Germinating/Sprouting Tips
Never feed your bird store bought ready to serve sprouts. If they weren't handled properly they could be contaminated with E-coli.
Never leave sprouts in your bird's bowl for long periods of time. Sprouts are a living food and will breed bacteria quickly. I toss mine after about one hour.
Sprout only human grade organic beans and seeds. Stay away from those mixes sold in pet stores.
Nutritional value peaks upon Germination. Germinating seeds only takes 24 hours. You don't have to wait for tails to grow before feeding the tails are there we just can't see them yet, plus long tails equal bitter sprouts.
Not all beans are safe to germinate/sprout some are toxic so educate yourself first.
Clean. Well sanitized hands and utensils are very important.
Don't be discouraged if your bird doesn't eat the mix on your first try. Keep trying. You may want to start with organic sunflower seeds (in or out of the shell) as they tend to be a birdie favorite.
Try soaking raw, shelled almonds in a bowl of spring water over night. My flock loves these germinated gems.
Germinating Vs. Sprouting
As for as preparation, the main difference between germinating and sprouting is time. Germinated seeds are fed before they actually get a chance to grow "tails" or sprout. Germination produces highly nutritious seeds, nontoxic beans and nuts without the worry of bacteria growth. Germinating can be done over night in the refrigerator. You don't have to leave the mix sitting around in dark places and you don't have to worry about what's growing along with your mix. Since some people still sprout, I will share helpful instructions for both germinating and sprouting.
