How to sprout bird seed - for healthy happy parrots!

[allirho]

So is this sprouted seed meant to be fed to your birds over a few days then or is all that seed meant to be fed in one day? Is it safe to continue sprouting seeds over a few days if you want to feed them to your bird all week without having to do this process new everyday?

[LikeSheHas]

@allirho It all depends how many birds you have and how much they eat. In the video i made enough for 10 birds for 2 days, but i also give them many other foods too. The longer you keep sprouting them, the more they will grow into grass shoots - less like sprouts or seed and more like grass itself. That is fine to feed your birds, and like in my pic you can put them in dirt and grow grass for them to eat too - but it is not in complete food, or the amazing super food that younger sprouts are

[pippy1994]

Should be good for rats and mice too. :D

[winterangel12345]

is it okay to use tap water? i think our tap water is pretty safe lol

[firelightglow]

My budgie seems to like the seeds when they're still wet..does it mattter whether you serve these seeds wet or dry?

[LikeSheHas]

@firelightglow no, wet is fine if thats how he likes em! just dont leave them in his food cup all day or bacteria and mould will grow

[IwontConform]

i have had wonderful results with sprouting seeds for my cockatiels.I hear sprouted foods are good for humans too

[dahmanichakir]

Hi can I use Malt Vinegar and can my canaries can eat it? Many thanks

[LikeSheHas]

@dahmanichakir im not sure about the malt vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is available in supermarkets usually, and its not expensive. And yes, your canaries can eat sprouts!

[LikeSheHas]

@GearsGodZau You can plant the seeds in soil and wait for them to grow - but that is completely different to sprouting. I have a video on growing grass from birdseed too. Sprouting is about feeding seeds that have germinated, or in other words, are just starting to grow (as in 5 days old) and feeding these to your birds, not growing a whole plant and feeding that to them. Both are good but sprouted seed is the healthiest food you can feed your birds.

[melthazor]

Thank you :)

[werewolvesarehott]

Is it necessary to use apple cider vinegar? Or is there something else I could use?

Thank You for this video, it's really helped me.

[LikeSheHas]

@werewolvesarehott i have heard that people use grapeseed extract, but i have found the apple cider to work just fine and is cheaper too. Other than that im not really sure what else could be used, im sure there are other things but its important to be careful, as one wrong experiment could end in a dead birdy. it might be worth going on a parrot forum and asking there, the forums are a great way to hear what other people do. sorry i couldnt help more!

[skabron7]

Really nice video. Just what I was looking for.

[LikeSheHas]

@skabron7 Glad it could help! i also have another vid i put up recently with some of the questions that people asked me from this video, if you are interested.

[xxBecaB00xxx]

so you can use just regular budgie seed? Also, what type of seed could I use to sprout for all my birds? as my birds are different sizes. :/

[LikeSheHas]

@xxBecaB00xxx what kind of birds do you have? I use regular budgie seed - but its good to get one without shellgrit or those nutrient pellets - as the shellgrit reacts to the apple cider vinegar, and the pellets encourage bacteria. I am going to make a new sprouting film, not about how to sprout, but more the ins and outs of different seeds to sprout... but generally and sized seed or legume is ok for any sized parrot - but i imagine the bigger the bird, the more they prefer bigger ones

[xxBecaB00xxx]

@LikeSheHas I have a cockatiel, parakeets, and a hahns macaw...so I was sorta looking for a type of seed that would be great for all of them, so that I would'nt have to sprout like three different types of seed.

[LikeSheHas]

@xxBecaB00xxx I just have budgies and cockatiels so when i do it, its usually just budgie seed, or sometimes i mix in some cockatiel seed as well. you could try putting some of each birds seeds into one mix and see what happens? Also, to save time i buy containers of sprouted legumes like chickpeas, mung beans and lentils and my cockatiels love them especially - you could give more of these to the macaw too, to "beef up" the mix a bit.

[Pfmw12]

can u use cinder vinegar? because i cant find any other :(

[LikeSheHas]

@Pfmw12 Apple CIDER vinegar is the one to use. Or another thing is "grape seed extract" as both help inhibit bacteria

[Pfmw12]

@LikeSheHas ok thx, ooops miss-spelled :) i didnt use the cider vinegar, i just did it normally and it's starting to sprout :) thx anyway, i'll look for some more :)

[LikeSheHas]

@Pfmw12 as long as they get rinsed out often, 2-3 times a day, and are kept out of direct sunlight it should be ok - but if they smell bad chuck them out straight away, or you could make your birdy very sick. good luck! hope your bird loves em!

[Pfmw12]

@LikeSheHas they grew great, and no bad smell :) im going to feed them to them today :)

[LikeSheHas]

@Pfmw12 thats excellent! if you have a video camera you can always film it and post a video response if u like! it may take a few days for your bird to decide to try eating the sprouts, or your bird might love them from the start... my budgies will land on the seedcups before i even put them on the wall, they love them so much!

[Pfmw12]

@LikeSheHas hahaha cute <3 i put them in y birds cage and he ate them like kids eat sweets :): but then i took them away beacuse i thought he was going to puke from eating sooo much :)

[Pfmw12]

can u use cinder vinegar? because i cant find any other :(

[CJDHmt]

WOW!!! I never realized you could do this! thanks for making this video, i'm going to give it a shot :)

[LikeSheHas]

In my opinion, this is THE BEST food for seed eating parrots, it is so much healthier than normal seed, and it goes a lot further because it increases in size so rapidly. It might take a few experimental goes before getting it right - the most important thing is to keep it moist and rinse it regularly. Feel free to post a video response of your birds enjoying their sprouts!

