Best/healthiest finch seed brands for 2011?

[jusdeb]

I found the Healthy Bird seed mixes to be quite good however the Petbarn I visit gets a bit lazy at times when it comes to rotating stock .


From memory it is packed from local seeds in Qld under the business name of Takeshi or ????? something like that .

[Finchman1]

I bought a few bags of Clifton finch mix from Elenbee today,Great looking clean, glossy seed and the birds love it,no wastage.

[Finchy]

Sounds good. I may make a run over there myself. What seeds are in the Clifton mix/what proportions approx?

Ta

[Finchman1]

At $25 a bag a good buy.Fincho might be able to add some light the the mix quantities

[nswchainsaw]

I use Avi Grain Finch Blue , yesterday i soaked it for four hours then put it in a container and this morning it is starting to sprout , anyone using seed mixes with Panorama Millet in is wasting money because because birds wont eat it.
Garry
PS Avi Grain Finch Blue $20.50 for a 20 KG bag at Windsor

[Finchy]

Well I'll be...I never would have expected this. I just sprouted some Elenbee seed under exactly the same conditions as before and these are the results:

- Elenbee Greens & Grains: 5% sprouting. Scent is flat, slightly musty.

- Elenbee custom finch mix: Less than 5% / No visible sprouting! Scent is flat, slightly musty.

I was expecting fabulous vital seed from Elenbee, bursting out of the husks! I certainly never expected PetBarn seed to be the best followed by Avigrain and and then Elenbee the worst. That runs completely counter to my prior prejudice!

(What an expensive experiment... )

Garry, interesting that you soaked your seed for 4 hours - more than double the maximum recommended. I may try that next, just to keep myself entertained...

[nswchainsaw]

I usually soak for at least 12 hours .
Garry

[Avigrain]

Hi,

Interesting results Finchy.

Fact is you could do the same test each month and get a different result each time.

I know that we at Avigrain test grain on intake pretty much the same as other major manufacturers.

We test for moisture levels - there are industry standards as to what maximum moisture levels are to ensure safe storage.
bulk density - ie how heavy it is (if it's light it generally means there is a problem)
by smell so we won;t take any musty smelling grain,
for weed seeds (like the johnston grass you guys loved as Peppers Greens and Grains - noxious weed in most parts)
and to see if there is any livestock - weevils, moths etc.

We do not test for germination - it is expensive and takes a few days for the results to come back so you can;t unload grain until germination is verified - which makes it impossible in a practical sense.
And even then, what is an acceptable level of germination. Certified millet seed, which incidentally costs about three times the 'feed' price, has a germination rate of min. 95%.

So in practice we are taking grain in which may or may not sprout. Not all grain will readily sprout - for a number of reasons such as a poor finish to the growing season - and it doesn;t follow that the grain is then 'no good'. I appreciate that this is contrary to the belief of many breeders, however the fact is that breeders will not pay three or four times the price for grain which is certified and guaranteed to sprout. I know because we sell a guaranteed certified sprouting mix, well we try and sell it - no-one buys it because it is too expensive! ($40-45 per 20kg bag)

Avigrain like other manufacturers will have seed which sprouts most of the time and I reckon if Finchy extended the experiment he would get an array of results because the fact is we are all getting grain from different sources and areas through the year and the sprouting consistency will vary.

So I think a better goal is to see if your birds eat the seed and thrive on it and I have been encouraged by the breeders who have used our seed for long periods of time and have a thriving aviary. So in fairness to Elenbee or Takari Seeds or other manufacturers who may turn in bad results from time to time, like we do, breeders can;t expect to get consistency in sprouting without paying for the testing before manufacture.

Best of luck

Dennis

[Finchman1]

I soak over night ,and then put the seed into a heated box to sprout the next night,sprouts fine

[Finchy]

Right then! 8+ hours it is. My other half is already going batty with all the bird seed everywhere... but clearly there are more experiments to be done .

What method/additive do you guys use to keep the seed fresh during such a long anaerobic soak?