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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 11, 2008 8:34:52 GMT 10
Hi Just wondering if any of you sterilize your bird seed and if so, what is your method?? Or do you have any opinions on sterilizing seed??? I put mine imto the microwave for 5 minutes. Thanks for any info you want to share  |
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Post by vankarhi on May 11, 2008 9:13:50 GMT 10
Oh I have never heard of it and I have been with birds all my life. I have heard of it when sprouting seeds ......... but I still only rinse mine regularly. I really do have a problem with putting unnatural additives (except vitamins and minerals at times) into their food.
Microwaving I guess is not puttig any unnatural additives but I feel for normal dry seed it is a bit unneccessary. You should be able to see if the seed looks fresh or not and if it looks old......or mouldy or something, just don't use it. ;D
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Post by just4birds on May 11, 2008 9:24:56 GMT 10
Same i'm gonna have to say i've never heard of this in my life ... and yeahh i've kept birds on and off for probably 15 years or so ...
As long as you buy good grains/seed from a place that looks busy who turns over there seed quickly you shouldnt have a problem ...
I wouldnt buy from a supermarket .... or a product place that bag there own stuff
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Post by avinet on May 11, 2008 18:09:35 GMT 10
There should be no need to steralize seed, but if I have any seed moths get into our seed I put it in the freezer for a couple of days. I certainly wouldn't microwave it.
Most supermarket seed is clean of moths etc but most supermarket seed is of poor quality, including some of the major brands. Both in seed types and seed quality. A simple rule of thumb is to avoid any seed that contains sorghum - the small reddish hard round seed. I have yet to find a parrot that will eat it unless soaked, but the manufacturers put it in since it is the heaviest and cheapest seed available and so means more profit. When I have done sprouting tests on supermarket seed I always found that mixes with sorghum had the poorest sprouting rate, meaning that the quality of the seede is poor - old and dead seed.
The best supermarket brand I have found is Bird Munchies, but those around SE Queensland should try to buy Breeders Choice seed - the best quality seed around SE Qld in my experience.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by Jane on May 11, 2008 18:45:44 GMT 10
I'm not sure I follow why you'd want to sterilize it?  |
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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 11, 2008 21:22:05 GMT 10
Well I've read it in a couple of 'Bird Care' books that you should either microwave or freeze the seed so as to minimize the growth of bacteria etc and also saw it on that avianweb site from a link referred to, from this site or so I thought coz now I can't find it here but the thread was simply titled 'megabacteria' . (there is something similar on here but is not the same one....but I may well be wrong. Anyway, the avianweb website link is here...............under the 'how is it treated' it says that " you should start your bird on sterile seed"....I don't know if that means the same as I undersatnd it ...but....anyway...here's the link... www.avianweb.com/bacterialinfection.html |
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Post by avinet on May 11, 2008 21:43:22 GMT 10
I'm not a big fan of Marshall's ideas - some are a bit strange to my commonsense view. Steralizing seed is not needed, and anyway is next to impossible. Birds don't get their food steralized for them in the wild and we can put our pets into too tight a cocoon at times. Without exposure to germs the immune system doesn't function and develop properly. I have never steralized seed except to kill seed moths by putting affected seed in the freezer. And even that I am reluctant to do since I am sure that freezing will have an effect on the nutritional value of the seed. Besides which a few grubs and moths is good tucker - just ask any quail cheers, Mike |
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Post by vankarhi on May 12, 2008 10:26:07 GMT 10
I have to say I have read about putting seed, flour, anything that can get the moths in it into the freezer, but I have never heard of microwaving it.
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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 12, 2008 10:48:30 GMT 10
Yeah I've always questioned some things Dr. Marshall suggests...some things sound a bit strange or impossible or unrealistic ....one of avianweb's examples is, that "a healthy bird dropping should have a feather attached to it"...geez...if that was the case...all my birds mustn't be well  It does make sense about exposing the birds to some germs...so as to strengthen their immune system...didn't even think of that. Thanks EVERYONE for all your help and input!!! I'm glad I asked this question!!! |
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Post by vankarhi on May 12, 2008 13:47:50 GMT 10
It is the same with our human kids too. I do believe in letting my kids get down and dirty in the sand and dirt ........ and so far my kids have not been as sick as some of my friends kids. One of my friends kids seem to always be sickish and she would be a clean freak. She disinfects everything all the time and her kids were never allowed to get down and dirty like mine......very sheltered lives i reckon.
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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 12, 2008 16:35:49 GMT 10
I agree  |
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summit
Bronze Member
Posts: 174
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Post by summit on May 30, 2008 10:54:28 GMT 10
I had to laugh at the " healthy bird dropping should have a feather attached to it" comment. If anyone has spent any time around lorikeets and the quote being correct ................. my birds would be bald !!!!  |
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Post by silvercloud on May 30, 2008 11:42:56 GMT 10
Hahahaha soooo true Summit. Nothing can poo like a lorikeet |
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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 30, 2008 21:27:10 GMT 10
Well thankyou very much Mr. Summit  ... I will be billing you, Paypal will be fine ....... ...... as I have just split my pants, laughing  ...ha...ha...ha...ha...ha  |
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summit
Bronze Member
Posts: 174
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Post by summit on May 31, 2008 11:26:22 GMT 10
Good luck there Birdlady ............ I keep birds, like I have any money now !! LMAO |
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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 31, 2008 11:46:14 GMT 10
Yeah.....who said keeping birds was a cheap hobby, hey! Anyone who's got "money tree" seedlings....let me know...I'll take a couple of ya |
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Post by Jane on May 31, 2008 19:02:46 GMT 10
Anyone who's got "money tree" seedlings....let me know...I'll take a couple of ya Well I'd love to help but I have 2 horses and a Marine fish tank as well..... I'm doomed |
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Post by farseeker on May 31, 2008 19:59:56 GMT 10
I missed this thread up until now - just wanted to say that Trouble must be a really odd bird then Mike, because those little round red seeds are his third favourite after sunflower and safflower - I usually make sure there's one or two there when I give him a sprinkling of seed because he gets so excited when he finds them. Jedi never cared for them though, they were usually picked up and dropped out of the food bowl. Or found floating in her water bowl along with various other bits and pieces, including but not limited to toys, pellets and bits of paper. Edit: He is the only bird I've seen who seems to bother with them at all though - the birds at the pet shop here sometimes have that in their cages and it's never touched at all. I always end up with the strange ones! |
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Post by rainbowfeathers77 on May 31, 2008 23:15:47 GMT 10
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Post by farseeker on Jun 1, 2008 6:40:24 GMT 10
I don't have any good photos (I only have the camera in my phone haha) but ummm... i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/Farseeker/20102007006.jpgThe budgie is Anath, the green cheek conure is Jedidah - she was a feather mutilator when I got her and we were just starting to make some progress with that when she was stolen. That's a dodgy video of Trouble. Tristan I don't have any photos or footage of because he tends to go OMG FREAK OUT! when he sees a camera or video camera nearby. I will end up getting one though, just have to be sneaky about it. |
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... I will be billing you, Paypal will be fine .......
