Greens are relished by most finches. Feed a variety of greens such as lettuce (a mesclun mix or romaine, not iceberg), Swiss chard, dandelion leaves, fresh grass, chickweed or spinach. I wash the greens, leave them moist and put them into the cage whole, not chopped. If you collect these items from you lawn or around your house, be sure no pesticides have been used on them. Grated carrots are also relished by most finches and supply many of the same nutrients as the greens. In the winter, you can also grow little patches of wheatgrass for your birds. Wheat grain can be obtained from feed supply stores as horse feed or as wheat berries in health food stores. Don't use seed intended for plantings it may have been treated with pesticides. Planted containers sold as kitty grass work for birds as well. It's a great treat at any time of the year.
Sprouts are a good diet green for birds. I frequently use wheat for sprouting as it's inexpensive and my birds love it. Alfalfa seeds can be purchased at most natural food stores and make great sprouts for birds. I also sprout some of the seed mix that I feed my birds. If your seed mix contains pellets, however, it is not suitable for sprouting. Good sprouting mixes are available from ChinaPrairie.com. The biggest problem with sprouts is that they can get bacterial or fungal infections quite easily. They must be absolutely fresh! If you buy sprouts from a grocery store, be sure to rinse thoroughly and discard at any sign of mushiness. If you wouldn't eat them, don't feed them to your birds.
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