Jul 21, 2020 16:27:07 GMT
Barry
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 32
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Post by Barry on Oct 12, 2020 17:38:18 GMT
Just adding, hopefully, to the conversation.
After the sprouts have grown I just water the stalks & leaves and then stick the pot in. They procede to enthusiastically wash in em, then chew on the stalks until every one is down, which only takes em up to 10 minutes. Whether they eat any parts of the plant is a mystery to me.
G'day to you's all
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Oct 12, 2020 18:45:47 GMT
Barry I wondered if my guys are actually eating the grass and sprouts I give them or just ripping them to pieces! I've watched Buddy and he'll take a piece and rip it apart with his beak and it does look like he's eating it. Even if they just play with it, hopefully they get a bit swallowed. I'm going to be putting a larger pot outside to grow more grass for them. I think the way to plant it is grow the sprouts and then plants those. Any suggestions?
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Post by mona on Oct 13, 2020 4:26:17 GMT
Yeah, you could just sprout it and plant it then.. we used to grow plants from sprouts in our childhood days for the garden birds to chew it all off! 🙈 tweetiepiesmom, even if your birds are playing with it, it's a good sign. They will eventually taste it and might like it. Cookie loves ripping veggies, when she is in shredding mode. She started eating spinach and mint, after playing with them for a while. Stay consistent, they will eventually develop taste for it. Yesterday, I had half cooked mung beans, fenugreek, quinoa and yellow mustard for a change. They finished off all the mung beans and have been more interested in fenugreek now..no idea what they do with the rest of the two! 😄 I had started sprouting these in different containers, except quinoa. I am worried about the natural protective coating on quinoa. They seem to love the sprout tails of yellow mustard and fenugreek. I wasn't able to sprout fennel seeds & later discovered that it's germination time is too high! Quinoa, I had read if washed properly can be sprouted. I had tried it in the earlier days, but then switched to safer alternative to wash and cook it. I prefer, not to deep freeze anything and rather provide it fresh, even though that's tedious!
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Post by Hezz on Oct 14, 2020 0:33:28 GMT
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Sprouts
Oct 14, 2020 12:19:10 GMT
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Post by mona on Oct 14, 2020 12:19:10 GMT
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Apr 19, 2024 5:40:35 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
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Sprouts
Oct 14, 2020 14:29:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2020 14:29:54 GMT
My second attempt at sprouting went well. Used two layers of damp kitchen roll, which sprouted more than my soaking did.
They both ate them. Yuki seemed to enjoy nibbling the tails. Not sure if Indie was looking for the least sprouted or not, but he evidently still knew they were seeds at least. Need to figure out how long it takes so I can get them sprouting on rotation so there's always some ready.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Oct 14, 2020 14:56:08 GMT
Aren't these little guys funny about their likes and dislikes? @sillycat84 I was watching my guys eat their sprouts and it looked like they were eating the seed head, not the tail! What I've noticed is that my seeds are taking 4-5 days to get them at the growth stage that my guys like. The first 12 hours I soak them in water. After that I give them a good rinse every 12 hours and shake off the excess water. mona I remember reading somewhere that you can tell how "good" your bird's seeds are by sprouting them and seeing how many seeds actually sprout. If they are fresh they'll sprout. You just reminded me of that. I'm going to sprout their regular seed food and see how many sprout! I love the variety of seeds that you are sprouting for your budgies. Once I'm sure Tweetie Pie and Buddy are eating their sprouts regularly, I'll start trying some different things to sprout and feed them. Now that I've decided sprouting is something that I can do and that my guys like, I'll get fresh seeds to sprout. My "experiment" has been with a year old bag of budgie seed that I fed them, they liked it but weren't crazy over it so I switched to another brand.
