A question about sprouting...

[Mama CJ]

Hello. I have a question for anyone that knows much about sprouting.

I have an amazon that has only been with us for a short time. He has just been diagnosed with fatty liver disease. The vet thinks he had spent many years on a bad diet and it is starting to catch up to him. He has been taken off of all seed and nuts. He has been eating pellets, chop, veggies, beans and rice. He doesn't get much fruits except apple or a grape here and there.

 

Can a parrot that has a strict no seed no nut diet still have sprouted seeds and/or nuts?

 

I put in a call to the vet today to ask that but she is out for the weekend and the E.R. vets did not know the answer. I'm just trying to research it before I start sprouting. Some of the sprout mixes contain sunflower, safflower, sesame seeds and I've seen peanuts for sprouting too.

I'm just trying to get him as healthy as I can. We don't have any idea of his age, just that he had been a pet once and a breeder for many years. Oh, and we call him Mr. Bean

[Mama CJ]

Thanks for the reply, Wingy. I want to order a sprouting kit and these are the seeds/beans that are premixed that are made for mid sized birds....

 

Peanuts (shelled), Sunflower (in shell), Wheat, Spelt (hulled), Kamut, Triticale, Barley (hulless), Oats (hulless), Millet, Buckwheat (in hull), Brown Rice, Green Lentils, Crimson Lentils, French Blue Lentils and Red Lentils, Adzuki Beans, Mung Beans, Black Garbanzos, Brown Garbanzos and Small Beige Garbanzos, Green Peas, Speckled Peas and Yellow Peas, Fenugreek, Brown and Golden Flax, Alfalfa, Red Clover, Oriental Mustard, Daikon and China Rose Radish, Quinoa, Sesame

 

The kit includes the easy sprouter and 2 lbs. of pre mixed seeds and beans. I could just order the sprouter and beans separately but with so many parrots I thought a bigger mix should make everyone happy. They all have their likes/dislikes on everything!

[Greywings]

the food values of sprouted seed and grains is very different than the dry form. You can select exactly what you want to sprout if you have any doubts about any items by purchasing separately.

[Mama CJ]

Thanks for the replies! I might just start out with a few basic things that I can find in my area then if that goes well I can check out other options.

[Mama CJ]

I just worry about exactly WHAT beans to use. I've read that you shouldn't sprout some things like pinto or black eyed beans, those should be cooked. Can I sprout something like what's in a 15 bean soup mix? That has lima beans and I didn't think you could safely sprout those. I live in the country and some items are hard to find. I need to find a health food store and stock up. I just want to make sure what I"m sprouting is going to be safe for my flock.

[Mama CJ]

Thank you for the links, Wingy. http://www.sproutpeople.org is who I'd like to order from. That was the list of mix I posted from above. It sounds great for most of my parrots, I just wanted to make sure I'm not adding any fat to my amazon that has fatty liver disease and was concerned about he sunflower seeds. I did notice that the sunflower seeds in that mix have the shell. I wonder if I can take the seeds from the dry pellet, fruit, nut and seed mix I have. That would be worth picking out the sunflower seeds and sprouting them instead of feeding them dry!

[Greywings]

I use Sproutpeople very successfully and they are very knowledgeable and willing to answer any nutrition questions.

[GT_Jacket]

Sprouts (Big Bird from Sproutpeople) + Harrison HP pellets is the staple for my guy.

 

He loves them and it is so easy. I do mix some other organic stuff in from time to time.

 

I rinse well and soak overnight. Rinse WELL the next morning and drain WELL. Rinse WELL that night and drain WELL. Shake the next day a few times and bag that evening (try to get them as dry as possible before bagging) - in the fridge and good for 3-4 days.

 

I use Filtered water and 5 drops of GSE for the soak.

 

Brett