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Sprouting Easy or Complicated?

clawnz

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As part of feeding fresh. Sprouts are an important part of this.
I.E. Serving soak seed and sprouts means you are feeding live foods.
This is a big bonus as they do not go off in the food tray, they will keep on growing.
Sprouting good seed, grains, peas, and beans, can cover a lot of a birds needs, in a natural food. And the vitamins, minerals, and trace elements are natural.
What does this mean. It means the birds body can deal with these in much better ways than manufactured ones.
What can you sprout?
1.jpg
The above is a good guide. Not complete by any means. There are many other things that will sprout.

WARNING: Some beans are not suitable. This is a little complicated, so please check before using any of them.
Exceptions: Mung Beans which are a top bean, and only lack Vit A.

Is it complicated? No!

Do I need to buy any special sprouting items? No! I use just a few jars, one lid I drilled holes in it. For the smaller seeds I use a strainer. See Pics.

Can I store them. Yes! But only for a few days in the fridge, and rinse them, preferably in ACV mix, every day. They do need to be drained and not left sitting in water, which will go cloudy, and may turn your sprouts. So this is a little more complicated. I will show you what I use, below.

What are the dangers? I hear so much said about this. So lets look at why!
Buying sprouts from the supermarket. A: These are past their prime. B: They may of been treated to help them look fresh. Don't Buy or use these.
Old Stale things you try to sprout will go moldy in the soaking.
Using Dirty Water, will cause a problem.
Failing to rinse often enough will cause a problem.
Trying to keep them over a few days, can cause a problem.

I used to sprout Mung Beans mainly with a few others now and then. Why! I have never seen a problem and have sprouted them for many years. Only ever sprouted enough for a few days and only served them from soak to tails just over the half inch long. Then threw any left away. But as I have more birds and I wanted to add variety, looked to step things up.
I looked at what was available here in NZ. The bird Barn do their own. Not sure what they list in them. Top Flight do what seems a good Soak & Sprout mix. The only things that put me off. Was price. And the Kibbled things in this. I mean anything kibbled is not there as a sprout is it.
But they were good enough to give me a full list.
So I went shopping, and shopping. Now I know most if not all produce coming in to the country is treated in some way or another, to sanitize. This can effect the viability for them to grow. Plus old stale stuff will not sprout or at least be very poor germination.
So I decided to start of instead of using a total mix, I would sprout each in different jars, so that if any were not going to work I could throw away.
I did find Soy Beans, but after a bit of research dumped them. Not worth the risk. Probably ok in small amounts. But there are plenty of known good seeds to use.

Cockatiel Seed mix. I know this is a good one as it comes from my wholesale, fresh as, and sprouts well.
Sunflower
Safflower
Wheat
Hulled Oats
Whole Oats
Barley
Pumpkin seed
Rape seed
Cockatiel seed mix (I know this is good and fresh seed mix)
Blue peas
Maple peas
Grass seed (This is as per lawn grass seed mix)
Mung beans
Maize
Adzuki beans.
Quinoa

I did try Flax. But it turns into a gooey mess. I am told you can rinse the goop off and it will sprout. But not worth the effort. SO I just use it fresh and sprinkle in the mix at serving time or add the their seed mix.
Yes I do feed a good amount of seed. But note I do add things to there basic mix. And it is important to note most seed mixes are very basic with sometimes only 5 different seeds in that mix.

Lets start with the Flax Goop
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The first lot I used a plastic bag to mix them all up, rinse and drain.


Here is an example of why you need to rinse. These were ok but if they had been left they would of gone off. This was when I went to rinse in the morning, I took the photo to show that the water can go cloudy. Always rinse until the water stays clear.
5.jpg

The first serving. They were just starting to sprout.
6.jpg

And my Red Head enjoying them. What a great food tray ash trays make! and you can see the filter I removed from a strainer on this shot.


She likes them so much she will follow me around in the mornings watching and waiting. As soon as I put them out she is there.
I am on batch three and have cut down the amount of jars now. I know that they are all good.
I still use different jars as somethings take longer to germinate, so start them a day or two early for each mix. I do not feed these seven days a week. they get a break from them before I do the next lot.
I even got to see Alex and the Tiels getting stuck in, but I have to put these out in a separate tray, so they do not disturb Sophie. If I have missed anything please ask.
 
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gibsongrrrl

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Thank you so much for all this info! :hug8:I've been wanting to try sprouting for quite some time, but am scared about something being off and not recognizing it. Just printed out the chart and am going to give it a go when I get back from vacation. I'm lucky to have some awesome natural food stores nearby that have a great selection of these items:dance5:
 

clawnz

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Now that I did miss something.
When sprouting the simple thing to do is. Feel, Smell, Taste. These three things will tell you what is good and what is bad.
I also forgot to say where to shop.
I do have to look around. Some come from my wholesale seed supply, some come from a naturals food counter at my local supermarket, from a health store and others I find at my local market. Chinese supply.
 

Clueless

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my birds loved sunflower seeds and I don't feed them. Are they okay if sprouted?
 

Newbie GCC

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When rinsing with ACV, do you use full strength or diluted?
 

clawnz

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my birds loved sunflower seeds and I don't feed them. Are they okay if sprouted?
As long as they are only used in moderation Sun Flower seeds are a good seed. It is only when a bird targets them alone are they considered bad.


When rinsing with ACV, do you use full strength or diluted?
Just diluted. I am guessing about 50ml to 100ml per lt. I am only using as a percussion. Others may have better idea of what works and what does not. Sorry a bit vague.
 

