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Sprout growing

The 2002 old bird races were a lesson in bird discipline. My birds were often given open loft during the day. I enjoyed watching them forage for whatever they wanted around where I live, including the dirt road leading to my place. A small pleasure that was costly. The first 3 or 4 races of the season the birds instead of trapping went from the loft to the dirt road to pick the salt residue from the winter. It cost both in race results and made the birds easy targets for hawks with their heads down more interested in the salt than what was happening around them. It took 3 or 4 races before I broke them of the habit.  Mixing a little sea salt with the grit helped.

I often watched them on the lawn and noticed that they went for green grass or weed sprouts. I'm sure there were health benefits from what they found as there is no green vegetation in what I had been feeding.

After restricting the open loft I looked for a way to replace what they would be missing in vegetation in their diet. At first I gave rabbit pellets, then started searching the net for ways of growing sprouts. I found many sites on the subject some with excellent articles. One in particular was http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/sprouted.htm.   The article is written by By Alicia McWatters, Ph.D, C.N.C  a veterinary that specialized in birds. Primarily parrots. Because of her connection with birds I found the article especially interesting. Based on her article and others I decided to start growing sprouts for the birds. The sketch below is of a growing tray I made from bits and pieces I had.

The sprouts are intended to have for this years breeding and racing season. For the first time I'm using John Sampson's light system. The birds will be paired the first week of December. Living in Quebec will present some problems with the winter cold. Hopefully Lady Luck will smile on the effort. This is one reason the insulated nest bowl was made that is shown at this page.

Also a page has been made of the feeding schedule being used for the 2003 breeding and race season. It includes use of the supplements from the other subjects of the remedies series. This is the link.

If your consider growing sprouts for yourself as well as the birds please read the warning at this site.

The following is one method of growing sprouts found at several sites. I tried something a little different that is detailed after this.

HOW TO GROW EDIBLE SPROUTS

Rinse about 1/4 cup beans, peas or seeds (such as alfalfa or barley) or 2 tablespoons small seeds or 1/2 cup lentils thoroughly in a strainer.

Place the rinsed beans or seeds in a clean quart-size jar. Cover the opening with cheesecloth or  nylon and secure with a string, rubber band or metal canning jar ring. Keep the cover on through the sprouting process. Fill the jar with lukewarm water, and let it soak at room temperature overnight.

The next day, pour off the water, then rinse and drain again.

Place the jar, tilted, (30 to 45 deg.) in a warm, dark place. This lets moisture out and oxygen in.
Rinse the seeds twice a day in cool water. Morning and evening.
In about 3 to 5 days, the beans or seeds will sprout.

When the sprouts reach the length of their original bean, pea or seed, place the jar in a sunny spot or under a plant light similar to the one shown here so the sprouts will turn green.

Rinse the sprouts and drain well before giving them to the birds.  The sprouts will keep up to two weeks if tightly sealed in a plastic bag or jar and stored in the refrigerator.


Instead of using the quart jar I tried a 8x11 pyrex backing dish and followed the basic instructions. For the dark warm place the dish with the seeds was paced flat in the drawer of a table I have close to a heating element. The first seeds were mung beans. Mung beans are often used to grow the Chinese sprouts found at supermarkets. The pictures were taken after three days.
I found it very interesting to watch something happening that would not usually been seen.  The seeds  normally would be sprouting under soil and we would only observe them after they broke through.

Now to be under the light for 6 hours.

The lights had no visual effect on the mung bean sprouts.
The first of the sprouts (1/4 cup) were given to the 26 birds in the old bird flyer section in the evening. They didn't dive for them but in the morning they were gone. The next day the same was given to the breeders mixed in with the grains. They looked at them at first then one by one they started pick one up in between eating the grains. At the end of the feeding a few grains remained but none of the sprouts.  I've decided to add them to the feed every two days, 1/4 cup for about twenty birds.

Cost: 1/2 cup of mung beans from the health store. $1.01
Sprouted the bean seeds expand to 3-1/2 cups. For me that's 7 feedings.


The next phase was growing green grasses in soil. Two flats were planted. One with Alfalfa and the other with Red Clover. Covered with cheese cloth to keep bugs and my two cats away. They will be under the light during normal daylight hours.

Day one
The seeds are very small. This is alfalfa seed next to a paper clip.  It's fascinating to me that such a tiny thing could hold some of the essentials of life.
 

Day 2
The shoots started to appear on the second day and the seeds have more than tripled in size as life begins to show.
 
 
 

Day 4A mini green forest. Day 5 

Day 6 
  Being impatient I guess, on the 7th day I decided to set the alfalfa sprouts out for the birds. They had grown to about 2" in height. At first the birds looked at them, then started to peck. In a short time a couple of the cocks tried to take control of the flat and trampled the sprouts as they picked away. One by one the birds came to try them. Within about an hour the sprouts were gone.
The red clover will be allowed to grow another week before given to the birds. More alfalfa will be planted today and I’ll let them grow two weeks.
 

From the picture I think you will agree that the birds are looking good. All the natural stuff I'm giving them sure isn't doing any harm.

A copy of a Dutch article on wheat grass was received by email and translated By Clarence Oosterveld of Ontario Canada. A very interesting atticle that can be read by clicking here.
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