Sprouting for your budgie

[Mybluebird]

My vet told me I can feed my two budgies as much sprouts as they want. Once the seeds have germinated and sprouted a bit, most of the fat has been used up. I put about a tablespoon in the dish for mine, some days I give them more in the afternoon. They eat the sprouts first in the morning and then munch on them throughout the day.

I also have oat and wheat grass growing, some of which has gone to seed. My vet also said I can give them as much of the seed heads as they want. I usually put only one oat seed head in (they are big) or 3-4 wheat grass seed heads along with some blades of the grass for them to chew on.

 

[MarilynC]

Now I’m confused. Sorry. I thought I was also supposed to get them to eat pellets, too. They prefer seeds.

 

[Mybluebird]

Most people on this forum feed their budgies pellets, some seeds and a variety of fresh veggies, greens and sprouts. I've seen a "rule of thumb" as 25% seeds. There has been much discussion over seeds vs pellets. I recommend you read up on that and make your decision based upon what you think is best for your budgies.

 

[Pat H]

I FINALLY went into a 'new' store in Dubuque Iowa... Natural Foods... On the outside it looks expensive [and on many items it is]... BUT they have SO MANY things in there--- all the Organic and non-GMO foods, seeds and grains... my mind was just whirling as I considered what to get to sprout!

 

[Farfah]

I FINALLY went into a 'new' store in Dubuque Iowa... Natural Foods... On the outside it looks expensive [and on many items it is]... BUT they have SO MANY things in there--- all the Organic and non-GMO foods, seeds and grains... my mind was just whirling as I considered what to get to sprout!

I hit up a health store to look for seeds last week! So much fun. They had a section for sprouting and I picked up a salad blend. What are you planning on sprouting next?

 

[Pat H]

Oohhh... I didn't see any salad blend-- I'll have to look for that next. Don't think our dove would eat any Radish sprouts-- too spicy. Think I'll try Millet or Sorghum... That was a GREAT STORE!!!

 

[Pleinair4]

Thank you! Cannot wait to try!

 

[EvieBlue]

I've seen a few posts recently asking about or talking about sprouts.... and since I'm the self proclaimed Queen of the Sprouts, I figured I'd put together this post to help answer the basic question of "How do I sprout seeds for my bird?"

Lets start with my collection of sproutables. You can start small, adding in one or two items at a time, until your bird is used to the new goodies.

LEGUMES



1) Yellow Peas
2) Green Peas
3) Chick Peas
4) Red Lentils
5) Green Lentils
6) Mung Beans


SEEDS & SMALL GRAINS



7) Sesame Seeds
8) Fenugreek
9) Buckwheat
10) Sunflower seeds
11) Brown Flax & Golden Flax seeds
12) Broccoli, Alfalfa, Radish, Mustard, Clover, Radish, Arugula
13) Kaniwa
14) Amaranth
15) Red, Black, White Quinoa
16) White Millet, Red Millet, Nyger seed, Canary seed, Canola seed


LARGE GRAINS



17) Triticale
18) Brown Rice (short)
19) Wheatberries
20) Kamut
21) Wild Rice


BUDGIE SEED

Hagen's Budgie seed mix is the best (that I've found) seed mix for sprouting. It's clean, no added colours or pellets, and always sprouts perfectly.





THE PREP

In a large bowl, I mix equal parts of all my goodies. (Except the Hagen seed mix) I use 1/4 cup of everything so that I have lots of dry mix ready for the next couple of weeks.

Once it is all mixed together, I store it in a mason jar (Because clearly I have a healthy obsession with them!)









THE SOAK

Use Equal parts of the sprouting blend and the Hagen budgie seed. Depending on how many birds you are feeding, you can adjust the amount that you soak. For the purpose of this thread, I've used 1 tablespoon of each (Since the majority of people are only feeding one or two budgies)

1Tbls of Sprout blend





1Tbls of Hagen Budgie seed




Give the sprout mix a good rinse, to get rid of any dirt or dust.




