Any mass marketed finch seed blends without the pellets?

blueribbontoes · Post by **blueribbontoes** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:51 pm

Any mass marketed finch seed blends without the pellets and other "fillers?"

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the stuff I got from ladygouldianfinch.com, but honestly, the shipping kicked my hinder a bit. I paid the same amount for shipping as my order total, hey, I understand shipping is pricey... but I would rather use that difference in money towards product. (However, as soon as I can afford it, I will be ordering more, good stuff, don't get me wrong!)

Every bag of blended finch food at the LPS, as well as the big box pet stores, all seem to have junk in it which my birds won't eat. Any recommendations for an all seed blend? Or brands I can look for?

Thanks!

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:09 pm

I got a bag at PetSmart; Kaytee, Forti-Diet, Pro-Health.
It was the only bag that was mostly seeds, with just a little bit of pellets. All the other seed mixes had LOTS of pellets.

I had the same problem with my finches, at least before I converted them to pellets. When I gave them the "fortified" seed mixes, they only ate some of the seeds, leaving all the "fortified" stuff (pellets) behind...what a waste. I got the Kaytee Forti-Diet, because I was upset at throwing out half the seed mix.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:57 am

Some smaller bird stores mix their own seeds and you can usually purchase the seeds in bulk. I used to buy the LGF.com food myself, but I mix my own. It's Canary, white millet and Japanese millet. Can't remember the ratio though. The Japanese millet is hard to find in bulk, so I purchase that from Herman Bros. It's light, so a 5lb bag is quite a lot.
They also carry a lot of odd seed varieties which my Gouldians seem to enjoy as well.

Post by **Sally** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:40 am

My bird club has set up a program to combine orders so we get discounts. I have been feeding Hagen's Finch VME diet, which is mostly various millets, no pellets. Most of the birds are eating it very well, with little waste. Check with feed stores in your area, too, some of them will carry finch seeds (not the wild bird seed, but for domesticated finches). You just have to see if it is fresh.

lovemyfinch · Post by **lovemyfinch** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 6:00 am

I've been using Hagen gourmet for finches, it't a blend of seeds, fruits and vegetables, fortified with egg granules. No pellets. According to what is left in the hopper they are eating everything.

I supplement this with egg food, charcoal and oyster shells. Oh yeah and millet.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:06 am

Sally wrote:My bird club has set up a program to combine orders so we get discounts. I have been feeding Hagen's Finch VME diet, which is mostly various millets, no pellets. Most of the birds are eating it very well, with little waste. Check with feed stores in your area, too, some of them will carry finch seeds (not the wild bird seed, but for domesticated finches). You just have to see if it is fresh.

Sally,

Do they not sell seeds at your bird fairs? Just curious, because I don't know what I would do without that. They had loads of seeds at our bird marts. There is one man who comes that has EVERY kind of seed you can imagine in bulk and also Laraine is there from ladygouldian.com and sells her seed so I never have to pay shipping.
Thank goodness!!!

Post by **Sally** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:31 am

Donna, they do sell seeds at the bird marts, but Ft. Worth is only twice a year. I probably need to check out some of the other marts that are held in the Dallas area more often. I have gotten seed mixes at marts that I liked, one was Vita Finch, but if this deal with the bird club works out, that will be good for me. I haven't seen anyone in this area selling bulk seeds so you can make up your own mixture. Of the locally available seeds at pet stores, feed stores, I have found Kaytee Supreme to be the only one that doesn't have the colored pellets in it.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:11 am

Funny that you mention "Vita Finch" - I didn't expect to hear that name in the USA. I get it here in 40 pound bags for ~$55. which I thought was pretty good. Most of the finches love it.

Interestingly enough, the parrot finches seem to leave more whole seeds in the catchtray under the hopper than hulls. I just dump it back in the top of the hopper; hoping they will learn to eat more of the other varieties in there.

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:53 am

I feed ABBA exotic finch blend, a blend of millets
canary seed, blend of canary grass seed and rape seed
song and treat, niger, hemp, thistle, rape

I have it shipped from New Jersey usually 200 to 300 pounds at a time.
I package the seed in large zip lock freezer bags and load the freezer.
A little extra work but excellent seed with savings....
Some stores carry ABBA.

I also buy a 50 pound bag of straight hulled white porso millet from eBirdseed for 50 dollars..... this includes shipping anywher in the US I mix this with eggfood or use along with millet spay for weaning chicks...
Also red siberian millet.

blueribbontoes · Post by **blueribbontoes** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:44 am

I am off to the big box store to see if I can locate any brands that were mentioned, thank so much!

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:16 am

Candace, ebirdseed sells seed for wild birds. Do you feel the quality is the same as seed for domesticated pets? I always thought the wild bird food was second picks and had foreign matter in it?

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:53 am

Jordan,
I beleive it depends on the company. Most pet food mixes and wild bird mixes come from the same sources.(humans eat sunflower seed from these same sources too

) The difference is the process of cleaning the seed. Pet foods are usually cleaned many more time than wild to remove dust, plant material, etc. It is also sometimes fortified with vitamins. Also the cost of advertising pet companies do really raise the price.
Wild bird seed usually is not cleaned as much..... no need, birds in the wild eat the seed of the wild..... they don't wash it, nature does. Since our pets are usually not kept as nature intended we must do it for them.(human seed consumption must be cleaned and approved and a stamp of approval applied, though they have a disclaimer on the product stating that it may contain foreign materials, just like rice and beans)
The 2 millets that eBirdseed sell are extremely clean,hulled and fresh. They are one of the better wildbird seed company out there. The seed they sell compared to other wild bird seed is expensive but compared to buying small bags at retail....it is a bargain.
Also you must go by freshness. You can gage that by sprouting some.
Even if you by premium pet seed from your pet store it still will depend on their stocking and rotation practices. I have visited many pet stores to find dust covered bags...a good sign that they are not the freshess. Wild bird seed many times sit on the shelf or storehouses for long periods of time. Hence the bad reputaion for not being fresh.
I buy all my seed in bulk from the distributors and store it in the freezer, never from retail stores.
I only use the 2 millets to stretch the premium brand and wean chicks with it. (I actually find my small goldbreast prefer the small wild millet mix I make). Most people wean their chicks on spraymilet.... a fine example of uncleaned natural seed. Just some is better quality than others. This has to do with the growing process not weather it marketed for pet or wild bird use. You will see many post on here discussing the poor quality pet millet spay. Such as Califonia verses Wisconsin. All are good but the different climates make for different products. Most prefer the golden type from California.
Sorry so lengthy but I am an avid gardener and like to grow grass seed for my birds as a treat

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:52 pm

No, thanks for the detailed reply Candace.
I'm currently trying to grow millet spray on my kitchen window and then transplanted outside when it gets consistently warm.