Aussie Finch Forum

I live in tropical far north Queensland. I have had a major disaster with I think sprouted seed. I lost about 20 finches over several weeks-whatever it was effected my painteds most but gouldians were also effected. I treated for worms and coccidiosis and washed and bleached my 7 meter aviary by hand. I couldnt work it out but the vet finally deduced it was toxic sprouted seed. He told me that it was virtually impossible to sprout seed up here without poisoning the birds. I have had no more fatalities since I stopped feeding them sprouted seed. I prepared my seed in an almost sterile environment-plenty of bleach-avicleans and multiple rinsing. Since I stopped the sprouted seed, gouldians-jacarinis an painteds have all gone to nest and the pied red faced parrot finches have started courting. Does anyone have experience of this and is there any alternative to sprouted seed as all my birds loved it. I have now resorted to bok choy, lebanese cucumber and coz lettuce everyday with alfalpha sprouts-been shoots and spinach 4 times per week. None of my birds will eat corn-peas and carrot mix. They have the usual grit-charcoal-good finch mix- passwell soft food and mealies on tap at all times. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thats a shocker , sorry for your big loss.
If your worried about getting veg into them then make up some bird bread with corn/peas/carrot in it .
Cant think of any other way to get those vegies into them .

When I was breeding Finches in Mackay had the same problems but what your feeding them will suffice...try the darker greens as well spinach etc...but add extra calcium as some greens cancel it out I also used to feed madiera cake...peanut butter...iodine and salt blocks....

jusdeb wrote:Thats a shocker , sorry for your big loss.
If your worried about getting veg into them then make up some bird bread with corn/peas/carrot in it .
Cant think of any other way to get those vegies into them .

Thanks heaps-I have never feed cake of any kind but heard madiera cake at th supermarket is ok-how do I make the vegie cake? and are any there other store bought cakes ok

vettepilot_6 wrote:When I was breeding Finches in Mackay had the same problems but what your feeding them will suffice...try the darker greens as well spinach etc...but add extra calcium as some greens cancel it out I also used to feed madiera cake...peanut butter...iodine and salt blocks....

I feed the iodine-calcium and salt blocks and also biocal-golden bloom in the water twice per week. I also give them a calcium supplement in the water. How do you feed the peanut butte?
I appreciate the advice a lot.

Broccoli also a good veg best to wash thoroughly as it has been sprayed with insecticide unless you go organic.

Used it on top of madiera cake and sprinkled little seed on that

I found that if you find something they like i.e seed or egg and biscuit mix, you can boil the veggies, and then mash them. Then you just mix it in with the food.

Very sorry for your loss, do you actually know why the seed was toxic?

There were some recipes posted in these topics
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teg33 wrote:I found that if you find something they like i.e seed or egg and biscuit mix, you can boil the veggies, and then mash them. Then you just mix it in with the food.

Very sorry for your loss, do you actually know why the seed was toxic?

Apparently in the tropics a whole lot of nasties produce various toxins when the seed is sprouting. The vet, who breeds lots of birds, including the big parrots tells me has never been able to make safe toxic seed. It relates to the higher overninght transient temperatures. I note in one of mike fidlers articles on sprouted seed that he mentions about "our northern colleages not using sprouted seed because of this". Also to note is the vet guesses that painteds and gouldians just drop dead because one particular toxin, of which there are several, really effect birds with their particular crop acid levels. My canaries who were fed the same seed and had young in the nest were not effected at all.


kenny