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Apr 19, 2024 5:40:35 GMT
Deleted
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Sprouts
Oct 14, 2020 17:42:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2020 17:42:48 GMT
tweetiepiesmom Most of mine had something of a tail and several had decent tails within a day and a half. I didn't want to scare Indie too much, but figured some sprouting is better than nothing. Was pleased to see him eating the seed part at the very least.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Oct 14, 2020 18:11:52 GMT
Good job, Indie! I did wonder if my seeds were too old. I've got some new, fresh seeds that I'll try in the next day or so.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Oct 16, 2020 17:37:11 GMT
I left this latest batch of sprouts to grow longer. I put some in a food cup and Buddy likes them. He's gone back to nibble a few times. Tweetie Pie has nibbled a couple of times but each time he wipes his beak back and forth on the perch. Maybe he doesn't like the texture? They're not really wet. Here's a picture of what they look like. You can see some seeds just didn't sprout. I've ordered some fresh seeds so I'll get some of those started this weekend.
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Apr 19, 2024 5:40:35 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2020 19:48:14 GMT
Munchy once wiped his beak like that after tasting custard! My latest batch doesn't seem to be sprouting much even after 36 hours. I need to time it so that I can take them out the night before to dry off, especially when I'm out to work the next day. Those look really good!
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Sprouts
Oct 17, 2020 4:57:51 GMT
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Post by mona on Oct 17, 2020 4:57:51 GMT
tweetiepiesmom Those look delicious! Finally, today I have started with sprouting wheat and rye. Once sprouted, I'll plant them to try with the fresh grass..I got the wheat seeds from a friend. Not sure how old they are. Just giving it a try. Rye/mustard/moong generally takes a day to sprout here, maybe due to the temperature. Haven't ever sprouted wheat...let's see how it goes! I have also left their seed mix to sprout to check on the seed quality! Just wondering, all the seeds from seed mix can be planted for them to nibble on the plant?! If the seeds are safe, so should the plants.. One more interesting info I read.. The sprout water shouldn't be thrown away.. That can be used to water plants, as it has a lot of nutrients. I didn't know that. I've been a bit careless the last few days & feel bad about their diet! I had been skipping sprouts to replace with half cooked seeds.. To overcome my guilt, I have started with sprouts again today 🙉 Hopefully if the grass plantation works well, I'll try to have it in circulation.. (Just hoping the pigeons won't destroy my grass.. a 100% sure, they will!) Will have to find a bright spot in my home to grow these, since I have uncovered balcony 😅
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Sprouts
Oct 17, 2020 8:12:18 GMT
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Post by mona on Oct 17, 2020 8:12:18 GMT
My buds wipe their beak to get the tasty stuff off their beaks.. All the moong & sprout tail that they break down to eat is always stuck to their beaks(not wet either).. after they realize it, they clean it off the perch or just shake their head to get it off their beak... that often lands on me too.. 😄😅
I read it somewhere, that if your budgie has food stuck to it's beak while eating, it's an indication that it loves it! Though I'm always on a lookout that it never reaches their nostrils and has never. I use flat/shallow bowls for feeding sprouts and chops..
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Oct 17, 2020 15:47:39 GMT
mona I think your budgies will love the wheat grass! Let some of it grow until it puts out seed heads. Others here encouraged me to do that. My guys went nuts over the seed heads. I have also been throwing the sprout water down the drain. I'll take it outside and pour it on my plants. Good to know the beak wiping isn't because he objects to the taste! Buddy seems to really like the sprouts that I've let grow longer. I saw him eating the tails yesterday, not just the seed part. Tweetie Pie has gone to the dish a few times to take a nibble. I think its growing on him!
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Apr 19, 2024 5:40:35 GMT
Deleted
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Sprouts
Oct 18, 2020 15:39:36 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2020 15:39:36 GMT
My second batch was more sprouted but they've eaten them. Mind you, they weren't given a choice between the two. Hezz Should I offer both sprouted and unsprouted seeds as the nutrition content changes, or are sprouted seeds considered healthier overall?
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