Sprouted seeds cause deaths of 16 parrots

[Kentuckienne]

This is from ABC News. These critically endangered orange-bellied parrots in a captive breeding facility died because the sprouted seeds in their food had become infected with pseudomonas. It's not because of improper technique or failure to disinfect - the pathogens had evolved a resistance to the disinfectant used to wash the seeds. Much the same way that superbugs develop resistance to human antibiotics, pathogens can become resistant to the disinfectants used for birds.


Orange-bellied parrot deaths at Taroona blamed on failed disinfectant used on sprouted seeds - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[plumsmum2005]

It would be interesting to know what the disinfectant being used was. Perhaps some more digging would help?

 

[Kentuckienne]

The articled doesn't say what was used to disinfect the seeds, only that the pathogen had developed a resistance to that particular disinfectant. So it could have been anything - apparently at one point it had been proven effective, and resistance can develop to any disinfectant. I did find an Australian paper from 2006 outlining recommended practices for preventing the spread of disease, and perhaps they were following that protocol still. One thing I noted was the statement that seeds sprouted in chlorinated water should be rinsed with halogen free purified water before giving to birds. One conclusion is that the seeds were treated with disinfectant, sprouted in chlorinated water, then rinsed in clean water without being treated with another disinfectant. This makes sense since many products used to disinfect could be toxic to birds as well if ingested.

http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/9349e95b-85ec-4c40-a457-1a9fdcb76642/files/hygiene-protocols-all.pdf

This next link is a publication from 1999, but it's very easy to read and very wide in scope. The authors conclude that there is no known way (at the time) to completely eliminate all pathogens. A couple of relevant points are that crevices on seeds protect pathogens from being reached by disinfectants, and that biofilms form on sprouts that also protect pathogens from being washed away or neutralized. The best treatment were found to be chlorine based.

https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/BuyStoreServeSafeFood/ucm078789.htm

 

[YUMgrinder]

did you see the pic of the babies! SO ADORABLE. Such a shame that aviary is having such a hard time keeping them alive.

 

[Scott]

This is heartbreaking!

 

[gavagai]

Last January, I remember being appalled when rats got in and killed fourteen of those birds. Now this is the second mass-death of orange-bellied parrots in captivity in about fifteen months, and the article mentions another incident in 2012 where cats worried two of them to death. The article on the cats suggest that the facility is underfunded, the Australian government knows it's underfunded, and it isn't doing anything about it because funding it properly costs money. What's the point of having a conservation program if you're not going to fund it properly? Does this facility even have a dedicated vet? I feel like that's kind of an important thing to have if you're trying to save large numbers of rare parrots.

 

[Kentuckienne]

It's something I knew nothing about before today and I was appalled. Seems the parrots have a difficult migration path, and there are something like 14 males and 3 females left in the wild. The chicks raised in captivity haven't been able to survive the migration, so now they are trying to put chicks in with foster parrots of different species in the hopes they will learn wild survival skills. Why not just raise them in captivity until there are enough birds to gradually reintroduce, like they did with condors?

I didn't mean to be fanning the sprout war flames, forgot about it really and was just paraphrasing the title of the article. For me the most shocking part wasn't that they weren't following hygienic practices but that pathogens evolved to be resistant. I'm going back to bleach for all parrot related disinfection along with heat, and maybe look into a small ozone generator.

 

[YUMgrinder]

and maybe look into a small ozone generator.

ozone?! O3 is HIGHLY toxic to your lungs and I can't imagine it being good for birds?

 

[Kentuckienne]

and maybe look into a small ozone generator.

ozone?! O3 is HIGHLY toxic to your lungs and I can't imagine it being good for birds?

Oh, you can't have it anywhere near any living thing. An ozone generator would be in a separate building, where items could be treated in an enclosure. Sometimes large generators are used to kill mold in houses, but everybody has to be out and then it takes time to air out the place before returning. I wonder if that would disinfect a house where there has been PBFD or the like?

 

[Sand1]

What? I sprout daily. I never use disinfectant. R my birds at risk? they are fed to the birds as soon as the seeds open, usually after about 15 hours.

 

[plumsmum2005]

What? I sprout daily. I never use disinfectant. R my birds at risk? they are fed to the birds as soon as the seeds open, usually after about 15 hours.

How long have you been doing this for?

Do you observe good hygiene practices?

Sniff and taste before serving? If in doubt, chuck it out!

