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Seed Mix
I mix my own seed. Not only is it more cost effective, but I've found my birds
tend to eat more of it than they do with standard store bought seed mixes.
| Seeds and Custom Seed Mix |
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| Clockwise from 9 o'clock: White Proso, Hemp, German, Hungarian, Red, Canary Seed & Mix in Center. |
| White Proso Millet |
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| This is the seed that is most preferred by larger finches such as Gouldians, Bengalese and Zebras. |
The bulk of my seed mix is White Proso Millet. The reason for this is that I breed primarily
Gouldian, Society and Zebra finches with some Shafttails and Plumhead (Cherry) finches for variety as well as a few Blue Capped
Cordon Bleus here and there. Kind of spotty these days with Blue Caps. The larger finches prefer White Proso Millet
while Red Millet seems to be their least favorite. Meanwhile, the Cordons prefer the tiny seeds. In flights where
I have both cordons and the larger finches, all seeds seem to be equally eaten. However, where there are only larger
finches, the White Proso is eaten preferentially.
If I increase the amount of smaller millets, then the amount of seed tossed seems to increase.
I don't know about you, but I get so sick of cleaning up tossed seed. Since White Proso has about the same (I
didn't say identical) nutrition as any of the other millets, I prefer to feed my birds a mix that is heavy on White Proso
and make up any lacking nutrients as I discussed extensively in the Egg Food Section above.
| German Millet |
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| A tinier millet that is preferred by smaller finches such as Waxbills. |
50 lbs White Proso Millet
5 lbs Red Millet
5 lbs German Millet
5 lbs Hungarian Millet
5 lbs Canary Seed
1 lb of Song Mix (this has small oil rich seeds like thistle, celery, flax, anise,
etc.)
1/2 pound hemp
Seed Freshness: There is really only one way to know how
fresh and nutritious the seed is that you purchase. That is to sprout it and see how well it germinates. For information
on how to sprout seed, see 'Sprouts' section below.
Seed Purchase: I physically go to a grainery/feed
store that is about an hour away from where I live in order to get my bird seed. Most is purchased in 50 pound quantities
and mixed in a 50 gallon garbage pail.
Shipping: Shipping is prohibitively expensive these
days on seed since it weighs so much, and if you can avoid it, then try to find a local seed distributor, mill or feed store near
you. I know people who get the same seed I pick up and have it shipped out to the midwest and further, and pay for that
shipping too!
If you can afford shipping, then I highly recommend Herman Brothers Seed (assuming you are
in the US). The seed assortment cannot be beat, and their prices are competitive.
Other Grains
The sky really is the limit so far as giving your birds other grains. There are two
main additional grains I give my birds: steel cut oats and short grain brown rice. I mention a few others here
as well.
Short Grain Brown Rice (SGBR): SGBR is the same
thing as paddy rice - only the outer most fibrous (and indigestible) hull has been removed. It is my experience that
two groups of birds relish SGBR: larger Lonchura species like Nuns & Societies as well as the Parrotfinches.
These finches have quite large beaks and can handle a grain like rice. Anyone who has been bitten by a Pintailed
Nonpareil Parrotfinch will attest that they have quite an amazing amount of PSI to go with their beak.
| Short Grain Brown Rice from Koren Store |
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| While this package is not labeled "Short Grain," once familiar with the grain shape, it's obvious. |
There are several reasons I prefer SGBR over Paddy Rice:
1) SGBR can be found at nearly every health food store, Asian market and even most (but
not all) mainstream grocery stores. Therefore, you can find it easily, particularly if in a pinch. I purchase
SGBR and keep some for human cooking while the rest goes into the bird room for the finches. Note that some packages
may not say SHORT GRAIN on them (see photo). However, SGBR is just that - SHORT GRAINED. They are oval in shape,
not long skinny rods like conventional white or brown rice.
2) SGBR has had the hull removed (but not the wholesome outer bran) and therefore,
it's just less messy. My Pintails scarf down SGBR, but seemed to be perplexed by Paddy Rice. I finally fed the
Paddy Rice to the wild Pigeons.
| Differences in Rice Shape and Color |
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| Long thing Basmati White Rice (L) and oval shaped Short Grained Brown Rice (R) |
3) Both SGBR and Paddy Rice can be soaked overnight and given in the egg food tray.