[fizzy408]

i have a female and a male budgie...they are suspected of being bonded and well the male courts her every day and feeds her thrown up food and i put a nestbox in a few days ago and just yesterday she keeps goeing in and out of the nestbox and when shes in the male just sits right outside the nesthole and just feeds her and cuddles stuff like that..are they geting ready to breed or sumthing?

[LikeSheHas]

most definitely!  expect some eggs soon! Hope your budgies have a healthy diet with heaps of calcium and protien!

[fizzy408]

what should i feed them for protein?

[LikeSheHas]

you can boil an egg, and then mash it with the shell and that is a great source of protein and calcium too. For the healthiest budgies, you can mix with the egg: sprouted seeds, parsley, and also egg and biscuit mix . i advise against "bird vitamins" in drinking water - its a bacteria haven. i would also recommend vegetables or other plant foods - like growing bird seed grass (i have a vid on that). Also, its really important to have cuttlefish bone and idoine block for egg production.

[fizzy408]

yea i tryd the egg thing. i put boiled egg whites and they didnt eat it so i took it out...i have a cuttlebone...and i give them vegatables and fruit...i put the sprouted bird seed grass in and the bonded keets are going nuts off it...

[LikeSheHas]

i would boil the whole egg, mash it with the shell (it mashes really well) and give them a little bit mixed up with some seed...

the bird seed grass is a great food, but sprouted seed like in the vid here is even better for them.

[fizzy408]

how much times have u bred

[LikeSheHas]

i have grown up with family breeding budgies since i was little, so have been involved with it for years.

[fizzy408]

thatz kewl.thanks for the advice!

[stimulater7]

hi ..i have just discovered babys in the princess nest ...is there any special diet for mum ...and should i worm at this time ?

[LikeSheHas]

Sprouted seed is the best food for baby budgiesd (and parents!) as it is soft and easier to digest. I would also provide cuttlefish, mineral/iodine block, green plant foods, normal seed, and an egg and biscuit mix - i know, its a lot of things!

but sprouted seed was the thing my parent budgies lined up for, and devoured - its really worth a try...

and i would not do any worming until the babies are fully flighted - way too risky as it is a poison.

[destroyahdes]

I used to do this and had forgotten about it. It was a good reminder.

[LikeSheHas]

thanks - im glad i helped to jog your memory!

[AwesomeDream42]

Wow this is really useful information!

Thank You. ^_^

[LikeSheHas]

Im really glad im able to share the info i have - thats why i love youtube, so many useful and interesting parrot films!

My budgies have devoured the sprouts i put out for them earlier today. When they were breeding, everytime i changed their feed cups, they would fly right to the sprout cup before i even secured it to the cages, ignoring all of my other food offerings until they ate most of the sprouts!

[scrawya]

ill try that

[LikeSheHas]

Just one word of advice - go easy on the amount of seed you use, it expands rapidly as it grows.... and something i need to add to the video - discard the sprouts after 1 week if you havent used them all, or plant them in a container and feed that to your birdies once leaves develop!

[rezelute]

Humm the seeds are starting to sprout and funny enough only 1 of the many actually has a leaf the others are mostly red coloured rather than green im assuming its cuz of the sunlight.

[LikeSheHas]

can u film/photograph it so i can see? im a bit confused... they arent supposed to grow long enough to get leaves, its the shoots (the roots) of the seed that are fed to the birds (although leaves are fine but not the point).

how many days since u soaked em?

[rezelute]

Well i remembered along time ago by reading a book that said if you soaked them for a few hours that would be enough. Wel. I thought i was try that to see what happens.

The one with a leaf is still tiny so not really that long.

I will take a pix 2moro morning (night over here) and upload to deviant art :D

[LikeSheHas]

if you soak them for a few hours it just increases the water content, it takes a bit longer for the enzymes to get really active, and starches to take effect.

[LikeSheHas]

did i just make any sense?!

[rezelute]

Humm that never crossed my mind, good vid :D. When the plant has sprouted 3 days later doesnt it need sunlight after that for growth?

[LikeSheHas]

Dim lightor shade is fine. i keep mine in the kitchen away from direct sunlight because it dries the sprouts up (they need moisture) and it makes them spoil quite quickly in the sun or heat. Its summer here (almost) so i am rinsing mine twice a day, and using apple cider vinegar each time, just to be safe. like i said to scrawya - after a week you can plant them, so long as they are still fresh and not starting to decay. Im glad you liked my vid, im going to do a few more around diet soon!

[rezelute]

Yep i think im going to try it! Yeh thats mint keep me posted ;)

[swolenllama]

Yeah this is a great idea - thanks for posting this for people to see! I never knew it was so easy to sprout seeds for my budgies!

[LikeSheHas]

Thank you for watching!

[GVB1939]

Thanks for Posting. One for my Budgies other birds Pets Animals Fish Budgies Also Parrots, Playlist.

Please check it out. Gerry

Great production, :o) Have you looked at my latest video uploads. A Selection of Videos I think you might find interesting. Thanks for posting Regards GVB1939 Gerald Victor Broad. :o)

Peace And Love

[LikeSheHas]

Thanks Gerry! I will be sure to check out your vids real soon!

[GVB1939]

I am Always looking for interesting videos