Haiths budgie tonic seed

[birdguhl]

Does anyone else use this?

I have just emailed Haiths to say that there is an excessive amount of oats in the batch I bought in February. I strained the oats out to measure the proportion and it is around 20%. The boys eat some of it (although Charlie has been discarding it more since he has been on the sick list) but nowhere near that much.

Their reply was that they reserve the right to substitute different seeds according to availability, and that this is pointed out on their website. They say the replace with seed of a comparable value and nutritional quality.

I still feel this is a disproportionate ratio, and it would make me think twice about getting it again. Apart from anything else the oats take up so much room in the dish and they always end up on top and I don't like the sound of untouched food hitting the deck on a regular basis!

[jellybean]

I buy it too birdguhl, and also noticed more groats in the mix

I only feed a tablespoon each to my two twice a week.
I always notice the groats get eaten first though.

[birdguhl]

Thanks jellybean

That's interesting that you only feed it in small quantities. I usually only give them it when I am away overnight instead of their fresh germinated seed. But I have been offering it more in the context of the altered arrangements recently as I always find they go off pellets when anything else changes.

When I first gave them it a good while back it took ages for either of them to tackle the scary groats (correct term!) but once they discovered there weren't poisonous they seemed to like them. But again since things have changed they seem to have gone off them - just when there are masses more in the mix!

It seems like any behaviour which is more recently learned gets knocked off by change. Makes sense I suppose as it is less embedded and when there are new things to adjust to, the newer behaviour gets shoved aside for more established habits.

[Hezz]

I don't know Haithe's and their seed mixes, but I will butt in on the conversation to say that unless a budgie is underweight, I don't like my birds having oats at all. They seem to be a cheap filler seed, they are full of fat and the buds love them. I liken it to children and potato crisps.