Fanta-Seeds Brand, Your Opinion?

[KatiesMom]

I did a search in the forums for Fanta-seeds brand food, and didn't find anything, so please forgive me if I am asking a question that has already been answered. I sure would appreciate your input on this brand of feed, so that if it isn't the best, I can switch now before Katie gets too used to it- she's almost 9 weeks old. Here's the list of ingredients:

white proso millet, hulled oats, canary grass seed, red siberian millet, golden german millet, canola seed, flax seed, niger seed, poppy seed, mung beans, japanese millet, sesame seed, apples, coconut, carrot, parsley, red & green bell peppers, celery, peas, leeks, lettuce seeds, spinach flakes, dates, whole egg solids, chamomile flowers, cantaloupe seeds, sterile hemp seeds, raspberries, oil of anise.

Guaranteed Analysis:
min. crude protein 13%, min. crude fat 8%, max. crude fiber 20%, max. moisture

Manufactured for & distributed by: Halo, Purely for pets, Inc. Tampa, FL

I have my first batch of Birdie Bread in the oven right now, and so far, I have gotten her to eat fresh Cauliflower, banana, apple, and swiss chard, although she's not really diggin' on the apple or the swiss chard.

I am storing the Fanta-seed in an airtight container in the fridge. Funny thing, I have had birds in my life for almost 30 years, and never knew to store the seed in the fridge until the shop I bought Katie from told me to...duh! Probably could have saved some money over the years, as occasionally I would discover critters in the seed even though it was stored in airtight containers, and had to throw it away.

Thank you in advance for your input on Katie's diet, and I would appreciate any other tips or suggestions.

I noticed that many of your birds love Kale baths, and I can't wait to try that out, it sounds like so much fun for them and entertaining for the humans too!

By the way, If your bird can't eat all the kale before it goes bad, I have a fantastic recipe for raw kale salad (for people only- it has avocado) and I will post it in the off-topic forum.

[ParrotletsRock]

My p'let does not care for apples either...he would much rather veggies over fruit...funny eh?? He goes nuts for popcorn...lol

[skthurley]

Taking a look at the ingredients, it looks decent.... variety of millet (which is typically a healthy seed), and flax and hemp seed (good for omega fatty acids).... then there's a few fattier ones...some dried veggies.. my only concern is the mung beans and spinach flakes. Mung beans need to be cooked or sprouted. I'm curious as to how the mung beans were prepared. I'd hate for the mung beans to cause your little gal to have digestive issues.
And spinach is a veggie that should be given only on occasion, as if given too often it can cause the bird to not properly consume calcium. I forget the official term.

As for the fresh foods, keep offering! And more veggies then fruit. Fruit are high in sugar, and though good for them, not in high quantities. Try Broccoli. Jack loves it :D

[KatiesMom]

my only concern is the mung beans and spinach flakes. Mung beans need to be cooked or sprouted.


Thank you so much for the speedy reply!

Yikes! I had no idea that mungs are bad if not sprouted! The ingredients list does not specify how they are prepared, so I would rather not take the risk. Based on your advice, I will switch her feed immediately! There's a great shop down the street called Omar's Exotic Birds- they will propably have the right feed- will check here on the forums first to see what you folks are feeding your babies.



And popcorn...that sounds like it could be fun! I just might make her a batch of plain popped corn the old-fashioned way, not microwaved.

[ParrotletsRock]

I use a hot air popcorn popper and make a batch and store in a zip lock... that way when I am having popcorn..( with butter and ranch seasoning...lol) I can give him some to...He will hop over and beg for it while I am eating . If I don't give him his own he will climb in my bowl and grab some himself...lol. ( he is hard to catch when he gets into the bowl of popcorn and runs around all over it while trying to evade your hand and screaming at you..lol.

[KatiesMom]

UPDATE:
OK, so I went to Omar's and they have a "Birdie Buffet" where they have all sorts of seed mixtures in covered bins that you buy by the lb. One of the ladies owns a Parrotlet and she told me to buy two seed mixtures and mix it at a ratio of 60/40, and there is not a mung bean to be found, yay!

Of course, I had to buy a few more toys, because how could I resist, and I got the name of a good vet and will schedule her first check up ASAP.

As for the Fanta-seed, I guess the wild birds in the neighborhood will be dining on gourmet fare for a while! Maybe it will keep them off my Bachelor Buttons long enough for me to at least harvest a few seeds for my garden next year!

Once again, thanks for the advice, and also I just remembered I have an air popper, so I will definitely give that a try!

[skthurley]

awesome! Sounds great!

I don't offer a lot of seed to Jack, but the seeds he does get are from two seed mixes. One, a budgie mix of red and white millet, and secondly a canary mix of oat groats, canary seed and niger seed. I offer this mix 3 ways: sprouted, grown into grass and on occasion dry. Typically he and Callie (my linnie) get it sprouted and grown into grass.

[KatiesMom]

How do you sprout the seeds? Do you just soak them and then put them on a paper towel in a baggies or something?

[skthurley]

I sprout my seeds very easily"

I take a small handheld-strainer, and a round container with a flat bottom.

First off, I rinse the seeds by putting them in the strainer and rinsing them with cool water. Then I put them in the container and pour water in so that the seeds are completely covered. then I put them in the cupboards ( a nice dark place). I let this soak for a minimum of 8 hours (usually over night). In the morning, I rinse the seeds again, and wash the dish that the seeds were in. I don't want any bacteria to grow. Once the seeds are rinsed and drained of water, I return them to the clean container and put in a drop of Apple Cider Vinegar. This is to help kill any bacteria. I typically use my finger to stir this in and make sure that the seeds are moist but not soaking wet.
Then I place the container back in my cupboards (a dark dry place). It is important to store the seeds somewhere dark.... i didn't do this for awhile and the seeds together forever to sprout.

Every 4 to 6 hours I rinse the seeds by using the handheld strainer and running them under cool water.

Every other time I put a drop of Apple Cider vinegar. This is completely harmless to birds, and in fact actually can be quite beneficial to their bodies.

After 2 to 4 days they should be fully sprouted.... small like shoots are fine. my guys aren't fans of the longer shoots. Seeds and grains can just be offered soaked, while legumes MUST be sprouted to one inch long tails.

I sprout: red and white millet, niger seed, canary seed, oat groat, mung beans, adzuki beans, and green lentils

[KatiesMom]

Thanks for sharing how you do that skthurley! I'm sure you've probably had to repeat that a million times, but I can at least say that THIS newbie is very grateful for your help! I will try to sprout some seeds today, and I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks!

PS: does your screen name have anything to do with skateboarding?

[skthurley]

LOL! Actually no. My first name is Shandi, middle name initial is K and last name Thurley. lol!

so I shortened it to skthurley. lol!

And glad to help. There are lots of ways to sprout. This is the easiest method for me, but be sure to research into other ways to see what works best for you :D

[KatiesMom]

That's too funny! I thought it was a skateboard thing- my sons are way into it!