Aussie Finch Forum

Here is a pic of the Seed Mix im feeding, its called Budgie Blue, a few gouldians breeders i know feed this to their gouldians so iv got mine on it aswell, there is very little seed wastage!

i can i.d some seedsi think they are:

Canary
White Millet
Yellow Panicum
Oat

Im not sure what else is there, i also give niger and rape seed and also have extra red panicum and jap millet which they love.



i will use this mix to sprout, except the niger and rape seed as that sprouts sooner then the rest.

Also getting some Virkon S soon, my aunty is a Vet and she said she uses it all the time at the clinic so she is getting me some which im pretty happy about

Jarryd

hi just wondering how every body sprouts there seed. i do it the old way bleaching and rinsing

hers an article gouldian 1 for you to read.its one way of doing it ..pete http://www.finchsociety.org/cfa/diet/diet.htm

here's a link to another article (page 4)
http://savethegouldian.org/newsletters/April%202006.pdf

I think this is the way a lot of us are sprouting seed now

I'm also new at the seed sprouting situation, I gave mike fidlers way a go (without the virkon s ) just as a trial. Most of the seeds i found didnt sprout, am i missing something ? As in does temperture or sunlight have anything to do with it ? I used good quality seed which was white millet i *tried* to sprout...

Apologies for hijack

hi craig depending on were the seed came from if it came from outa state most of the seed wont sprout as the heat treatment it gets ruienes the seed so therefore doesnt sprout. so for the best seed try nutriwing seed if you already dont get it
thanks chris

Hi chris,

yeah this white millet is from nutriwing, which is why im a bit stumped as to why these seeds didnt sprout. Out of curiosity im presuming you can easily see the seeds germinate. I started the process yesterday at 12 and soaked for just under 2 hours. Was thinking maybe its too cool this time of year to try, but im only guessing.

Craig, normally you wont actually see the seed sprouting for around 36hrs. Leaving it in a warm place (i leave mine on top of the fridge) will speed up the process. The best time to feed is when you can just see the shoots emerging.

To Blue Butterfly if you buy Budgie mix in my opinion you are far better off.
Budgie mix normally does not have the black seeds(rape) which is used for colour and a filler.
When seed was reasonable $ the finch mix also had Maw,Niger and Linseed and this was good for the cup shaped nesters.
Today Budgie Mix is far better as it is made up of the Millets and Canary Seed. These days I am lazy and buy my seed premixed but I still add one bag of Red Millet to 5 bags of B/Mix.
Never skimp on seed and get the best quality you can afford.
Soaked seed, it is so easy these days. Three quarters of a plastic bucket full of seed,a spoon full of Virkon S and cover it with water. The bucket the seed is in is placed inside another bucket as it has small holes drilled in the bottom. Soak for no more than 3 hours and simply lift and drain, no need to rinse.The days of Vinegar,Bleach etc are gone now Virkon S is available.
If you can't afford the total outlay for VS share a shipment with others because it lasts a long time.
To shoot seed put some on a tray and place in a warm spot(not hot)and watch it, as soon as you see the tiny buds appearing you can feed it out you don't need to wait until there a green shoots showing.
Every time I get a large shipment of seed in I always take some out and put it through the shot seed method but let it shoot fully,this will tell me if the seed is good quality.I look for around 80% plus successful shoots appearing. I won't eat substandard food and I am sure my birds would feel the same way.

Also feed budgie mix to my finches.
But when I add, I don't have a problem with the little black seed being left. Cause I have Canaries in with the finches, and they love it.
LML