Freezing seed?

[louise22]

I have just had to throw away so much of my birds seed due to finding weevils in their seed and room. New seed mix came today but want to freeze it to hopefully stop it happening again.

How long do you put the seed in the freezer?
Do you just take out little amounts at a time or all the seed after a freeze?
Does it need to be out for some time before feeding or can it be fed straight from the freezer?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Yup. Put in the freezer and store it there. Take out a week supply at a time and let it get to room temp before serving, about 30 minutes to an hour for small amounts like this.
The reason you have to keep it in the freezer and only take small amounts is that the insect eggs that hatch into larvae are likely already in the seed when you buy it. They won't hatch in the freezer. At room temp they will start but taking out small amounts won't allow the larvae to grow for long enough for you to possibly notice. The eggs and tiny larvae won't hurt birds. They'll eat them as they would in rhe wild and get some good natural protein.

 

[Jcas]

Yep, I keep all my open bags of seed in the freezer and only take out what I need for a couple days or so. I’ve never worried about bringing it to room temp before feeding. I just dish it up straight from the freezer! Maybe it’s like a birdie popsicle?

 

[rheashard2]

Freezing works for flour, rice, pasta and the like too. Just take out what you want/need.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Yep, I keep all my open bags of seed in the freezer and only take out what I need for a couple days or so. I’ve never worried about bringing it to room temp before feeding. I just dish it up straight from the freezer! Maybe it’s like a birdie popsicle?

My budgies LOVE Popsicles! Seriously. Not just the sticks!

 

[rheashard2]

My budgies LOVE Popsicles! Seriously. Not just the sticks!

Maybe we should get a weird bird diet manual. Nothing too weird, strange or odd. My CAG spaghetti and romen noodles. But she doesn't like getting her feet dirty. She prefers the pasta hung from top of cage. She'll hang bat-like and munch away. So there's nothing wrong with budgies loving popsicles. Any particular flavor or color?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Orange ones seem to be Rockys favorite. The cold sweet ice must feels good on her hot beakie!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My budgies will try to eat ANYTHING that's on our plates. They don't want their own plates. Must be ours, preferably my husband's. My little girl budgie Joey enjoyed a hamburger with us a couple days ago and not just the bun- the meat, cheese and lettuce, too. They never eat a lot of people food at once but if we don't let them have any they get mad.

 

[rheashard2]

It's funny the quirkiness our avians develope. Mine observes what I eat with evident suspicion. After all it might be poison in the guise of a healthy vegetable.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My birds are way too trusting and naive to suspect that I'd try to fool them into eating something. The only time they don't trust me is when I'm trying to coerce them into the cage. Nothing helps unless it's after 8pm and they're tired except the two terrorists will go anywhere Big Fluffy goes! Fluffy is easy to put into his cage and once he's in those two will hop on the stick and go right in. They idolize Big Fluffy! He's just so cool!

 

[Flboy]

Too bad. The bugs were harmless, you can just freeze the seed with them in it!

 

[rheashard2]

Big Fluffy resembles a Fluffy Monarch surveying his realm. Maybe that's why he's adored by the others.