Advice on proper wild bird food.

plumber77 · 11-01-2011 7:13pm #1

Hey,

Just wanted to enquire if anyone could recommend a good type of seed for birds such as Blue,Great and Coal Tits.Bought a seed feeder and seeds from woodies yesterday.However they seem to be throwing out most of the seeds to get at what they want.Any help appreciated.

trebor28 · 11-01-2011 7:18pm

plumber77 wrote: »

Hey,

Just wanted to enquire if anyone could recommend a good type of seed for birds such as Blue,Great and Coal Tits.Bought a seed feeder and seeds from woodies yesterday.However they seem to be throwing out most of the seeds to get at what they want.Any help appreciated.

get your self some coconuts, all the tits love coconuts.

peanuts are always good.

Mothman · 11-01-2011 7:51pm

Peanuts for tits
The food on groundusually get mopped up by ground feeding birds but it can attract rats etc as well

thyme · 11-01-2011 8:48pm

Yeah peanuts or hazelnuts, I leave both nuts out for the red squirrel and the tit's have them gone in minutes. I buy roled barley and flaked maze for other fowl and they love that to.

plumber77 · 11-01-2011 10:26pm

Thanks people.Have a peanut feeder up aswell but just wanted to try seeds to attract some other species.Good advice about the rats though.Awful lot of food ending up on the ground.I can see the birds picking up a lot but I'm sure they are not getting everything that falls.Might have to re-evaluate my strategy.

doctor evil · 12-01-2011 1:12am

Investment in rodent proof feeders will help. CJbird foods have a good range.

padi89 · 12-01-2011 2:35pm

Peanuts are good but can be slow enough to move in my area, i only put out a small amount at a time because i'm afraid of them becoming moldy.

I've tried all types of food from cheap to expensive and for me sunflower hearts represent the best value for money. They are the most expensive but absolutely nothing goes to waste, they get devoured when i put them out by all types of birds. I can only put out a certain amount at a time or id be broke

The cheaper foods seem to be just filler, an awful lot gets left on the ground and the birds just pick out what they want. Sunflower seeds are great too but your paying for the shell too which easily weighs the same as the seed so money down the drain for me.

For ground feeding i make up fatballs or buy them and soaked raisins once again no waste so il stick to this regime.

Alun · 12-01-2011 2:40pm

Peanuts don't move where I am either despite a good number of tits of various kinds. I have 2 main feeders one with a mixture based on sunflower hearts and another on whole sunflower seeds. I find they generally both go down equally quickly, but the one with the hearts can get a little clogged when the weather is 'damp', hence why I keep the other one going as well. There's lots of debris though from the husks which is PITA to keep under control. I feed nyjer seed as well although almost as much of that lands up on the floor as in the birds as far as I can see. Fat balls seem a bit seasonal too, some times I'm filling them up every couple of days, other times they just sit there for weeks on end.

fryup · 12-01-2011 3:47pm

Alun wrote: »

I feed nyjer seed as well although almost as much of that lands up on the floor as in the birds as far as I can see.

I got one of these nyjer feeders but none of the birds are feeding from it, either they haven't got a taste for nyjer seed or they can't figure out the feeder as it has tiny slots on it

Alun · 12-01-2011 3:55pm

fryup wrote: »

I got one of these nyjer feeders but none of the birds are feeding from it, either they haven't got a taste for nyjer seed or they can't figure out the feeder as it has tiny slots on it

I've got a different one now, but I did have the exact same one as you before and they had no problems with it. Do you get finches at all in your area as they're the only birds to really go for it in a big way?

Mongarra · 12-01-2011 4:11pm

Birdwatch Ireland have advice on their website about feeds for different birds. I read somewhere, maybe on that website, that birds, especially Robins, love grated cheese. It's true.

plumber77 · 12-01-2011 4:19pm

Seems to vary from place to place.The peanut feeder is busy enough,just trying the feed seeder for variety.Going to give the sunflower hearts a go i think.Only started a few days ago and its mayhem out there all day.Good mixture of birds too.Lovely to have them around the place.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 12-01-2011 5:27pm

Put a tray of some sort on the ground under the seed feeder, if you think a lot is going to waste, as it catches it and you can remove the spills rather that leave them for Rats.

fryup · 12-01-2011 6:18pm

Alun wrote: »

I've got a different one now, but I did have the exact same one as you before and they had no problems with it. Do you get finches at all in your area as they're the only birds to really go for it in a big way?

well chaffinch and the odd greenfinch,

i just taught the birds can't see the tiny slots

Rainbowsend · 12-01-2011 8:20pm

I use peanuts, and Robin seed full of different types of seeds and a few mealworms in it too, the local pet shop does Blackbird mix which all the birds seem to love lots of different seeds, grains and raisens, mealworms in it.
Recently tried shelled sunflower seeds and the Blue/Great/Coal tits went mad for them and polished them off in mins! Dont leave a mess either which is great. Then there are fat balls which chaffinches seem to favour.

The more variety you have in the garden the more species you will attract, chop up some apples too the blackbirds and thrushes love them.

HardyEustace · 13-01-2011 1:27pm

Rainbowsend wrote: »

I use peanuts, and Robin seed full of different types of seeds and a few mealworms in it too, the local pet shop does Blackbird mix which all the birds seem to love lots of different seeds, grains and raisens, mealworms in it.

Where do you put the Robin seed? Do you have a raised bird table? Just got some this week, meal worms and all, so was wondering what was the best feeder to place it on?

Rainbowsend · 13-01-2011 2:19pm

I used to put it in a little tray on the garden table, but now I got me a brand new "feeding station"

has hooks for feeders, bowls for seeds and a water bowl too, brilliant €15 in Heatons....be quick they are selling fast!

HardyEustace · 13-01-2011 3:20pm

Rainbowsend wrote: »

I used to put it in a little tray on the garden table, but now I got me a brand new "feeding station" has hooks for feeders, bowls for seeds and a water bowl too, brilliant €15 in Heatons....be quick they are selling fast!

I have one as well (from Aldi) but I tend to try and feed the robin away from other birds as he's such a bossy little article, he'll spend an entire afternoon chasing everyone away from "his" food. Because they're a bit braver, I had a tray on the garden table which is nearer the house then the other feeding stations. It was grand for the frost but now gets completely water logged. I might try some kind of wire mesh on top of it where the water can drain off.

Thanks for the reply.

Rainbowsend · 14-01-2011 8:19pm

How about an old household sieve, the kind used for
sieving flour? would hold all the seeds even the tiny ones
and still let the water through, if you got a plastic one
you could bend the handle and fix to a fence or post.

Jim Martin · 17-01-2011 4:41am

Heard somewhere recently that birds constantly fed on peanuts are genetically weaker than if left to their own devices. Anyone else heard this?

trebor28 · 23-01-2011 11:52pm

anyone think grass seed would be good to be laying out for birds??

anyone that has ever tried to sow there own lawn will know how popular grass seed can be to birds, so perhaps it would be good thing to feed them now??
seeing as there would be little for them now.

not sure about the nutritional value though.

might attract all the more "exotic" birds that wouldnt be in your garden.

they come in big bags too though not sure how much they cost.

anyone any thoughts?

Advice on proper wild bird food.

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