Brocalli and cress as a substitute sprouted seed?

[Howldaloom]

Hi i have heard recently that brocalli is a form of sprouted seed and finches love it *mine do* and also cress is a form of sprouted seed *makes sense i suppose*
I was wondering if this is true?

Im struggling with sprouting seed. My finches who eat a range of millit wont touch it soaked or sprouted. Because most of it is what looks like rape seed and that sort of thing.

Plus its just sooooooooooooo hard to get hold of. the nearest shop that sells it is around 130 miles away as far as i am aware. And no they dont post it.
I have asked im all my local pet shops and they have never heard of soaking seed and are unwilling to go buying it in for me.

Is it really worth the effort to go through all the hassle to get it if they dont eat it anyway?

Most my birds will dive head first into a nest of cress/brocalli

[Diane]

I bought a packet of Sandwich sprout seeds and grew them as directions said on the packet, some of the birds ate those. I think brocalli and cress were included in the seeds.
I find the thing all the birds will take to is growing finch seed, I leave it to grow till its about 3 or 4 inches high then give it to them.

[Howldaloom]

The seeds in the uk are treated with something to prevent them growing. i have tried that. the seeds wont grow!

[mickw]

Yep, thats what I figured. In fact alot of seed here is treated also and wont sprout. But there is always a source somewhere. If you havent already, you may need to make contact with bird clubs over there. There are also others on this forum from the UK/Europe who may be able to help.

Sprouting is dead easy, but in the mean time your birds arent missing out with Brocolli and cress.....even if you can grow some Brocc/lettuce/canola(rape) in your own vegie garden, let it go to seed and harvest the seed.....nice treat!

[E Orix]

If all your seed has been radiated that is sad because obviously it won't sprout.
BUT the advantage of soaked seed(not wet seed) is it has been softened and is easily digested for the parent birds to feed to their chicks especially
early in the morning.Also it is good for non breeding birds as well.
The other advantage is that you can use it as the medium to feed out other things
Such as very finely chopped peas,corn,carrot or brocolli. Once a week if you so desire add some vitimins or other aides.I also add a powdered finch food.
I wouldn't add worming meds,calcium etc though.Its a food not medication
It also depends on how many birds you have as to the quantity you prepare.If you only have a few birds ask your partner could you store a small tight lidded container in the freezer and you can take from that each day.
What to do,Pour the quantity of seed you wish to soak into a container,simply cover it with water and leave for" 2 hours". Once that time has elapsed drain it
and rinse it under the running tap.THEN let it drain well,once drained you can add the other bits and pieces and put it in your container and into the freezer.
If you have drained it well when you take the container from the freezer it can easily spooned out.If it is a solid mess then your seed was not drained enough.
Just remember possibly canaries being the exception most finches take a few days to accept new food items so you may have to be patient but the advantages
are there for your birds so persevere.
By the way if you can locate any seed that will germinate use it,the black seeds are quite popular with cup type nesting species.

[jusdeb]

Organic seed suppliers usually do a sprouting mix although the cost is much higher.