On 5 Nov 2001, at 14:25, Patricia Hansen wrote:

> Can anyone tell me about micro-waving black oil sunflower seeds to keep them
> from sprouting, and if doing this will be harmful to the birds. I use the
> sunflower seed hearts and thistle seed in my large feeders but have a 'net ball'
> and small tray of the black oil seeds I keep filled for the chickadees. I have
> these little chickadees eating out of my hand at times now, what a thrill for
> me! I feed my birds from a third floor balcony and also have lots of containers
> full of 'bird plants' and I'd just as soon not be into continual weeding if at
> all possible.
I pulled this off a website:


How do I prevent seeds from sprouting under my feeder?
You will need to sterilize your seed to prevent it from germinating. This
will not alter the attractiveness or the nutritional value of the seed in any
way.
Here are two methods:
Conventional Oven: Place the seed on a baking sheet and cook for
30 minutes at 300 degrees.
Microwave Oven: Place seed in a paper bag. Cook on high power for
5 minutes.
Any tweeters know if this is NOT a recommendation?
Clarice Clark
Puyallup, WA. 98371
mailto:jbroadus at seanet.com