Mix Seeds
Mix Seeds
Take care of your bird seed from pests
You might be trying high and low to attract birds but not all of the animals that you are attracting from bird seed and other types of Wild Bird food are necessarily feathered and beaked. If you are using mixed seeds, which is a mixture of Niger seed, sunflower seed and other types of seeds which you will also find squirrels, chipmunks and even raccoons in your garden.
Usually, if these creatures are abundant in your area, you won't have much of a choice but to chase them out. A better option than constantly shooing furry animals from your garden would be to replace your open bird tables with more pest proof bird feeder options in the market. These feeders allow access only to birds as they are especially designed to retrieve the food with beaks only. Another precaution is taken by manufacturers of bird seed where they add chemicals which create a burning stimulation for squirrels and other mammals while being completely harmless for birds.
But the garden isn't the only place where you will find pests who are trying to get a taste of your bird food. You need to be careful about where and how you store your supply of bird food. The biggest threat to your storage is of course, mice. They can chew through plastic, cardboard, gunny, paper, cloth and even wood. So, the best option would be to store the seeds in a metal container as they won't be able to chew through it. Smaller packages of bird seeds may be stored in old tins or other boxes made of metal while large sacks can be places inside trash bins. IT is always important to always keep the bins or tins well sealed without any gaps for a mouse to squeeze through. You can also use cartons made out of heavy plastic as it would be quite difficult for mice to chew through. But make sure that they also have tight fitting lids.
The other things that are out to get your birdseed are moisture, mould and fungus. Make sure that you keep your bird feeders and storage boxes airtight to keep contaminants and moisture out.
About the Author
Katie Thompson has more than 5 years experience in copywriting. Presently she is writing articles about Wild Bird Food, Niger seed and Bird Tables.
Can my Syrian hamster eat Excel rabbit food if I was to mix it with seeds etc? Please help?
My hamster is so fussy and will only eat certain things within her food and I am worried she is not getting all the nutrients she needs. She is fed once every other day and goes in the ball every day and she is regularly cleaned out.
She will only eat the orange biscuits and seeds in the Harry Hamster food. Therefore I was wondering if it would be okay if she could eat Excel rabbit food and what type along with seeds that I can purchase.
Please help xx
hey, nearly all rodents pick out their favourites and leave the bits they don't want. One way to avoid it is to feed the exact daily amount they need (for hamsters this is usually 10-15grams daily depending on age) you can also buy nuggets instead of muesli- nuggets include every aspect of their diet in each little bite so that they cant pick out only what they want and instead get all the nutrients they need, the only problem i find with them is that it disrupts their natural behaviour of foraging for food and storing it, it takes the interest out of finding your food and choosing what you want, so you should probably alternate between the muesli and nuggets to keep their brains stimulated, hiding treats around the cage and moving his bowl to different areas/levels of the cage will also provide enrichment.
also, in my experience my hamster doesnt like harry hamster anyway, maybe its the formulatin of their diet? i get a natural one from a pet store, or pets at home's own brand of muesli and nuggets.
EDIT: i also advise beaphar extra vital, i dont get it often because i live in the middle of knowhere lol, but my hamster loves all of their ingredients. the bottom line is to provide slight changes though (dont suddenly change their diet completely though, this can upset their stomachs!- introduce new foods over a 2 weeks period in small amounts)
Mix Seeds
Tribal Seeds Love Psalm - Dub Mix - DUBMATRIX
|
|
Seeds $14.99 Seeds |
|
|
Seeds! Seeds! Seeds $4.47 Seeds! Seeds! Seeds |
|
|
Seeds Go, Seeds Grow $29.45 Seeds Go, Seeds Grow |
Seed Sprouting
Sprouted seeds have been grown for food for a long time. When many people think of sprouts, they think of the mung bean sprouts in Asian dishes. Sprouts start out as seeds. Most seeds can be sprouted and eaten, and some of them taste good.
Some seeds like wheat grass, are grown in dirt and then harvested by "mowing". All other sprouts require only clean water and light to grow. Sprout seeds are first soaked in clean water for a few hours. Then they are rinsed with clean water, 2-3 times a day until done.
Many sprouts are bitter. Bitter-tasting sprouts taste much better when used as seasoning and mixed with other sprouts. Mixing sprouts usually improves the taste as compared to any one kind of sprout. For example, mixing one part radish with two parts alfalfa works well. It is usually best to mix seeds before you soak them, unless seeds require very different soak times.
