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

[calman]

Hi Nancy,

I have a question. I am not sure if your seeds are the same as what sold at hancockseed dot com which got advertised for growing, could they have some harmful chemicals as they are not intended for food?

Thanks,

[cindy]

Nancy has assured me that the seed is fresh cut, no chemicals were used. It is not sold for human consumption, that is not the market they target. It is sold for wild life restoration and food plots for larger wild life. It is sold to other wholesale bird feed distributors.

[Foosa101]

Nancy has assured me that the seed is fresh cut, no chemicals were used. It is not sold for human consumption, that is not the market they target. It is sold for wild life restoration and food plots for larger wild life. It is sold to other wholesale bird feed distributors.

What Cindy stated is correct. I ship seed all over the world and I have a lot of inquiries from Africa and the Middle East about purchasing containers of millet for their own consumption - this is not a market we target or want to get in to. So, when people call me and ask "is this seed edible" I say "it is not for human consumption but you can plant it harvest the seeds yourself, etc." and this is why I stated that when you called day before yesterday until you mentioned that you were feeding it and wanted to market it for finches. Then I explained that it would be fine. Should you have concerns in regards to the above statement I would purchase your seed from another company as this was an experiment that I was intended to help us (meaning us forum members) save money and buy quality seeds for our finches. I started this b/c I was dumbfounded on the mark up on store bought brand name products. I have stated in the past that I am NOT trying to make a profit off of this and was simply trying to make a mix that would be of higher quality seeds for our birds at a lower cost. Hancock Seed Company grow, harvest and produce our millets here and they are not treated with any insecticides or chemicals. We are not certified organic as there isn't enough demand as of now to go through the certification process and would therefore drive up the cost of our seed.

[cindy]

In all fairness calman, Nancy would not do anything to put any of our finches in harms way. She spent a fair amount of her time sending FREE samples out to members across the country and out of kindness offering members a different alternative instead of store bought seed.

[CandoAviary]

I understand the reservations of buying seed grade instead of feed grade.
So many seeds grown in this country for replanting are sprayed with a fertilizer/mold inhibitor so that they germinate and grow at a high percentage for the farmer. There is a difference between seed grade and feed grade. Unless it is marked organic (or you have an inside representative as in Nancy to give you the scoop... info.. not scoop of free seed ) then I can see why this may be a concern... it was to me also. But I am sure if this seed was heavily sprayed with chemicals there would have been a lot of dead finch forum birds by now.
Many times the seed grade is fresher because it has to be fresh to sprout. Many times the feed grade, even though certified (which of course will drive the price up, that's why we pay more for feed grade bird seed than for planting seed) has been laying around for a while and the seed has died...therefore will not sprout and also will not be prefered by our finches. All finches will eat fresh seed over old/dead seed. Many times your finches may not be eating the store brand that you are feeding because it is not fresh, been sitting on the shelf for too long or not stored properly. Not because he doesn't like those particular seed.
Of course a company that sells their products as planting crops for forage, wildlife, and erosion control can not legally market for consumption of either humans or animals. So I agree with Nancy, if you are uncertain about the classification of "seed" grade or the chemicals that may have been used on seed crops, whether treated with chemicals after the seed is harvested or whether it was routinely sprayed with insecticides and fertilizers while growing to protect the plants while they were growing in the fields, then it is best to buy feed grade from a certified company where certain regulations must be followed. There are different requirements for growing seed, feed and organics and as Nancy pointed out some are more costly to obtain. Organic grown product usually produce less due not using chemical fertilizers and organics suffer more loss to insect invasion because chemical pesticides are not used. This results in the most costly yet healthiest produt. Best seed to feed your bird.... buy some seed grade and plant it yourself... this is the freshes and of course you control what chemicals are put on the plants. But this is not practical for most hobbiest. Nancy is fortunate to just happen to work at a farm that grows millet. I am sure that she has also researched the chemicals that are used on the farm and made sure they were safe before she fed her own finches this seed.

[Foosa101]

Thank you for the clarification, Candace.

However, please note that there WERE NOT any chemicals sprayed on our crops whether it be Bahia, millets, soybeans, sunn hemp, alyce clover, aeschynomene, camalina, hairy indigo, carpon desmodium, or any of the additional crops that we grow and harvest here at Hancock Seed. We are a third generation seed company and do things the old fashioned way....before insecticides and chemical fertilizers were available.

I would never feed my own finches anything harmful nor would I offer something to others that could harm their birds.

