Aussie Finch Forum

Is this the type of milk thistle that your asking about ? I feed heaps of it but generally when its covered in aphids. Some finches dont like it but others seem to love it.Yes jusdeb you can grow it, just collect bags of seed when its open and starting to drop.I would be collecting now and plant the seed in april/may next year. Here its a winter plant and is starting to die off quickly at the moment. store the seed in material type bags and not in plastic bags if there is still some green bits when you collect it.

Desertbirds,
That's my finches favourite I just rip the hole plant up and they all love to eat the hole plant.

Thanks Nathan

Milk Thistle is a favourite Green for most cage and aviery birds, finches will eat flowers,seed pods and leaves while parrots will eat some of the stems. The prickly purple flower Thistle is scotch Thistle and the only edible part is the flower for the birds as it contains little seeds as for the leaves and stems not to sure if its poisonous but wouldn't like any of those prickles to stab them in the eye.

these are the 2 types I have fed the finches.....

i had no idea birds ate this! it pops up anywhere in my yard and i'm always pulling it out!

There are a heap of them on my walk to the bus stop of a morning and afternoon, but I have always steered away from them due to the milky sap. I think it's time to dig one out and plant it in a pot!

toothlessjaws wrote:i had no idea birds ate this! it pops up anywhere in my yard and i'm always pulling it out!

Do not confuse it with Dandelion or the other one looks like it...it is called flatweed...

toothlessjaws wrote:i had no idea birds ate this! it pops up anywhere in my yard and i'm always pulling it out!

Im happy to leave a few patches of it growing around the yard. Its not really the vegetable matter that im after but more so the insects that attack the plant.Its handy for some of the small waxbills and insectivorous species. I have noticed that Siskins love the seed heads and a few other species will have a go at it at this time of year as theres not a lot on offer as far as fresh seed heads go.

Wait till aphids get on the milk Thistle, take those parts in and watch the riches devour the aphids first then the thistle second. I find that dandelion flowers to be liked by my birds.

Nrg,
Don't plant one in your aviary it won't last two seconds you finches and especially your parrots will chew it all up in 2 seconds just rip a plant out and feed it to them it's a waste of time planting it as it would only last 2 seconds before being mould.

Thanks Nathan