put 1/2 cup dry soak seed in a glass quart jar
2. Cover seed with 1 cup water
3. Add 1/2 Tablespoon bleach
4. Cover jar with cheese cloth (or another clean straining tool) secured around top with a rubber band then let sit at room temperature for 12 hours.
5. Drain off all liquid and rinse with clean water.
6. Turn the jar sideways so that air can get to as many seeds as possible and let sit at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours, rinsing at least twice per day (if you have the time and energy, rinsing 3 or 4 times per day will help keep bacterial growth down and give you more peice of mind).

By now your seeds are beginning to germinate.

You can feed this soaked seed to your canary now or let sit for another 24-48 hours at room temperature to allow more sprouting time. Just make sure you keep rinsing to wash away any bacteria growth. This soaked seed can be stored in the frig for 4 or 5 days before it begins to go bad.


Use The Right Seeds

As I stated above, you may not want to use your regular dry canary seed mixture as soak seed. The best seeds to use for soaking are...

Rape Seed
Buckwheat
Safflower
Black Sunflower
Wheat

The seed you use must be free of any chemical treatments or vitamin enrichments.

You can buy these seeds and make your own soak seed mixture or you can find a special commercial mixture of soak seed. One popular mixture is imaginatively called "Soak Seed". It's made by Abba Seed and may be found at your local pet shop. It can also be found online at foryourbird.com ( http://www.foryourbird.com/page/foryourbird/CTGY/abbas ).

Another good mixture is "48 Hour Soak Seed" at http://www.birdtechtoys.com/prod01.htm .

Try serving some soft seed today. Your canary will gobble it up...whether boiled or soaked.

[Jossi]

Thank you for the great answer
My thought when I read the article was exactly that... can I boil seed when Im short of time and need soaked seeds... Ill try it, no doubt the soaked seed is more nutrient, but sometimes life is a bit of storm and then it would be great to give them boiled instead.

I just havent heard of it before... You learn something new every day

[cindy]

You can also switch it up...some boiled, some soaked, some sprouted!!

Boiled added to eggfood for weaning young is a good idea. When handfeeding baby hookbill and in the day when I learned to make my own handfeeding formula we added seed to the last week, mostly millet to get them use to the seed. I would think boilded small seeds in a dish daily would help little finches wean easier.

I also noticed some seed they refuse to eat, if ground and left in a small dish as a powder they will eat it.

[koux33]

...so to sum up, boiled seed is easier to digest and more appealing than dry seed, but soaked sprouted seed is best and most nutritious for the birds. You get what you put into it, I guess. Thanks for the article Cindy, it was fascinating! As a beginner to sprouting seeds (and finches in general), it was very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

[cindy]

For finches or any bird, it is good to give them a variety of choices. For some sprouting may not be an option. Either soaking, boiling or mixing fresh seeds in eggfood...variety is good.

The seeds I boiled were seeds they were not eating, possibly due to the hull being a little tough. Boiling, sprouting, grinding and adding it to eggfood and even planting is and could be options to getting them to eat seeds that would not other wise....so in a way yes "you get what you put into it" while saving.....$$$$$.

[debbie276]

When you grind the seed should we be concerned about them eating the hull which they would otherwise be removing themselves?

[cindy]

I didn't see an issue with it. They loved the red millet ground, especially the owls...I am going to try the white proso today.

I also ground dried soyeans and oats Nancy gave me...tails up on that one also!