I am really starting to regret doing this since it seems that my time and efforts are being thrown back in my face and my feelings have been hurt.

Thank you to all of those who have been appreciative and supportive of the time and money that I invested into this experiment.

[cindy]

Nancy has already stated that no chemicals were used, she has been feeding her birds this for over a year. I personally have been to the facility and can vouch for it. And for the fact my birds love the seed and are doing well on it....and it is cost effective.

Calman, your birds seemed to really enjoyed your free sample based on your response on this thread dated September 18th. Bringing this issue up in the manner you did and offending Nancy in my opinion is just sour grapes on your part for a deal not going your way. Shipping cost (weight) of large quanities seems to be huge issue with some that want to offer it either through their store or website.

So sad....Nancy is trying to HELP members and their birds.

[debbie276]

Hi Nancy,

I have a question. I am not sure if your seeds are the same as what sold at hancockseed dot com which got advertised for growing, could they have some harmful chemicals as they are not intended for food?

Thanks,

I guess I read that post a bit different then the rest of you. I simply see someone that looked at the website for Hancock Seed ask a simple question "could they have some harmful chemicals as they are not intended for food?" I would ask the same before I fed it to my finches. I think we are a bit too sensitive, there were no accusing statements, just a very simple question from someone looking into a new food source.
Thanks for that detailed answer of seed grades Candace.

[cindy]

Debbie based on a conversation she had with him and the fact he had already been given a sizable sample of the seed (for free) I do not feel she is being sensitive about it. After all she is the one offering the seed, if he had a problem with shipping costs after the free sample then he doesn't have to take her up on the offer. He must not have been to worried about chemicals if he inquired about getting more, a sizable amount prior to writing his last statement/post.

[bugaboo5]

I'm sorry to intrude, but was there a final mixture of seeds that was deemed highly palatable? Was there any further tests done to figure out what was the optimal mixture? I'm still very interested in purchasing the "golden mixture" that is deemed "the mix". I thought the whole point of sampling the various seeds (very VERY generous of Nancy -- a million thanks) was to come to the conclusion of the perfect mix of seeds that had little waste? I'm sad to see (I was absent) that this wonderful amazing project may have gone sour. I would really like to know if a mixture has been established -- I think Cindy was testing several different kinds of seeds. What were the results?

[Merry]

I would really like to know if a mixture has been established -- I think Cindy was testing several different kinds of seeds. What were the results?

Me, too! I have been anxiously awaiting the final answer or outcome as well. I hope Nancy is still interested and hasn't lost heart due to some flak that she experienced. Will keep my ear to the ground here.

[managermania]

Nancy-
The seed you sent me was awesome. I made my own mixture with store bought food and Zupreme. It has been great. Thank you so much...from me and my birds!

[ranchnanny]

Nancy I have been feeding your 3 different seed samples to my birds for several months now and I have to say THEY LOVE IT!!!!! I still have plenty left due to the generous samples you sent.. I did add Zupreem to it. I can't keep the hoppers filled.... When my supply gets lower I will certainly order some more... Thanks again Nancy and my birds Thank You

[lou]

hi Nancy,
Getting in a bit late, thanks for the samples of the jap and brown top,
it took some time for them to get used to it, it is some of the first seeds that are eaten entirely . Let us know whats happening with the special seed mix.
thanks so much,
lou

[Sally]

Have been following this thread with interest, wondering how the tests were coming along. It looks like this will be a very good option for fresh seed, especially for those who are on the east coast. Nancy has been very generous in offering samples in order to get feedback, to see whether it made sense to make up a special finch mix.

What everyone has to remember is that no bird will eat the exact same diet every day. That was tested with Gouldians, and I would imagine it would be the same with all species. In the wild, they eat what is in season, and their breeding, resting, molting cycles have evolved from that.

To me, the most important factor with the Hancock Seed is that it is fresh. When you purchase bags of seed from a pet store, feed store, whatever, you have no idea how long those bags have been sitting on the shelf.

Another thing to take into account is the shipping charges. Hancock Seed has no control over those charges. For me in Texas, UPS ground for a 50# bag of brown top millet would be more than the cost of the seed.

So if and when Nancy arranges for a special finch mix, I'm sure there will be many who would like to purchase some. Just keep in mind that the total cost with shipping is not controllable by Hancock Seed. And Nancy, when people seem to question the seed, I think they are just being typical finch owners--making certain that their birds get the best, and so they question any and all suppliers about their goods.

Personally, if I lived in Florida, you would see my beat-up Ford pickup heading down the road to Hancock Seed!!