SGBR never really seems to sprout as well as Paddy Rice does - so that is one advantage of Paddy Rice over SGBR. Paddy
Rice, depending upon temperature, can take up to a week (or longer) to sprout, and it's quite an investment in cultivating
it.
4) SGBR is way cheaper than Paddy Rice.
5) You don't need to have SGBR shipped in since you should be able to find
it locally, again saving you costs.
Dirty Perches: Feeding SGBR can lead
to messy perches, particularly with Pintailed Nonpareil Parrotfinches. They will take the rice grain into their beak
and kind of chew on it, making a paste. They then rub the paste all over their perches. Perches are napkins, right?
After about a week, a crusty starchy residue of rice paste will start to build up. Of course, dirty perches are no good.
To clean the perches with the least amount of hassle, remove them and soak them about five minutes. Scrub with one of
those green fibrous Scotch sponge scrubbies and some SoftScrub or other bleach product.
This is also a problem to a lesser degree with Societies. Societies tend to hold things
with their feet so things like lima beans, corn and peas tend to make a bigger mess of their perches - assuming you ignore
how Bengies prefer to crap all over their perches that is.
| Steel Cut Oats sold as Irish Oatmeal |
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| Most finches will eat steel cut oats. These cannot be sprouted, but they can be soaked. |
Oats: Whole or steel cut oats are favored by
some birds. Only birds with really strong beaks (Societies and ParrotFinches) can eat the whole oats. Most of
my birds prefer the steel cut oats. You can purchase these at a feed supply store or you can buy Irish or Scottish
Oatmeal at your grocery store. They are the same difference.
Whole oats can be soaked or sprouted. Steel cut oats can be soaked but they will not
sprout.
Wheat Berries: These are too hard to feed dry.
You can soak them overnight and serve them in the egg food tray. The stronger beaked birds will go for them. Alternatively,
you can sprout them. Most finches will eat the sprouted portions of wheat berries.
Spelt: This is a low gluten grain that is enjoyed
by birds with strong beaks. It is rather large. My Pintails really seemed to relish it.
Serving Dry Grains
I serve SGBR, Spelt, Steel Cut Oats and other dry grains in their
own side dish. If I have birds feeding chicks, particularly societies, I remove the grain so they can concentrate on
egg food.
Less Well Known Grains
I serve these cooked, not raw.
Quinoa: Pronounced keen-wah, this is a South American
seed that while gluten free is high in saponins. While saponins are removed during processing before
the grain makes it to market, seeds still needs to be washed thoroughly before being cooked.
Occasionally, I serve Quinoa to my finches after it's been cooked. I'm rather
fond of this, so they sometimes get my leftovers. I doubt you'd want to serve Quinoa raw due to potential residual
saponins (plant soaps) which I think would cause the same indigestion in birds that they can cause in humans.
The benefit of Quinoa is that if the saponins are removed properly, the protein level can
be as high as 22%. (If processed wrong, the protein can be no better than most other grains). Anyway, best case
scenario, compare Quinoa to SGBR at only 7.5% protein.
Quinoa is also high in calcium, iron, folic acid and magnesium. The one very attractive
thing about Quinoa is that it has an adequate amount of the essential amino acid, Lysine. This is usually missing in
most grains.
Amaranth: This is actually the seed of a red fuzzy
flower. Similar varieties are used as annual flowers and are called Cock's Comb, Flame Flower or Love Lies Bleeding.
The seeds can be sprouted or cooked and served to your birds. It is sticky and so it's best given in small amounts for
variety and dried down with egg food. Or that is how I serve it. Incidentally, amaranth leaves taste a lot like
spinach and can be used as a green for you and your birds. Like Quinoa, Amaranth has a decent amount of protein (15
- 18%) and also a respectable amount of the essential amino acids Lysine and Methionine. Other goodies include high
calcium, iron, Vits A & C as well as tocotrienols which are a form of Vitamin E.
Buckwheat: I've tried serving this with little success.
Anyone who gets their birds to eat this, I'd like to know how. I've tried cooking it, and I guess they don't like
what I'm doing. LOL
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