growing birdseed

Learn what to feed your birds.
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Ginene
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by Ginene » Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:41 am

I'm going to try it in a pot too. I don't trust that the soil in Staten Island, NY is safe to grow anything consumed!!! :wink:

paul-inAZ
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by paul-inAZ » Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:57 am

I know what you're saying about Staten Island. Many, many years ago I lived in Bayonne.

For pots, if you have a Harbor Freight (tools) store around they sell sturdy and wide oil changing pans for about $2 that would work well. Or get one of those plastic pans for washing dishes from a dollar store.

As an update- now that they are used to it my 4 Gouldian juvies will pounce on and demolish an unripe seed head each in a half hour. They also chew and carry around the leaves and stems. And I thought they liked broccoli and millet sprays!

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Re: growing birdseed

Post by Rox » Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:47 pm

What a great thread and great idea's. I'm definitely going to try and grow some grass seeds now :)
Roxanne

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lou
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by lou » Fri Apr 19, 2013 10:49 pm

Stagger planting the seeds 2weeks apart,I plant wheat, rape, mustard, canary seed and most millet
The dandilions are still plentiful right now, feed all these seeds in the milk stage especially when they have young. Keep those fingers dirty
lou

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30 Seconds to Bob
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by 30 Seconds to Bob » Sat Apr 20, 2013 9:29 pm

Just wondering - do you have to be concerned with the introduction of mites when you provide weeds grown outdoors like this? I also grow veggies for my birds, but stuff that is either broad-leafed or thick skinned. Stuff that washes off easily. Bob
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EyesofFreedom
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by EyesofFreedom » Sat Apr 20, 2013 9:33 pm

all this time I have just been emptying out my seed container in the yard... I noticed in the winter a lot of small feet prints there... never really thought to look and see what was growing there...
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paul-inAZ
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by paul-inAZ » Sat Apr 20, 2013 9:59 pm

Bob: I've never given mites a thought.
There are aphid-like bugs on some of the plants that wild and caged birds seem to eat.
Mites are not much of problem in the dryness of the desert. They apparently like humidity -something florida has too much of- so that could be a real factor for you.
Answer: I don't know.

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Re: growing birdseed

Post by lou » Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:49 pm

Mites are not a problem, but I'm always on the look out for ticks getting on me
lou

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Re: growing birdseed

Post by debbie276 » Sun Apr 21, 2013 4:01 am

Haven't had a bug problem yet. :)
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Finnie
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by Finnie » Sun Apr 21, 2013 9:24 pm

I haven't found bugs either. I think the kinds of mites that get on birds aren't found on plants.
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by 1crazyflock » Sat Apr 27, 2013 12:07 pm

Hi Paul,
I always grow seed for my birds. They love it unripe as you found out. :) It is a great way to provide "greens" for them. I have read unripe is far more nutritious for them. Kind of like many foods are better for us uncooked. I pluck seed heads for them but also plant shallow dishes and set them in the cages as young grass. Everyone loves it.

I also sprout seeds for them. Its a good soft food for babies to learn to eat .

I'm in Tucson, (Hi to a fellow Arizonian. :wink: ) and we are lucky to have a long growing season.

One thing i like about growing seeds, is it grows fast!

Nelloyello~ yes, do give it a try! They sprout fast and grow fast! I've had some go to seed as little as 6" to 10" tall. It will vary with what seeds you use. It's a lot of fun, and good for the birds.

Jo

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Re: growing birdseed

Post by paul-inAZ » Sat Apr 27, 2013 1:12 pm

Hi Jo:
It is fascinating to see their preference in seeds. I really haven't tried to put names on the various types of plants. Most are grasses of one type or another but I do get rape seed as well.
I get probably 4 kinds of grasses with small-seeded, short seed heads kind of resembling dwarf millet sprays that they all like. One has larger seeds on a longer head that resembles wheat that a cage with juveniles demolish in minutes while their parents who are raising 3 more chicks in another cage won't look at them.
A surprise is that they all pick at the stems and leaves. I cut the grasses off about a foot long, usually trying to leave a leaf or two. That also makes it easier to pull out those eaten.

wellingtoncdm

Re: growing birdseed

Post by wellingtoncdm » Sat Apr 27, 2013 5:36 pm

Green seed has great nutritional value. Breeding and molting birds love it. It's also great for weaning young birds. Many people in Australia freeze it to make it las longer.

Nerien

Re: growing birdseed

Post by Nerien » Wed May 01, 2013 1:48 pm

Do you cut the plants off to feed them, or if you grow in a pot, can you just put the entire pot in the cage for them to munch on? If so, what soil do you use, just potting soil, or something special?

Would think that growing small batches in plastic cups, so that you could just put one cup of growing plants into the cage each day, would be easiest. But what about the dirt?

paul-inAZ
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Re: growing birdseed

Post by paul-inAZ » Wed May 01, 2013 2:03 pm

In my case I simply scattered some seed mix outdoors.
I cut the stalks off leaving a couple of green leaves, discarding the dry ones. Typically gives me stalks a foot or more long. They seem to like picking at the green stems and leaves. I may try hanging the stems from the ceiling to make it more interesting for them.

I tried growing in small dishes w/potting soil and that didn't prove to be very satisfactory. The seedlings got spindly and flopped over even if grown in good light. Seemed like a good idea though.

My guess is that any yard soil would work just fine. Isn't that what the wild ones see?

After looking at their preferences for the various plants from the seed mix, from here on I will only plant loose millet seeds that usually fall off their sprays. some of the other grasses have not been too popular.

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