How to Sprout Seed for you birds

Casey's Bird Cage

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Sprouted Seed / Veggie Mix

To Sprout the seed:

Put small amount of seeds in a jar of water and let it soak 24 hours. The water level must be above the seed. We also recommend using an additive called Sparkle or Nutri Biotic GSE ( Grapefruit Seed Extract). It helps deter the growth of bacteria.
Rinse well and drain off the excess liquid, as much as you can, and let them sit another 2-3 days. Rinse the seeds and turn them over 2-3 times a days, always draining out all the excess liquid. We lay ours down on an elevated tray to let more air get to the seeds. The screened top allows plenty of air flow for circulation to help the sprouting process.
Once sprouted, store the fresh sprouts in your refrigerator to feed and start the process over for the next batch. You want to make just enough sprouts per batch to feed your bird for three days. In three days your new batch will be ready. Always smell the sprouts before using them, if they smell bad they ARE bad and do not use them.
This is the single jar method that we suggest for a single bird. The amount of seed to soak is dependant on the bird and should be adjusted accordingly to suite your needs. I would start with 2-3 Tablespoons and adjust it from there either more or less.

We mix the sprouts with plenty of veggies. Place them on a paper plate on the cage floor. (We use Meijer Grease resistant plates). Sprouted seeds are much more nutritious than plain seed and give you more volume per amount of seed. Sprouting can also be done on a wet paper towel, but we prefer the jar method.

A bag of mixed veggies chopped, put into ice cube trays, and frozen, works really well. Just take one out each day and put in the fridge for use the next day. I also chop cooked sweet potato and add to the mix.

Other things to add to veggie mix periodically: broccoli, zucchini, cooked squash, radishes, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, apple, peaches, pears, banana, melons, grapes, strawberries, plums, nectarines, cherries, spinach, kale, chard, dandelion greens, mustard greens, bee pollen, cooked pasta, cooked rice, nuts, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, orange peel occasionally, shredded cheese. By changing out the items in the mix, it helps to keep your bird from getting bored with his food.

I will also add a bit of oatmeal to soak up juices from the veggies and the birds eat that as well.

Put a small amount of seeds in a jar of water and let it soak 24 hours.

What the seeds will look like on Day 1.

NOTE: There are no visible sprouts showing yet.

What the seeds will look like on Day 2.

NOTE: The sprouting process has begun.

What the seeds will look like on Day 3.

NOTE: The sprouts are very visible and the seeds may actually clump up in the jar. These are now ready to store in the refrigerator and time to start a new batch. REMEMBER to sprout only enough seed to feed for three days, then repeat the process. This will ensure they are fresh. Always smell the sprouts before using them, if they smell bad they ARE bad and do not use them.

Pictures show the volume in the jar after the seeds have sprouted.

This picture is an example of sprouting other types of seed using the same process.

Nutri Biotic GSE ( Grapefruit Seed Extract). It helps deter the growth of bacteria.

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Revised: 02/10/12 12:50:48 -0800.