Soaking Seeds to grow Sprouts. DISASTER.

[flymouse]

oh forgot to say our water is double filtered by a HUGE expensive thing. We bought the house and it has that big filter, then a little filter and if you get from fridge it is filtered again. LOL

I use the jar sprouter, but it is a little mason jar with the metal ring, then I bought plastic canvas in craft section that has teeny tiny holes. Not the regular one. this one the holes are small like you would do cross stitch with them. I cut a circle and it works great.

the dirt I use is organic. So I hope that is good. They really seem to like these greens

Well I ground up carrots in my chopper. One cage the Zebra Finches they ate all around them and left the carrots. My Society Finches ate them and flipped the container. Not sure what that was about but in the 8 months of owning them they have NEVER done that.

[cindy]

I am going to start a fresh batch of white proso...I can document what I do so you can see how I sprout if that might be helpful.

[flymouse]

Um Cindy what is Proso ?? lol

[Sally]

Um Cindy what is Proso ?? lol

Proso is short for white proso millet, probably the most common seed and most inexpensive millet you will find in finch seed mixes.

[cindy]

An example of a seed mix with proso in it would be parakeet seed mixes.... below proso, sprouts and done in a mix

[flymouse]

Um Cindy what is Proso ?? lol

Proso is short for white proso millet, probably the most common seed and most inexpensive millet you will find in finch seed mixes.

ok this is the stuff that comes in Walmart bag. Think Lorraine said it had no nutritional value but Finches would eat it before other things. Bet sprouting gives it some nutrition.

Thanks this helps.

[cindy]

ALL millet has some sort of nutritional value before sprouting but when you sprout it the nutritional value of the seed triples.

[cindy]

some info on nutritional values of different millet

Millet raw
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cer ... sta/5701/2

Proso
http://slism.com/calorie/101011/

You can buy millets in grocery stores... people eat this. There is nutritional value in millets, many millets including proso are used world wide as staples in human consumption.

[flymouse]

Thanks................ Well I did my seeds and they did better this time. They hardly sprouted. But I put them in fridge and OH MY Gosh they have gone crazy.

And let me tell you, I have never put anything in there cages and came back to an empty dish.

Same thing happened today when I put on the plate,

Sprouted seeds
Brussel sprouts
lettuce
broccoli
unsalted sunflower seeds ground up in coffee grinder with
egg shells ground in coffee grinder and sprinkled all over
everything.

They ate it all. CLEARED THE WHOLE plate.

I wish I could feed this to them every day. But not sure if that would be wise or not.

[cindy]

you can feed them like that everyday but rotate the foods...sunflower is fatty so go easy on it and see the FIC for the foods you should feed in moderation.

Seed when soaked and sprouted are at their highest nutritional level when the seed is just starting to show a little "tail" growing out of the seed...as that tail gets longer the nutritional value decreases. That little "tail" nub is what we call chitting.

this is brown top chitted

[flymouse]

Thanks Cindy

What do I do so they don't grow so fast in the fridge. I only make about 1/3 cup as I only have 5 finches. When they soak and sprout they expand. Is there a certain amount I should or should not give them per day???

[cindy]

putting them in the fridge slows the growing process down so no worries there.

they should be used within 2 to 3 days once put in the fridge.

portion depends on how many birds are in the cage and how much they eat. Mine like this better than regular seed so I generally give them ample amounts.... it is better for them.

[flymouse]

you can feed them like that everyday but rotate the foods...sunflower is fatty so go easy on it and see the FIC for the foods you should feed in moderation.

Ok I am providing the list of what can be fed to Finches. Found on a site given to me on Finch Forum. I didnt' keep the link I just copied and pasted it to a Open Office File. Then I color coded each one according to what it said below in each section.


