Sprouting Seed & Virkon S

[Lukec]

Ok, so what is the process.

How much water is mixed with the 50g satchet?..........to how much seed,

Also i have white sprouting mix, black sprouting mix, a taste of africa from Birds R Us. If i were to sprout each mix seperately due to the rate of sprout. Would you blend the final sprouted product for freezing?.......and at what ratio for each?

Also for the Birds R Us Soft Food, is it ok to add before freezing?......and at what ration to the total seed?

[karl]

http://www.gouldiansgalore.net/sprouting.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; have a look at this Lukec.

[ZebraLyn]

I've had no sucess at sprouting seeds after three attempts - but will give this a go!

[Niki_K]

This is from the UNSW guidelines, and how I also sprout my seed. I use half a 5g virkon tablet for every litre of water.

The safe way to sprout seed
With a large number of birds to feed in our research station, it is important to develop management methods which are both quick and safe. Our problem was that in the warm and often humid climate of Australia it was difficult to sprout seed and guarantee that every time it was perfectly safe to feed, i.e. free from yeast, fungus, bacteria, etc.
Once we had the Virkon S, the rest was easy. We added 5mls of Virkon S to 1kilo of seed and sprouted the two types of seed mix we use in our standard way [described below] and then just left it on the sink top to see what happened. Other than turning from sprout to green food, nothing happened ! In other words, no fungus, no bad smell. The next test was to send it away to Dr Mark Simpson, the project vet for an independent laboratory for testing. After 4 days in an incubator, absolutely nothing. It took 11 days before there was enough yeast to start producing toxin. Even then not enough to kill a bird! Following this we experimented to see what the minimum volume of Virkon S could be used given our management system and eventually halved it to 2.5mls.
So how do we do it ?
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 plastic containers that fit inside each other & one lid. The container needs to be big enough to hold 1kg [1 litre] of sprouting seed. Make lots of small holes in the bottom and part way up the sides of one of the plastic containers. - 1/16th or in metric1.59mm
• Put in 1kg of sprouting seed into the container with holes [a 1 litre measure full]
• Put this container with seed inside the container without holes
• Add a minimum of ½ teaspoon of Virkon S
• Add approx 1.25 litres of water and stir to disperse the Virkon S
• Leave to soak for a minimum of 1½ hours to a maximum of 2 hours, soaking for longer makes it soggy, slower to dry & increase risk of pathogens.
• Separate the containers and leave the seed to drain, put the lid loosely on the top for about 12 hours to retain humidity & then remove so seed will start drying.
Within 14-30 hours, dependant on the seed-mix type & ambient temperatures, the mix will have ‘chitted’. This is the correct stage to feed it at. A longer sprout means it has lost a lot of its nutrient value.
DO NOT RINSE AT ANY TIME - THERE IS NO NEED YOU CAN FEED IT STRAIGHT TO THE BIRDS OR FREEZE TO BE USED LATER.

[GregH]

According to the APVMA, Virkon S is registered as a veterinary disanfectant. According to the label it is a cleaning product so any use other than the one specified is probably illegal unless you manage to get some sort of off-label, minor use registration passed. Does anyone know how to get around the

Not to be used for any purpose or in any manner contrary to label instructions unless authorized under appropriate legislation"

clause?

[Niki_K]

I know its used in the agricultural industry to disinfect food, so you might be able to source some through farmers or other agricultural groups.

[krystanic]

I have been sprouting seed exactly as in Mike Fidlers video and adding his soft food supplement and am quite happy with the results. Has anyone mixed blended vegetables and fruit with the frozen mix and if so what are the pros and cons of doing so

[Finchy]

According to the APVMA, Virkon S is registered as a veterinary disanfectant. According to the label it is a cleaning product so any use other than the one specified is probably illegal unless you manage to get some sort of off-label, minor use registration passed. Does anyone know how to get around the

Not to be used for any purpose or in any manner contrary to label instructions unless authorized under appropriate legislation"

clause?

Greg, wow, you are an obedient soul!! I'm as sure as...a very sure thing...that you are 99.9999% likely to never get in so much as the teensiest trouble for using this product 'off label' for domestic purposes! There's no need to 'get around it' because that sentence is not intended, in spirit, for home bird keepers.

Because Virkon-S is a registered veterinary disinfectant the manufacturer has to provide certain warranties to the industry about what it can and cannot do, and how to use it properly to achieve those things. That sentence is intended to help protect them from large scale prosecution for the unforseen consequences of people using it in really silly ways that cannot be predicted, then blaming them for any harm caused. It's the same reason manufacturers of steam irons feel the need to write on the power cord not to drop the iron into water or use it to iron out facial wrinkles etc - people occasionally do the darndest things ...and then blame someone else.

Just be sensible with the product and use it as experienced aviculturalists advise.

[E Orix]

We have been using Virkon S for over 4 years and to this date not one problem experienced to my knowledge.
I do not know what exact ratio used, half a plastic bucket of seed and a tea spoon of Virkon S then top up with water.
Drain well after 2 hours and thats it.

[Trilobite]

Can anyone let me know where you get your virkon supplies from?? please.