Seed mixes

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:57 pm

Looks like I'm going to be taking my zebra finch off pellets as soon as I can find a good seed mix to put him on. My questions to you are do you feed a mix that is fortified, organic, or what as it's staple diet. Does your mix contain other added veggies or fruits or anything else? Dr. Harvey's looks good for ingredients any opinions on it?

Does anyone have any good brands they recommend over others? Can you get these mixes at major petstores?

I'm still going to continue offering soaked seed everyday also but where I'm buying from right now, parrots on the porch, their sprout mixes taylor more to the bigger birds and my zebra finch doesn't eat much of it. So where do you purchase your seed mixes for sprouting/soaking?

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:20 pm

So far everything that I got from the stores had been frustrating. My zebras are picky, and don't eat half of the seeds/stuff in the bag. This makes the seed mixes effectively 2+ times the cost, since I end up throwing away the half they don't eat.

The first bag I got (Hartz), they would eat only 25% of the seeds n stuff....what a waste.
The 2nd bag was Kaytee Egg-Cite, they eat maybe half of the seeds n stuff. And leave all the pellets behind, including what I think is the yellow EGG pellets. So despite what I bought, I don't think the birds are getting any egg.

What I'm getting at is, if the mix is "fortified," the birds may not get the "fortified" stuff if they don't eat everything.

This is why I'm trying to switch the birds to pellets as their primary food with seeds as secondary/treats.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:35 pm

Larraine at ladygouldian.com has a great seed mix. She mixes her own and I do not have any waste when I feed it to my birds.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:56 pm

I know how frustrating that can be. Tossing away 50% of the food is the same as paying double for the same food. Every finch has it's own thing favorite regardless of the species. Some of my Gouldians don't care for the Canary seed, others eat mainly Canary.

You could offer them small cups of different types of seed and see what yours eats. Or, you could get more finches and then the chances of all the food being eaten would be greater!

BirdCrazy · Post by **BirdCrazy** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:52 pm

I use Higgins seed mixes and love them! In the past I would dump seed into a feeder and see dust. I do it with Higgins and there is no dust whatsoever. They like triple clean it or something. I also offer pellets but seed is imoportant too. I use Pretty Bird pellets and they really like those. I try to offer and well rounded diet. Pretty Bird makes a really fine Mini Pellet for Finches. I don't think you need to totally give up pellets. Just offer them some regular seed too. I know Harrison's is a good food so I would still give him some of that if he likes it but just make sure it is fine enough.

franny · Post by **franny** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:56 pm

I would try not to get any seed mix that has dried fruit and other things added, if you intend to use it to soak. Sugar feeds the bacteria. You can buy soak seed from Abba, or just soak the millet. I feed a wee bit of pellet mixed in with my finch mix. But I don't think they eat much of it either. Just using it up... I think it's not enough variety or interest for the birds.

Post by **Sally** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:01 am

I was ordering seed from either Hermann Bros. in Michigan or Abba Seed in New Jersey, but shipping costs are killing me. I've started buying seed locally, but most of what I find has the little colored pellets or bits in it. When I clean cages, I find lots of those little colored pellets on the floor--pretty obvious that the birds don't care for them. I'm about ready to bite the bullet and order from Hermann's again, less waste.

For soak seed, I found Kaytee Supreme finch food doesn't have the added colored bits in it, but I haven't been using it long enough to know whether it will work or not. So far, it seems like they aren't always cleaning it up, which is unusual.

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:33 am

I guess I should also state that I do not mind buying 2 different mixes. One for soaking and one for the staple diet. Since I only have 1 finch at the moment, soon to get another, as long as I know my zebra guy is healthy and doing good, price on mixes does not matter so much to me. I just want the best I can get.

Now for staple diets do you guys recommend it be fortified? Do they even ingest any part of the seeds that are fortified? Is a mix with added veggies and fruits a good thing, or does it normally just go to waste? Or would you guys recommend a mix that you can feed dry or soaked to be the healthiest for the staple diet also?

I may just try to find a better soaked mix for him that he'll eat more of and still continue the pellets. If I put him back completely on a seed diet he'll msot likely pick out only a couple of the seeds he likes and that's it. That's not a complete diet either.

I'm kinda frustrated right now.

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:11 pm

I think they get a bit of the added vitamins etc, just because of rolling it in their beaks with their tongue to break the husk. So I would say they get some benefit. Goldenfeast has sent out samples to a lot of us on the board, and I find that my tiny Goldbreasts are enjoying their Australian Blend. I got 3 samples from them for finches.

