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Post by dyzired on Dec 19, 2012 18:56:44 GMT
Okay so I bought a bag of canary/parakeet food that seemed pretty decent.. But I'm not sure what seeds are what... And wanted to get your opinion on how good this mix is and what i can add to it to make it a decent mix that I can feed a couple of times a week (and how much I can feed) Here's the bag (Sorry about the sideways pics) And here is the mix.. #10 are colored pellets... And #11 look like colored seeds. These id remove as there really aren't many and i don't know what they're made of...but can you guys tell me what #s 1-9 are? I think I may know a couple but want to be sure! Thanks
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Post by ntg on Dec 19, 2012 21:13:59 GMT
1 - white millet, 3 - nyger seed, 5 - red millet. Those are rhe ones I know for sure... I think 2 may be flax seed and 8 is canary seed but I couldn't say for sure.
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Post by dyzired on Dec 19, 2012 21:39:51 GMT
Googled flaxseed and it looks like number 4 Also googled canary seed and looks like #6
Thanks for your help! Is this mix okay so far?
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Post by saddlers on Dec 19, 2012 23:44:42 GMT
Watching this thread with interest I have been eyeing up the bird seed mixes for my lot
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Post by ntg on Dec 20, 2012 0:06:00 GMT
All the additives seem a bit mind boggling in it, but I would think they would be in those tiny coloured pieces so if you're willing to take them out then all the seeds are fine together as far as I'm aware
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 0:22:06 GMT
Yeah, I really believe all that crap that's listed (most I can't even pronounce!) is inside the pellets or coating those colored seeds. I don't see how it'd be all over the other seeds lol I'd definitely remove those pieces. How often/much can I feed this? Should I add more to the mixture? Or maybe make up two mixes with this stuff and a couple other seeds and anther with this stuff and different other seeds ( if that makes sense lol)
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Post by ntg on Dec 20, 2012 0:41:48 GMT
I don't even know why a parakeet would need all that lol. It might be worthwhile coming up with a couple of mixes, even if you just use that as a base and add some different seeds from the seed chart like sunflower seeds, sesame, etc? Not sure on quantities though!
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 1:20:45 GMT
The pellets are probably some sort of "color enhancing" load of crap lol
And I will have to look at the other seed mixes and check it out!
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Post by winic1 on Dec 20, 2012 8:26:03 GMT
The pellets are where they add in the vitamins and other nutrients, since just spraying them on the seeds wouldn't really work. What you want to buy is a "Soak Seed" mix. This is a mix of seeds designed to be sprouted and fed to the birds. Because of that, there are no pellets, and no additives, they are just seeds, as other stuff would just produce mush that would quickly mold when moistened to let the seeds sprout. One I have found easy to get in pet stores or online is "Higgins Snack Attack Soak and Sprout" seed mix. Here's an example : www.birdsupplynh.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1685found another listing which says "now with quinoa" so I guess maybe they've added that? haven't looked into it yet. Just make sure you get "Soak and Sprout", not one of the many others that come in the exact same packaging except for the name. for example, I also got a bag of "Songbird Treat" and it turns out it has all kinds of added stuff, including sugar. Which is fine for birds (which I do have) who would also eat berries and such if out in the wild, but not a good choice for degus. But any "soak seed" will be free of pellets and additives. This is just one brand I know can be found or ordered easily. BTW, the Bird Supply of NH site is a really good one to order from. also, they have all kinds of bird seed mixes, there may be some others that are seed-only, no pellets (haven't looked that far, myself). The way to tell is to check the ingredients, if they start mentioning "meal" of any kind, and a list of vitamins and things, that means there are pellets made of whatever meal or flours are listed.
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 20, 2012 11:52:57 GMT
No 2 is the rapeseed, I think you have everything else figured out. The orange oil is the additive that bothers me most. I think you are probably right that the mix is fine if you take out the pellets, but I think it's probably waaaaaay easier to get on of the additive free mixes that Winic describes. Plus, I'd look for a mix with a better proportion of oil seeds, this one looks to be mostly millet, or you can just add in some more oil seeds Natural seed mixes with oil seeds are a good way to introduce some variety, and the oil seeds are good for nutrition. You might want to reduce the bought feed when you feed the seeds, but it depends on your feeding regime. If you can manage to find some more fresh leaves and so on, you will then be improving the nutrition in a good balanced way.
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 14:32:51 GMT
I'd like to use up this bag I have bought first, because although I have birds, I don't want to really feed them a lot of seeds. They sell that line of bird food like the sprout one, but the sprout one is the ONLY one I haven't seen them have. Ill have to take a look again though because that's what I was originally aiming for. For now I will add more oil seeds to this and then go from there. Does anyone know a suitable amount to feed weekly??
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 20, 2012 19:41:36 GMT
Seeds are nutritionally similar to bought food, so it's a case of switching some bought food for some seeds, or sprinkling them around as an extra if they tend to regulate the amount of feed they eat anyway.
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 20:32:39 GMT
I give them two "scoops" of pellets a day each (I'm not sure the amount in the scoop.. Maybe a tbsp) so on seed days could I just do like 1 scoop seed, and 1 scoop pellets each? Or no pellets and 2 scoops seeds? And maybe 2 times a week?
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 20, 2012 20:49:14 GMT
Maybe start with one scoop pellets one scoop seeds and do it 2 or 3 times a week and see how it goes.
You might find the seeds are a lot heavier per scoop than pellets, so you might only want two thirds of a scoop or something like that.
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 20:58:26 GMT
Okay thanks so much. Will try that out. Will also look at the oil seeds they can have, and add in some of those
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 22:32:55 GMT
Okay so just spent over an hour pulling the pellets out of that feed... And I've only gotten maybe 1/3cup of seed mix after all that! Haha will just have to find a different mix I guess!
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Post by dyzired on Dec 20, 2012 23:30:55 GMT
So I think I've figured it out for the most part... 1 white millet 2 rapeseed 3 nyger seed 4 flax seed 5 red millet 6 canary grass seed
And 7&8 were maybe just irregular versions of 1&5 and then 9 to me looks like broken up sunflower seeds.. But idk because that's not listed. Or like safflower seeds but I don't think that's on there either. So who knows
EDIT Or is #8 amaranth? Is it possible they didn't list all that was inside?
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 21, 2012 10:03:19 GMT
I agree with 1 to 6. I think 7 or 8 must be 'finch millet'. Not sure about the rest.
I once picked the egg pieces out of a budgie mix, there weren't even many of them, but it took ages.
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Post by dyzired on Dec 24, 2012 20:03:37 GMT
Bought this for my boys. I'm aware they may destroy it.. But is it okay for them? It looks small in the picture but it is big enough for 2-3 goos.
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Post by ntg on Dec 24, 2012 22:53:29 GMT
It looks fine to me, just keep an eye out for them chewing holes in it that are big enough that they might get caught in! Is it a cotton and fleece material?
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