Spray Millet for Birds

A millet spray works best snapped into pieces about two inches long, with one piece clipped to the side of the cage so the bird works along the stem a few seeds at a time. The rest of the spray stays in a sealed jar for tomorrow.

What a millet spray is

A spray is the seed head of the millet plant, left on its stem. The stem forks into short branches, and each branch carries a cluster of small round seeds, pale yellow and still in their husks. Hold a spray up to your ear and shake it: it rattles, and that rattle is a fair preview of how loud a budgie will be about it.

Fresh sprays are pale and the seeds sit tight on the branch. A spray that is dusty, dark, or has fine webbing in the seed heads has been sitting too long and belongs in the bin.

Sprays are sold by weight in bags, and the length varies from one bag to the next, which is why guessing from the picture on a listing does not work. Measure the ones you actually have. A spray that looks small in the bag turns into several two inch pieces once it is snapped, and each piece is a treat in itself.

The trade off is the one with every seed. The Merck Veterinary Manual says seeds are high in fat and notes that birds offered seeds beside pellets tend to pick out the seeds, and millet is a seed that birds go after eagerly, so a bird left alone with a whole spray may eat millet all day and leave its regular food. That is a reason to hand it out in pieces, not a reason to avoid it.

Budgies, finches and cockatiels

Budgies, finches and cockatiels are the usual takers. A budgie will hang from the side of the cage and strip a piece from one end, cracking each husk with the beak and dropping the shells in a little shower on the cage floor. A finch will cling to the stem and work along it. A cockatiel is bigger and faster, and a piece disappears sooner.

Larger parrots take millet too, though a spray is closer to a snack than a project for a bird with a big beak. A foraging cup or a treat stick will hold a large bird's attention longer; the guide on what treats parrots can eat covers those.

Millet also works as a reward. Break a single seed cluster off the end of a branch and offer it on a fingertip when the bird steps up, and a bird that would ignore a whole piece will come to the hand for a pinch of it.

How much of a spray to give

Weigh one piece. A kitchen scale that reads in grams will do it; snap a two inch piece, put it on the scale, and write the number on the jar with a marker. That number is your unit, and from then on a treat is a count of pieces, not a guess at a handful.

Counting pieces also tells you how long a bag lasts: snap the whole bag, count what you have, and divide by the number of birds.

Start with one piece a day per cage and watch what happens. If it is gone in an hour and the regular food is untouched at dinner, the next day's piece stays the same size, not bigger. If the bird nibbles it down through the day and still eats its regular food, you have found a fair amount for that bird. Birds differ, and for a number that fits one particular animal, ask a licensed professional who cares for it.

The same piece can be split for a pair. Two birds in a cage will fight over one piece, so hang two pieces at different heights, a few inches apart.

Hanging and storing millet

Clip the piece to the bars at the height of a perch, so the bird reaches it without climbing. A clip made for the purpose is sold in the same aisle as the sprays; a plain wooden clothes peg also holds a spray against a bar. Take down what is left by evening, and throw out any piece that got damp or landed in the droppings.

Stored loose in a drawer, a spray invites pantry moths, which find seed products easily. Keep the unused sprays in a sealed jar or a tin with a tight lid, away from the main pantry shelf, and read the storage line and best by date on the supplier's listing and bag.

Sniff and Shift makes freeze dried and air dried treats in small batches in Malvern, and they are made for dogs and cats, so the millet in this guide is something to look for on the bird treats shelf and not in the house line. A house with several species can start from treats for every animal in the house.

Common questions

Can a parrot have a millet spray?

Yes, larger parrots take millet, though a spray is a small snack for a bird with a big beak. Use it as a reward in tiny pieces. The Merck Veterinary Manual says seeds are high in fat and should not be most of a bird's diet, so keep the amount small.

How long does a piece of millet last in a cage?

That depends on the bird. A budgie may work through a two inch piece over a few hours, while a cockatiel finishes it sooner. Take down whatever is left by evening.

How do I snap a millet spray?

Hold the stem in both hands, a couple of inches apart, and bend it until it breaks. The stem snaps cleanly where it is dry. Break the spray into pieces of one length so each one weighs about the same.

Where should millet be stored?

Keep unused sprays in a sealed jar or tin in a cool, dry cupboard. Loose seed products attract pantry moths. Throw out anything that has got damp.