Safe Foods but in moderation...........and some not very good sounds like to me. Read below............

acorns
alfalfa
apples
asparagus
bananas
barley
beet greens
beets
berries ****
broccoli
Brussels sprouts
buckwheat
cabbage
carrots *** ***
cauliflower
celery
cereal grains
corn
eggplant
flax seed
grape seeds
grapes
green beans
kale
kohlrabi
legumes *****
lettuce ***
millet
milo
mustard
nuts
oats
onions
oranges
peaches
peanuts
pears
peas **
peppers
pine nuts
potatoes ****
pumpkin
radishes
raisins
rape seed
red cabbage
rutabaga
rye
sorghum
soy beans
spinach ****
sweet potatoes ***
tomatoes
turnips ***
wheat

When Safe Foods May Become Unsafe
Any of the foods listed in this section that are normally considered safe may cause problems for a bird if fed in high quantities. Therefore, keep in mind that moderation is key. As long as any of the following foods are fed in minute quantities, your birds should not experience many (if any) problems

Ok this is what is says for Carrots and Broccoli and Nuts

Protease inhibitors inhibit digestive enzymes and, when present in high levels in the diet, may decrease the avian body's ability to digest proteins and lead to pancreatic hypertrophy. Although these enzyme inhibitors are present to a degree in all plants, significant levels are found in all legumes, corn, lettuce, oats, peas, peanuts, barley, beets, buckwheat, wheat, rice, rye, turnips, sweet potatoes and potatoes (in VERY high amounts). Luckily protease inhibitors are readily inactivated by cooking, so if any of the above-listed food sources are going to constitute a major part of your birds' diet, you should cook them


Acorns, lettuce, carrots, rape seed, grape seeds, bananas, spinach, onions, milo, grapes, and raisins have high levels of tannins. (Rhubarb, tea, coffee, and chocolate also contain high levels of tannins but these foods should never be fed to birds anyway as they may be harmful or toxic). Tannins can inhibit digestive enzymes, bind protein, and reduce the bioavailability of vitamin B12 and iron. Additionally, at high levels, tannins can cause epithelium and liver damage.5Tannins (tannic acids) are the chemicals that are responsible for the normal browning of fruits and vegetables that have been bruised or cut. If feeding any of the above-listed "safe" foods that contain tannic acid, only feed them in moderation.

Oxalate (oxalic acid) is an organic acid makes calcium and other trace minerals unavailable to birds because it binds them. Lower levels of oxalate can cause reduced growth, kidney stones, and poor bone mineralization. Peas, beets, beet greens, lettuce, turnips, carrots, and berries have lower levels of oxalates; high levels of oxalates can cause diarrhea, poor blood clotting, vomiting and convulsions. Very high levels are found in spinach (tea also contains very high levels of oxalate, but it should not be fed to birds due to its caffeine content).

The complex of phosphoric acid and sugar is called phytate or phytic acid. This complex effectively forms a heterocyclic ring with metal atoms (minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium), making the minerals unavailable. Phytates are found in nuts, cereal grains (germ and bran), and legumes. Phytic acid is also present in green beans, berries, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, but at lower levels



Ok I color coded on here just like I did on my computer. Hope it came out. If you copy and save this to your computer you will have to redo the color coding.


Ok now a BLOND MOMENT.........Moderation............please give me a time frame. Would that mean not more than 2 times per week. Or not more than 4 times per week. Or every other day ? HELP.

[flymouse]

berries are suppose to be light green

[Sally]

flymouse That list of safe and unsafe foods looks like you copied it from the Finch Information Center--this forum came about from that website. The Finch Information Center was established in 1997, and then this forum was started in 2006 as a place for finch keepers to share their experiences.

As far as your question about moderation, you are making all of this simply too difficult! There is no time limit or limit on how many times a week you feed a certain vegetable, you just don't want to feed the same ones every day. I picked up some broccoli crowns tonight, so tomorrow I will thaw out some egg food and mix some finely chopped broccoli in it. If there is still some left over, I will feed it the next day. And then if there is still some broccoli left, I will mix up some more for the day after that. Then I won't give them broccoli for a week or more. It all depends on what I have in the house, or when I am going to the grocery store, or just what I feel like doing. There may be days that I don't feel like doing much of anything. I've certainly had sick days where all the birds got was a quick check to see that they had plenty of seed and water and then back to bed for me. Guess what? They survived it!

Try to relax and don't worry so much. As long as your birds have access to the basics of fresh water, a good finch seed mix, and a mineral mix, then whatever you choose to add in the way of veggies and treats is a plus. Birds can certainly survive on the basics, but they will thrive with the addition of fresh veggies and other treats.