Sometimes the seeds in mixes from sprouting stores require different soaking times. For example, adzuki beans can be soaked for 24 hours, while other seeds require just six hours of soak time. By the time adzuki seeds are ready to drain, the other seeds may be starting to drown.
Sprouting seeds are cheap, especially when one considers how much seeds expand when they grow. One can buy sprouting seeds in health stores or web stores. Two web sites I shop at are Sprouting.com and SproutPeople.com.
Sprouting.com has no shipping charges on big orders, and has great prices. If you pick a medium size, the seeds come in resealable Ziploc bags. If you order either a tiny bag or a big bag, they are not resealable, so use freezer Ziploc bags or Tupperware. Sprouting.com is run by Mumms, the seed people.
SproutPeople.com usually (but not always) has higher prices. They have great info on their web site, more variety, and carry better sprouting equipment. It's worth ordering from SproutPeople even if their prices are a bit higher.
There are many ways to grow sprouts. Using a simple plastic device usually makes it easier. A cheap sprouter that works very well is the Sproutamo EasySprout (about $13). It's not perfect because it lets the seeds at the bottom stay too wet.
However the Sproutamo is the most convenient sprouting device I've tried so far. As long as you drain seeds very well, it makes great sprouts. I discarded Sproutamo's included small-seed screen. (You have to bump and shake the sprouter to get all the water out after rinsing, which makes it comes loose.)
Sprouts are always started by soaking them in water. When the seeds are big (such as peas) you can soak them in a sprouting device like the Sproutamo.
A convenient way to soak tiny seeds is to use a paper disposable cup (or a clean bowl) for 6-9 hours. Then you can put the soaked seeds into the Sproutamo EasySprout, without using Sproutamo's small screen.
After the seeds soak for a few hours, drain them, and then let them grow under light (indirect sunlight or a fluorescent light, they don't need too much light). You rinse and drain sprouts two or three times a day until they are done.
When are sprouts ready to eat? The answer is up to you. As soon as the plants sprout from the seeds, they can be eaten. If you let them grow too long, they may be tough or bitter. Experiment until you find the right grow times. Most sprouts are ready to eat in 2-3 days.
How do sprouts taste? That depends on which seed, how long they grow, and your enjoyment of raw crunchy veggies. Sprouts can be used in cooking such as stews, chili, or as an ingredient for making bread. Adventurous people have used sprouts instead of rice with Thai food.
If you (or your gang) are not going to eat all the sprouts now, they store well for a few days in the refrigerator. You can use one-gallon Ziploc bags to store sprouts in the refrigerator. Also, bags make mixing sprouts easy. Another way to (short term) store sprouts, is to keep them in a disposable paper cup in the refrigerator. You can carry them, eat them on the go, etc.
One must sterilize sprouting equipment after each grow. I sterilize (with glass or plastic sprouters) with a microwave oven. After cleaning the sprouter by hand, I rinse it with water in the sink. Then I fill the sprouter half-way with water, or make sure it's wet all over, if it is a porous type of sprouter.
Microwave the sprouter for 3-5 minutes to get the water inside very hot, almost boiling. Then dump the hot water carefully, and rinse it with cold, clean water and let it dry. I think this does the job well. Be careful not to let things melt.
Here is a list of sprouts and mixes I recommend:
Crunchy Bean Mix from Sprouting.com. Not all seeds sprout at the same time, and there are some duds, but it is a good mix. Grow to 3/4 to one inch.
Peasant Mix from SproutPeople.com. A mixture of 5-6 kinds of lentils.
Marrowfat Peas from Sprouting.com. These taste better than plain green peas, and are bigger too. Some seeds are yellow, some are green. Grow to about 3/4 inch.
Sandwich Booster from Sprouting.com. Good blend of alfalfa, clover, radish, and canola.
Peasant Mix from SproutPeople.com. A mixture of 5-6 kinds of lentils.
Alfalfa grow in 3-4 days, expands a lot.
Red (Crimson) Lentils are fast growing and grows in two days, grow to 3/4 inch.
Pea Carnival from SproutPeople.com. A mix of 5-6 different peas.
French Green Lentils - fast growing, grow to 3/4 inch in two days.
About the Author
Mark Shapiro - Judgment Settler
Helping People settle their Judgments and Save.
Mix Seeds