Seed Sprouting for Pet Birds
Improving Parrot Diet with Sprout Growing
Pet parrots can eat a varied diet if owners are willing to provide one. Owners feed pet birds a wide range of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, but often neglect greenery. Greens are vital for proper parrot nutrition, but a challenge to add to the parrot diet. A challenge, that is, unless you start seed sprouting.
Sprouts: Live food for Parrots
When people think of feeding pets live food they usually think of snakes eating baby mice and other rather gruesome images. Parrots aren’t carnivores, so adding live food to a parrot diet sounds really odd.
Sprouted seeds, however, are live food. A sprout isn’t part of a plant—it is the plant, complete with all the enzymes and nutrition you could desire for a parrot diet. Mung bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts and alfalfa sprouts are all easy to sprout, and can last for up to five days in the fridge.
Sprouting Seeds
Seed sprouting is really easy. While you can buy commercial seed sprouting kits, you can sprout seeds in pans or glass jars. No matter how you choose to sprout seeds, be sure to buy seeds that are organically grown. You’re going for maximum parrot nutrition here, so there’s no point using seeds that have been contaminated with pesticides.
Health food stores are most likely to have organically grown, pesticide-free seeds. Don’t try to sprout pet store bird seed—chances are the seeds are old and won’t sprout (in which case you have to wonder why people feed them to pet birds at all).
Scoop up about half a cup of seed, and remove any damaged seeds. Rinse the seeds under running water until the water’s clear, to remove any unwanted particles. Now soak the seeds overnight, making sure there’s enough water to keep seeds covered as they swell.
Rinse the seeds again in the morning, and spread them into your jar, or pan (a wide container is best). Cover the container with a piece of cheesecloth and secure the cloth with a rubber band. Keep the seeds in a dark place and rinse them frequently.
Depending on the seed type you use, it can take one to two days for seeds to sprout. Rinsing seeds before seed storage is essential, as is allowing the spouts to dry completely before storing or feeding to pet birds.
Sprouts in Parrot Diets
Unlike “dead” food, sprouted seeds will continue to grow through the day in the parrot’s food bowl. Freshly sprouted seeds have a pleasant, “earthy” aroma. Never feed sprouts to a parrot if they smell moldy or “bad.” (Come to that; don’t eat bad smelling sprouts yourself!)
Sprout Storage
You can store fresh sprouts in the fridge for up to five days. If you do so, make sure you’re rinsing sprouts every day and drying them before putting them back in the fridge.
No Short Cut Sprouting!
Sprouting seeds is easy, so no shortcuts! While it’s true you can buy broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts at most grocery stores, you’ve no guarantee on how old they are or if they’ve been exposed to pesticides or any of the other toxins we use to preserve food. Take the extra day or two to sprout seeds yourself and you’ll be doing your parrot a great service. And nibbling on home grown sprouts with your parrot is a great way to bond!
Resources
Sprout People. (n.d.). Sprout Basics.
Swicegood, C. (1999). Sprouting for Healthier Birds.