Aubrey

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Thanks for this thread :dance5: Very helpful and informative :D
 

AlphaWolf

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What an amazing thread! So informative! Thanks. :D
 

clawnz

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Whoops! Sorry a few more details. i forgot to run through the process I do.
Soak for 12hrs, if you soak any longer rinse at least once. The grass seed and Maize I soak for at least 24hrs, before moving on to just rinse and drain.
Rinse and drain twice a day minimum. This is all I do. Some say use ACV in the rinse. I do not.
Where do I sprout? On the bench in the wash room. And it is getting down to 10c at nights here in winter right now. So they are taking a few days.

I also forgot to post pics of the storage container.
The tray that fits in the box. As you can see I cut some small slots in the plastic, which I cut from the lid of the box. And as luck would have it fits and sits just off the bottom of the box.



 

AlphaWolf

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When you say maize, do you mean like pop-corns?
 

clawnz

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That is a good question!
I do buy Popping Corn to Pop for them.
And I buy Maize for the birds from my seed supply. As per used in Chicken and Pigeon feed.
What is the difference? I do not honestly know. Or if there is no difference.
This is what I found on a quick search.

"Here is a reply I found on this question.
# Popcorn is a type of maize (or corn), a member of the grass family, and is scientifically known as Zea mays everta.
# Of the 6 types of maize/corn—pod, sweet, flour, dent, flint, and popcorn—only popcorn pops.
# Popcorn is a whole grain. It is made up of three components: the germ, endosperm, and pericarp (also know as the hull).
# Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to pop."

"Many different types of corn can be popped, but those specifically developed to be used for that purpose have a strong and relatively rigid hull. As the corn is heated and the internal moisture turns to steam, pressure builds until the hull ruptures, producing the familiar puffy texture. Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays averta, which is a special kind of flint corn.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn"
 

AlphaWolf

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Thanks @clawnz. In my gardening experience I sprout popcorn kernels, which are very easy actually, and then plant them, They always grow to be corn plants. So my questions is popcorn safe for birds?
 

clawnz

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My understanding is. Certainly is safe in all forms. Dry, soaked, sprouted, and popped.
Please if anybody wants to comment on this feel free to do so.

My guys would go for Popped Corn. That's the Tiels and Alex, even Sophie likes it popped.
Sophie would be the only one here full time that I suspect eats the Maize and only then when soaked min.
I am still working on her diet, but it has improved a huge amount from being fed mostly seeds when I got her.
I leave up you about GMO.
As I understand it most corn in USA is GMO modified. Like this percentage could now by around the 80% GMO modified.
I am not sure what we get down here.
Newton Seed is a wholesale that imports most of the stock foods. Horticulture supply and animal foods.
 

AlphaWolf

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I personally dont agree with GMO for many reasons...Thankfully we dont have gmos here. So is popcorn kernels the exact same thing as maize? We need photos of your fids eating the sprouts ;)

:needpics::needpics:
 

Hankmacaw

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Most people who are against GMO produce are not aware that organic producers use "GMO" as well. In fact any produce that has been crossbred for specific qualities are a GMO (Genetically Modified Organism). The organic trade has used GM methods for many years - I don't like the way they do it.

Here is a definition of GMO;
"A genetically modified organism (GMO), also known as a transgenic organism, is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food."

Here is how the organics producers accomplish genetic modification;

Contrast this with a common tool of breeding in organic and non-GMOfarming: Mutation Breeding. This is a technique whereby farmers expose seeds to large doses of radiation or chemical mutagens, and then selectively breed the seeds that have useful traits. This process may introduce hundreds or thousands of mutations into the genomes, and breeders cannot know where those mutations are. These mutations will change the shape and functions of proteins, and could,in principle produce new allergens. Despite the fact that this process is manipulating the genome, it’s not considered genetic engineering, and is allowed to be called organic.

The new plant lines are untested for safety and not assessed for environmental impact. They want to put these on your dinner table and feed them to children!

Actually it has been done for decades. No opposition, no labels wanted, no protesters, no fear. Okay for organic cultivation and the EU."

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/05/30/allergic-to-science-proteins-and-allergens-in-our-ally-engineered-food/
 

Hankmacaw

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BTW - if anyone is sprouting, pay close attention to Clives instructions on rinsing and disinfecting the seeds being sprouted. The conditions under which seeds sprout successfully are optimum for the growth of fungus, molds and yeasts. Some are good, but many more are dangerous - i.e. Aspergillosis is a fungus.
 

clawnz

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Stitchy

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I am in awe of everyone who sprouts for their feather babies! I am petrified to try it, so afraid I am not understanding the process well enough although I do like this thread because it is very informative. I may have to give this a shot for Stitchy. He has become extremely picky lately and won't eat any veggies anymore.
 

clawnz

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I am in awe of everyone who sprouts for their feather babies! I am petrified to try it, so afraid I am not understanding the process well enough although I do like this thread because it is very informative. I may have to give this a shot for Stitchy. He has become extremely picky lately and won't eat any veggies anymore.
It's like most things. There are thousands who sprout all the time and never have a problem. Then there are the few that get it wrong, post and put people off trying it.

To start with. Try this. Get some Mung Beans and once they are sprouted try eating a sprout sandwich. It is a top food. or add to a salad. And just practice with the one type. I promise you, once you sort you will be going. WTF, this is stupidly easy.
Most molds are when people start adding heat. Or possibly in very hot climate. You do not need heat or light to sprout. Any cool place will do. Much less likely to be any issues with molds.
I have never had any problems, and I never used any sanitizers, up until I wanted to keep them a few days. So 10yrs plus with no ACV added and only the last three weeks have I used it, and only on the sprouts in the fridge.
Do Not use warm water at any time, do not put anywhere near a heat source. They do not need it, unless you live in a very cold climate.
 

AlphaWolf

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Haha the climate thing has scared me. I currently live in Riyadh and it is damn hot, but we do have a good ac ;) So is there any modification in the method for us hot climers ;)
 
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