is there a safe fruit and/or veggie to feed on a daily basis

[Musetta]

Well, it seems my finches are big fans of lettuce. Everyone is gobbling it down greedily...except for Cranberry, who apparently is under the impression that it is nesting material and is transferring all of it to their nest...

[ac12]

TIP
We get most of our veggies for FREE.

We go to the local grocery store early in the morning (before 8am) and get the cuttings that the vegie guys cut off the veggies when they put out new veggies. These are things like the outer leaves of lettuce that don't look "pretty." They normally throw these cuttings into the dumpster, so they give us a small bag each week. We get lettuce, chard, and a few other green veggies, depends on what they are putting out that day and what is in the trash box for us to pick from. That helps with the budget, and since the birds don't eat a LOT, we are not buying and throwing away excess veggies.

For carrot, after my wife takes what she wants from the carrots for dinner, I chop up the skin and the ends for the birds.

[Mands]

I am glad I read this. I have been giving mine spinach every day. It is the only vegie they will eat. They will eat ice-berg lettuce but I have been told not to give it to them, I tried cos lettuce but they wont eat that either. Now I have run out of other fruit and vegies to give them.

I have tried frozen peas and corn, carrot, apple, broccoli but I have had no success. I have tried and tried several times but they still wont. Only spinach.

[debbie276]

You could try giving them dandelion, chickweed and/or grass seed heads from your yard if you don't spray pesticides.

[cindy]

Cindy, Thank you for mentioning the Quinoa - I forgot that! Do you just soak it? I've been cooking it - maybe I don't need to do that?

I set it in a bowl over night (you can go a little longer... a day and a half or two just rinse well in between) add the quinoa with enough water to cover it completely. In the a.m. you should see little sprouts coming out of the quinoa. Best when there is just a little sprout showing.

My budgies down it quickly....my other birds love it as well. Add shaved broccoli tops and finely shaved grated carrot to it. high in protein.

[Musetta]

Mands: Have you tried Romaine lettuce? Mine seem to like that. Or Kale?

[cindy]

Romaine is a favorite with mine but I don't give it daily.

[Musetta]

Cindy, I basically decided not to give them any particular fruit or veggie daily, as I couldn't find a consensus among everyone as to whether there is a safe daily option that I also have readily available. Sigh.