Be sensible but IMO no reason not to carry on, benefits far out way the scaremongering IMO

 

[Sand1]

ive been doing it about 4 years. i used to try to let them get bigger, but i didnt like how they looked fuzzy, i didnt like the idea of the grapefruit stuff i used to put on them, and my budgies liked they better and eat ALL of it, if i give it as SOON as them open, again, as long as i keep the seed warm they open in approx 15 to 24 hours. and yes it tastes fine. we've ate it too. i buy the sprouts for people from "sprout people" website

 

[Kentuckienne]

There are differing opinions on the risk and benefit of feeding sprouts to birds. You can use the search function to review some of the discussions. It happens that the same conditions that support sprouting also support exponential bacteria growth. There have been many human deaths from contaminated sprouts, resulting in strict guidelines for sanitizing the seeds before sprouting them, and washing/disinfecting the sprouts before consuming. The 16 birds referenced in the first post of this thread died from eating sprouts infected with pseudomonas, because over time the resident strain of the bacteria had developed resistance to the disinfectants used.

At the very least, you should wash the sprouts very carefully, rubbing them between your fingers to dislodge any bacteria that might be protected by a biofilm on the surface, and then feed them at once. I myself don't consume sprouts or feed them to our parrot, because I don't think the nutritional benefit outweighs the risk - but there are others here who believe very strongly in the safety and benefit. You just have to do a little reading and then decide what's right for you.

 

[Teddscau]

Huh, I don't disinfect the sprouts before giving them to the bird's. Then again, I DON'T sprout them in a warm environment. Moist? Yes. But warm? I understand that plants (or baby seeds) like warmth, but bacteria and mold like it even more. After they've started sprouting, I often keep them in the fridge at night to slow down their growth and to help prevent mold and bacteria. Also, it isn't a bad idea to soak them in ACV for 5—10 minutes daily, or when they're first sprouting and prior to giving to your birds. You can also use food-grade hydrogen peroxide to disinfect them for several minutes, then rinse.

I think the problem comes from disinfecting too much. If you're constantly disinfecting the sprouts, you're going to eventually run into bacteria resistant to the disinfectant. Also, if your house is warm and humid, it's a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, greatly increasing the chance of sprouts becoming contaminated. Also, you should probably use RO rather than chlorinated water. I can't say for sure, but if you use chlorinated water, the bacteria that DOES manage to grow on the sprouts will probably be nasty, highly-resistant bacteria. RO water doesn't encourage bacterial resistance, and it also has the added benefit of not having minerals or nutrients in it that might encourage bacterial growth. Also, proper storage of seeds prior to sprouting is probably important, too.

Proper disinfection of seeds prior to sprouting is also important. It's not a bad idea to soak seeds in ACV for 15 minutes, thoroughly rinse, then soak them in pure water for however long the recommended soak time for said seeds is.

For some species, the consumption of seeds and sprouts isn't all that important. However, for granivorous species such as budgies, seeds and grains (sprouted or unsprouted) seem to be a necessity. I know with my budgies, they become agitated and are reluctant to eat nutritious foods such as birdie bread, veggies, and pellets, if I don't provide them with some seeds and/or grains. It doesn't have to be a lot of seed/sprouts, just enough to satisfy their instincts (they can make up as little as a fifth of their diet). Sprouts are definitely a good option for birds with a strong drive to consume seeds, as they're more easily digested and healthier. An alternative to feeding sprouts is to collect fresh, not fully ripe grass seeds from pollution-, pesticide-, fertilizer-, and dog poop-free areas. It provides excellent enrichment, allowing them to perform natural foraging behaviours as they remove the tender, unripe seeds from the grass stalks. You can also provide fully grass stalk-ripened seed, but I also like to give them the stuff that hasn't quite finished ripening as this is the seed they would eat in the wild (many seeds and nuts are consumed prior to ripening).

 

[Scott]

I avoid sprouts for my birds. While there are health benefits, the risk of disaster is just too high IMHO. Plenty of other foods that are less problematic!

 

[buurd]

What about sprouted breads? Like the Ezekiel kind?
https://draxe.com/ezekiel-bread/

 

[ChristaNL]

We are in the middle of a rather hot period now - so I gave up on sprouting just because the chances of fungus and/or bacteria going haywire are just too big. (My parrots wont eat it anyway, so my focus is on other things/ like keeping them as cool as possible without airco.)
86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees) in a wet heat is not ideal to mess about with perishable foodstuffs imho.



The article was from 2017, I hope they do better this year.

 

[April]

I started using grapefruit seed extract and I find mine are getting spoiled quicker and smell funny , before that I had just rinsed them every time I went in the kitchen and always before I went to bed , thanks for sharing this

 

[plumsmum2005]

I avoid sprouts for my birds. While there are health benefits, the risk of disaster is just too high IMHO. Plenty of other foods that are less problematic!

Just soak and feed then, miss the sprout bit out, possibly even better in terms of nutrition

 

[itzjbean]

When stored correctly and cleaned properly (with apple cider vinegar) it stays fresher longer. I keep them in a bowl in the fridge covered. Every day I'll take the bowl out, smell it, rinse the seeds, then pat dry with a paper towel and serve to birds.

Never have had a problem before! I love making sprouts.