Here's a little guideline I put together based on resources found on sprouting .. I order my seeds and stuff individually, and make mixes based on spouting times .. not of the information is my own .. just reorganized to put similar sprouting times together ...




Sprouting Reference List


1 – 2 Day Sprouts


Broccoli: Soak 8 hours, rinse 2-3 times a day, ready in 1-2 days.

Oats, hulled: Vitamin E. Good for immune system and skin disorders unless bird is sensitive to gluten. Soak 8 hours, ready in 1-2 days.

Pumpkin seed: B complex, E, phosphorus, iron, zinc, protein. Soak 8 hours, ready in 1 day.

Quinoa: Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, folacin, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and protein. Soak 3-4 hours, harvest 1-2 days.

Sunflower hulled: B complex, D, E, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and unsaturated fatty acids and protein. Soak 6-8 hours, harvest in 1-2 days


2 – 3 Day Sprouts

Barley, hulless type: Vitamins A, B complex, E, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus. Glucans to help lower cholesterol and build the immune system. Soak 6 hours, harvest 2-3 days

Millet, unhulled: Vitamin B, E, protein. Soak 8 hours, ready in 2-3 days.

Peas: Vitamin A, iron, potassium, magnesium. Contain all 8 essential amino acids and 22 percent protein. Soak time: 8 hours, harvest in 2-3 days.

Wheat: B complex, E, folacin, iron, magnesium, manganese, protein and omega-6. Flavor is sweetest when tail first appears. Soak for 12 hours, harvest in 2-3 days.


3 – 5 Day Sprouts

Adzuki bean: Vitamin C, iron, protein. Soak 5 hours, harvest 3-5 days

Amaranth: Soak 3-5 hours, harvest 2-3 days. Soak 3-5 hours, ready in 3-5 days.

Buckwheat, hulled: soak 6 hours (no longer) Harvest 3-4 days

Lentil sprouts:The richest source sprout of high quality protein, approximately 24 % protein. Folic acid, C, E, iron, phosphorus, potassium. 4-12 hours of soaking. Harvest in 3-5 days.

Radish:Vitamins A,C (more than 29 times the vitamin C and 4 times the vitamin A of milk), calcium and protein. Soak 6 hours, harvest 3-5 days

Fenugreek: Iron, phosphorus, trace elements. Soak 6 hours, ready in 2-5 days.


4 – 5 Day Sprouts

Mung bean sprouts: Vitamin A, C, phosphorus, iron. Soak 12 hours and take about 5 days to get those long tails. It may be best to avoid mung beans if a bird has candida or any other yeast type of infection.

Mustard seeds sprouts can add some zesty flavor but when seeds come into contact with water allyl isothiocyanate is formed. Mustard seed sprouts are likely safe but some people prefer to avoid them for their birds. Soak 4-6 hours and harvest in 4-5 days.



Misc Sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts are not only a good source of vitamin C but also beta carotene ( vitamin A). If you decide to sprout alfalfa be sure not to feed dormant seeds as the dormant seed contains canavanine, a natural toxin and carcinogen but when the seed sprouts, any amount is miniscule. Soak 4-6 hours and they should be ready in 4-6 days. Other sprout sources of beta carotene are sprouted peas and cabbage.

Almond:B complex, E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, protein and fatty acids. Soak 8-10 hours, ready to eat.


CAUTION: Large beans: Anasazi, Black, Fava, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto, Soy, are not suggested for sprouting. These legumes can cause toxicity and remain difficult to digest. Their raw flavor is also very bad. If choose to serve these to your bird they MUST be soaked for a minimum of 8 hours, water drained and beans rinsed well, and then cooked by bringing them to a full boil, boiling uncovered for 10 minutes, covered and simmered for another 20 minutes.


Let’s Sprout!!

Getting Started:

Now that you have some background information you can try some sprouting. There are different methods that you may want to try in order to find one that you are the most comfortable with or is the most convenient for you.

To start choose which sprouts you want to try. You can sprout one type of seed at a time or combine seeds. By looking at the list you may choose sprouts that have similar soaking and sprouting times. You can also choose items that may not sprout at exactly the same time and let those faster sprout tails grow a little longer while you wait for the slower sprouts. The easiest sprouting seeds to start for beginners are: wheat, sunflower, lentil, mung and quinoa.



Some possible combinations to try:

#1 Sunflower seeds and quinoa

#2 Mung, wheat, amaranth

#3 Buckwheat, quinoa, sesame seed

#4 Millet, sprouting pea, chickpea, wheat