Fill the sprouting container with clean water, and allow to soak for 8 - 12 hours.




Once the soak is done, drain the container and give the sprouts another good rinse. You can store these on your counter, away from sunlight (They don't need light to sprout).

When the soak is done, the sprouts are ready to feed to your bird. You do not need to wait for a sprout tail to appear, since the beneficial changes in the seed is already happening on the inside.

The seeds have now woken up from their dormant stage, are lower in fat and carbohydrates, higher in protein and vitamins.




Don't forget to rinse your spouts a couple of times a day. This keeps them fresh and moist, and will continue the sprouting process.




You can feed the sprouts on their own, or you can mix them up with a vegetable chop if your birds are used to eating veggies.

Thank you so much! This is amazing. I'm trying it now.

 

[Pleinair4]

Does the final soaked mixture need to breathe? I.e in a mason jar with a small strainer over it? Or can the mason jar be lidded?

 

[Pat H]

@Pleinair4 -- depends if you mean .. just soaked and prior to sprouting? Then NO-- left open, tilted upside down to drain before the 2nd rinse, etc. OR-- After it's sprouted to the desired length... then close up, use or chill. Enjoy.

 

[Pleinair4]

Hi Pat,
Sorry for my dimness. My question was how to store after the soaking is done and they have been rinsed to wait for the sprouting... though I now know you can serve prior to the sprouting!

So, open and upside down in a sieve to drain- not closed in the jar.

 

[FiatLux]

Thank you so much! This is amazing. I'm trying it now.

This is such a cool post! And I learned a new grain from it as well: Kaniwa. Thank you!

 

[Joe Henderson]

Hi Pat,
Sorry for my dimness. My question was how to store after the soaking is done and they have been rinsed to wait for the sprouting... though I now know you can serve prior to the sprouting!

So, open and upside down in a sieve to drain- not closed in the jar.

Ez sprout cup!

 

[Mybluebird]

@Pleinair4 while sprouting they need air and they need to be damp, not wet or they will mold and rot. Putting a mesh over the jar top and turning it upside down will allow excess water to drain but make sure it can breathe. I also use the Easy Sprout because it is simple to use and is made for optimum sprouting. I have 2 budgies and they love the sprouts. I make only enough that they will consume in about 4-5 days which is about 2 TBL sprouting lentil mix. Mine are ready to feed in 3 days and then I store them in the frig. Here's a video for your reference. I use the Best Bird Food Ever sprouting mix.

Sprouted Bird Food - Best Bird Food Ever!

Promotes your bird having a a healthy, long life! Leslie's balanced food plan for parrots is the first of its kind.

www.bestbirdfoodever.com

 

[Pleinair4]

Thank you so very much!

 

[Pat H]

Hi Pat,
Sorry for my dimness. My question was how to store after the soaking is done and they have been rinsed to wait for the sprouting... though I now know you can serve prior to the sprouting!

So, open and upside down in a sieve to drain- not closed in the jar.

Yes, and sorry I should have specified-- suppossed to be kept in a dark area, like a cubboard while it's sprouting [can't remember why]. You do know it will need twice daily rinses during the sprouting... so remove from cubboard/ fill w/ water/ drain to rinse it/ replace upside down and TILTED in the cubboard... so depending on what size sprouts you want, how many days it will be. There are charts available for help! ENJOY!

 

[Bunchobird]

hmm, ill take this away now!!

 

[Pleinair4]

I have a question.. this is my second sprouting- our kids loved and ate up the first round. This batch looks the same, but has a faint odor of vinegar and I did not use any.
Is this batch safe?

 

[Mybluebird]

No, I wouldn't use it. It should smell "fresh and green" - don't know how else to describe it. Glad the kids liked the first batch. Its good for them, too!

 

[Pleinair4]

Thank you. That was my thought as well.
Safety first!