Treat Petite (a lot of nuts and fruit) - GBs not crazy about it
Basics Plus Blend for finches - they like this
Australian Blend - they like this one too - and has a lot of ingredients.

I think the Basics Plus is one that doesn't need refridgeration. The other two do, so I feed just a small teaspoon or so each day and toss what they don't eat when I clean the cage daily. (I scatter it on the bottom, but away from perches.) I suggest you email Goldenfeast and try the 3 finch blends to see if your Zeb likes it. No loss, if he doesn't. But they are very slow to ship, so you'd better get some other seed in the meantime.

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:25 pm

Goldenfeast does look good, so does the Herman Bros mixes although I don't see a way to order online with either. Have you soaked the Basics Plus Franny for the Goldenfeast? I see it's all seed ingredients but for the spinach so it probably could be soaked.

The Abba soak mix has additional ingredients which I thought is strange for a soak mix. Anyone tried soaking it?

Thistle seed, Rape Seed, Canary grass Seed, Wheat, Buckwheat, , Millet Seed, Safflower Seed, red milo, yellow milo, Non-Viable Hemp Seed, Mung Beans, Lettuce, Seed, Cracked Corn, Salt, Potassium Iodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Ferrous Carbonate, Mineral Oil, Iron Oxide, Copper Oxide, Calcium Periodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Propionate.

franny · Post by **franny** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:40 am

I haven't tried soaking the Abba yet, though I don't see why they wouldn't like the lettuce and corn re-constituted. I would think that it's safe, since they've been selling it for ages.

I've only soaked a couple of batches of seed, once was millet, once was the Western Family brand, at the supermarket of all places. But it was the first I could find that was basically just seed, with no added vitamins or dyes. They liked it OK, but they preferred the soaked millet I think.
I plan to either pick up some Abba soak seed and try it, or soak the Basics Plus, since there's a bit of variety for them. Will let you know how they like it when I've done that.

Forgot to say that Goldenfeast you can email, for the samples, and when you do, ask them to email a list of distributors. They sent me one but can't find it at the moment.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:24 am

Sally why not buy your seeds individually and mix your own. may work out cheaper especially if you can buy in bulk

Post by **Sally** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:35 am

mickp, that is a good idea, but I can't find any source for the bulk seed around here. My bird club has come up with a program to order seed from one of the manufacturers at a discount price, so that will help. I also found out that there is a feed store that will do custom mixes, but they have a 500 lb. minimum. Some of the club members are doing that, so I need to find out what mix they are getting.

nixity · Post by **nixity** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:42 am

I know it's a bit expensive, but I do not have any problems paying for quality seed - I exclusively use the Birds R Us seed blends sold at FabulousFinch.com

Because I have mostly Gouldians, the majority of the mixes I get are those for the Goulds (the Gouldian Pro line).
But since I have a few societies, I also get the Premium Finch Seed Blend and I have been very pleased with every seed blend I get from them.

Not only is the Gouldian mix developed based on the nutritional profiles of the grass seeds the birds feed in the wild, but it is unlike any other seed blend I have seen before.

I use all three - Breeding/Molting, Resting/Maintenance, and I have the Austerity mix for when it's time after breeding ends.
I also have the black and white sprout mixes - which are EXTREMELY high germination. The white sprout mix literally chits within 24 hours - the black sprout mix, within 36. I have never in my life been able to sprout seeds in such a short amount of time.
This is coming from someone who religiously used Abba seed products up until I learned about this Birds R Us product line.
(Don't let the ho-ho name fool you!)

The only thing I haven't tried is the Soft Food (Mike Fidler designed) because it's just too expensive.. I use the Versele-Laga Orlux products in terms of egg foods, since they actually contain egg :))

In terms of other supplemental foods, I provide my birds (obviously) with sprouts (sometimes mixed with a veggie mash of broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and red pepper) - Daily for molting and breeding birds, 2-3 times a week for maintenance/resting birds.
I also offer whole leafy greens like Kale, Chard, Collards, or Mustard Greens.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:43 am

Sally, when you come in July to the Atlanta bird mart there is a seed man that brings all kinds of seeds that he sell in bulk. Anything you could want......

I have bought and mixed my own, but at the last show I just picked up some of Larraine's seeds from ladygoudian.com. My birds love it and there are no colored seeds. Which I like. I truly have no waste from it.
But if you want seed from her it is best to e-mail her and make sure she brings it to the show because she usually sells out.

I have found that my birds will not eat carrots. They hardly touch broccoli. But they love green leafy lettuch and romaine lettuce. I have them some collards from the garden, but not much.