How to tell if can use bird feed on paisach

Question

How can I tell if this bird feed can be used

Ingredients: White preso millet, golden german millet, red proso millet, flax seed, canary grass seed, niger thistle, rape seed, oat groats, dehydrated papaya, dehydrated pineapple, dehydrated coconut, dehydrated apple, dehydrated carrot, orange extract, dehulled soybean meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, brewers dried yeast, calcium phospate, ground limestone, salt, vitamin A palmitate, D-activated animal sterol, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate, monosodium phosphate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, thiamine hydrochloride, niacinamide, cyanocobalamin in mannitol, riboflavin, d-calcium pantothenate, menadione dimethylprimidinol bisulfite, choline bitartrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, manganese sulfate, ferric sulfate, zinc oxide, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, copper oxide, sodium selenite, sucrose, sorbitol, calcium propionate, DL-methionine, L-lysine, lecithin, ascorbic acid, natural and artificial colors.

http://www.mybirdstore.com/Finch_Food-Sun_Seed_Vita_Finch_25lb_bag_2.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwosK4BRCYhsngx4_SybcBEiQAowaCJWw4cKEmbPfEW-ZsvgpyePD0L61yiJryFFKS9Fr2kkQaAmZ58P8HAQ

If not why not

"oat groats" would possibly be Chametz if you think oats are שבלת שועל. — Double AA, Apr 15 '16 at 13:14
When we bird-sat over Pesach we got kitnios feed. I don't recall what type it was and your bird might need a different diet. But don't forget, even Ashkenazim who don't eat it, may own and derive benefit from kitnios. So feeding it to pets is permissable. — user6591, Apr 15 '16 at 13:24

Shalom · Accepted Answer · 2016-04-15T18:36:30.650

2

We treat oats as chametz. Done.

Millet seems to be the main ingredient in the list above; Rabbi Dr. Slifkin seems to recommend straight millet, or sunflower seeds for some species. (Ashkenazi custom is not to eat millet, but you can certainly own it and feed it to your birds. It's kitniyos, not chametz.)

Brewers' yeast is a natural source of B-vitamins. Talk to your vet about this one; if your bird needs vitamins this week, one alternative may be Torula yeast. Torula yeast lives on the "soup" created by cooking shredded wood to make paper, and pine is 100% kosher for Passover and year-round!

edited Apr 15 '16 at 18:36

answered Apr 15 '16 at 13:42

Shalom

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Who is "we"? [15] – Double AA Apr 15 '16 at 13:45
In my case the main ingredient necessary is canary GRASS SEED, i assume it can be used when bought separately – hazoriz Apr 15 '16 at 16:53
@hazoriz yes absolutely. – Shalom Apr 15 '16 at 17:00
@DoubleAA R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, R' Moshe Feinstein, the OU, the OK, the Star-K, the Rabbanut, Badatz Yerushalayim, ... – Shalom Apr 15 '16 at 18:29
@Shalom Ok. Maybe you should specify that instead of assuming all Jews exclusively follow late Ashkenazi Achronim. – Double AA Apr 15 '16 at 18:49

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 15 '16 at 13:27

Brewer's yeast together with the oat grains would in combo would very likely cause it to be chametz. In the worst case, the yeast alone would be considered "se'or" - a rising "agent".

It's possible that the "natural / articial colors" may have chametz ingredients. You'd have to know what went into them, which you may be able to discover by calling the company. These are extremely vague terms.

Lastly, the company making the bird seed could have made it on chametz equipment. Even if it didn't have the 2 ingredients that I mentioned, above.

How to tell if can use bird feed on paisach

2 Answers2