opinions on sprouts?

[mrs.pants]

so i live preparing diet plans! ham, dog, bird, i love it! right now our caique gets a mix of fruit & veggies in the am followed by some ecotrition seed & nutri-berries at noon. i want to move him to golden' obles pellets. (aiming for 50% fresh, 35% pellet, 15% seed til we see the CAV at least).

now ive seen a LOT of controversy about sprouts. initially it was a non-issue cuz i dont trust myself to sprout seeds properly. but while at the grocers yesterday i noticed the organic section has sprouted seeds available.

so now im curious if its worth it. are organic grown sprouts better or is there still a risk of pesticides and bacteria? are there enough benefits to outweigh risks?

curious about opinions and if anyone has any resources they can share :3

 

[Owlet]

I have the same issue with not trusting myself to do it properly. Honestly I would just skip it, rather safe than sorry and can get nutrients elsewhere. There's just a lot of risk especially when you dont know which are safe and which aren't for birds and its just really confusing x'D

 

[Scott]

Given the problematic issues with sprouts and my lack of expertise, none are given to my flock.

 

[itzjbean]

I believe with a quality seed mix, regular rinsing, sanitizing and drying properly, sprouts are great for our birds and I serve them to mine. They seem to really enjoy eating them.

 

[SilverSage]

My entire flock gets sprouts and always will. There is nothing more risky about sprouts than any other fresh food. Don’t let it go sour, rinse in water and vinegar and let dry before feeding. Powerhouse of a food source. This is especially true of grass feeders like cockatiels.


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[PenClem]

Okay, this post frightened me because I just started my seed sprouting process today. What should I be concerned about? If I follow instructions that label the process as "super easy" then shouldn't it be...well, super easy??

What is the biggest issue with sprouting seed? Not rinsing enough? Not rinsing correctly? Or something else?

 

[mrs.pants]

A lot of what spooked me and got me double thinking sprouts was on a thread on this forum:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/66367-my-opinion-sprouts-not-safe-birds-eat.html

I am leaning more toward not including them but my boy is sooo picky and sometimes he just will not eat what is best for him so sprouts would provide possibly an interesting/dynamic/healthy foodstuff for him. so thats why i'm like maybe i should.

 

[SilverSage]

Wow. I love that member but I 100% disagree. I don’t buy pre-sprouted because that must be kept moist through distribution, but making and rinsing your own sprouts is as safe as you make it. The best thing to sprout is seed that is already in your bird’s diet. Sprouting does change the nutrition profile, just as a cow who gets into a wheat field full of green is getting different nutrients than a cow eating just wheat. Sprouts are especially important for ground feeders such as cockatiels and budgies who would have eaten grasses and sprouting grasses in the wild.


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[PenClem]

I believe with a quality seed mix, regular rinsing, sanitizing and drying properly, sprouts are great for our birds and I serve them to mine. They seem to really enjoy eating them.

How often do you rinse? I'm rinsing 3 x day.

What do you use to sanitize? I have ACV with the "mother". Is that safe? How/when do I do that?

How do you dry them? Do you serve them dry or moist?