As I was reading your post, a bird in my backyard started calling "cheaper, cheaper, cheaper, cheaper seed!" No, I haven't found it cheaper than the places you've already tried.

I missed the sale at Tractor Supply - 40 pounds of BOSS for $15.00. I figure their BOSS can't be too bad - I haven't been impressed with their mixed seed though.

I've gone the opposite direction, SPF. I've finally started springing for the more expensive mix that has no shells. I get both sunflower chips, and a mixture of shelled sunflower seed, shelled peanuts, and smaller seed that has no hulls. It costs more, but it goes a lot farther, and I have just about eliminated the mess under the feeder. Anything that falls to the ground is eaten by the doves and squirrels, and it doesn't sprout, either.

In the feeders that the squirrels can reach, I still use safflower seed which isn't their favorite (though some of them will eat it in a pinch). Cardinals and titmice love safflower seeds, so those feeders are always busy.

As for price, I buy seed at Super Target, Publix, and PetSmart. Publix when I'm just grabbing a bag of plain ol' black oilers, and SuperTarget when I want the Songbird Mix that has fruit and peanuts in it, too. But PetSmart is where I normally buy, especially now that I'm going with the no-mess seeds. I haven't found any place with bargain seeds, so I shop where it is convenient. And you are right, Home Depot has a terrible selection, and they are OLD and MOTH-riddled. I never get seeds there.

If I had a bigger yard with my feeders farther away from my brick pathways, etc, I would still be feeding the black oilers, etc, probably, and wouldn't care about the mess. But I got tired of hulls and seedlings all over the paths and patio. So, it's the hull-less mixes for me for now.

Marcia

You are so right...those critters can make quite a mess with the hulls of sunflower seeds!

I have 3 feeders that I keep filled: two squirrel proof (yeah, right...) one with the patio/deck hulled sunflower seeds and one with black-oil. The hulls make a convenient 'mulch' for my citrus tree, but some does collect on the brick patio.

The third is the seed-fruit mix you mentioned that you also purchase and I have a squirrel-baffle that the squirrels chewed a hole through to get to the feeder.

Honestly, I think we severely under-estimate the intelligence of squirrels!

I guess there really isn't an avenue for cheaper seed (price not quality). The few times I've bought discount seed at Kmart it had all that dark milo seed that no bird will eat.

Gosh, it just seems like it keeps going up in price lately.

You are so right...the higher prices everywhere include birdseed, too. And you are also right about the cheap mixes with all that milo in them. I've never seen a single bird eat that stuff. For all I know, it might really be the little red BB's it looks like! When I buy a brand I'm not familiar with, the first thing I check the bag for is those...if I can see lots of them, or they are listed high up on the ingredient list, I don't get it.

And lastly, you are absolutely right that we underestimate the intelligence of squirrels! They are the smartest, fastest dang things in the world. It's a good thing I don't mind them getting SOME of the seeds. I just don't want them getting it ALL.

Marcia

How do you keep the squirrels out of the feeders? That's why I am going thru so much seed each day.

They chewed through my baffle and now have access to the feeder. They have learned that by hanging at a certain angle they can trip the feeder into thinking they are a 'bird'...and slowly drain the feeder.

I use cone-shaped metal baffles and have never had a squirrel chew through them. I also am careful to see that they can't jump to the feeder from a nearby branch or rooftop. I have also been known to grease the poles with petroleum jelly, but that hasn't been consistent for me. Sometimes they manage to climb the pole anyway, and sometimes it melts and runs down the pole.

The weighted "squirrel-proof" feeders have never worked for me...the squirrels would lay on top of the feeder and reach down for the seed without ever touching the spring-loaded perch.

With the baffles I use, they can't get ahold of them to chew on them. The baffles swing if the squirrel tries to grab them, and down they go. But most often they run up the pole and find themselves trapped under the baffle with nowhere to go but back down again. I get them at PetSmart, btw, and Mark makes sure they fit loosly enough that they tip back and forth with the slightest touch.

Of everything I've tried, these baffles work the best.

Marcia

I buy my seed at Tractor Supply or Wal-Mart .
I purchase the 25lb bag ( 50 lb if I can find it ) of black sunflower seeds and the 10 lb bag of safflower seeds . I keep them in a steel trash can with the lid tied down with bungie cords . Those squirrels can be very crafty !
Since switching to safflower seeds , I have noticed more birds and not as many squirrels . Took the birds time to adjust to the white safflower seeds . It is a much more expensive seed but lasts a long time and seems to be worth it .
Talk about expensive seed -
I had no luck at all with thistle seed feeders this Spring .
Not one bird ever came . Was my timing off ?
What can I do with the seed since no birds are around now to eat it ?

GMX2, I don't know how well thistle seed lasts, but I would store it in a dry, cool place and try again in the fall. The only birds I know that eat it regularly are the migrating goldfinches, so you'll have to wait until they are passing through again. I only had 2 or 3 goldfinches this year, too, compared to at least 20 or more last year, which stayed for weeks. I hope that's not a bad sign! Maybe they found a better source somewhere else.

Generally, I wait until I see the first goldfinch at my regular tray feeder before I hang out a thistle sock or wire thistle feeder. Sometimes I sometimes add a little pile of thistle to the tray feeder to help them "get started."

I find a tray style feeder to be the best all around feeder in the yard. Gets a larger variety of birds than any other type, though I hang several out there. I always have at least one with a very small perch area so the little birds have a good chance, too.

Not all birds will eat safflower, but many will, and it is a great hit with cardinals and titmice. The black oiler sunflower seeds are definitely the best overall birdseed, drawing in more types of birds than anything else.

And I'm loving the hull-less mix I got yesterday at PetSmart. It has peanuts and a bit of fruit in it, too, and boy do the birds love it. A much smaller mound of it goes as far as a HUGE heap of seeds in the shell. This morning, a red-bellied woodpecker was taking advantage. (They are just about the only woodpecker that will come to the feeder. The rest prefer insects. The red-bellied will eat both insects and some seeds...usually sunflower.

A photo of two red-bellied males enjoying some peanuts, another favorite of theirs. You can tell these are both males because the red on their heads comes all the way foreward to their beak. On the females, the red starts back much farther on the head.)

Marcia

I use the metal and weight distributed bird feeders I get from Wild Birds Unlimited with great success on keeping the squirrels at bay.

They're a bit expensive, but an investment as the little bastar...umm darlings haven't found a way to get to the seed. They've tried their darndest and have actually chewed holes in the METAL baffel on the top.

The good thing is Wild Birds Unlimited will replace any part of the feeder that is damaged by the...ummm darlings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Birds Unlimited Squirrel Proof Feeder

Don't know where your smart squirrels went to school, all mine are dumb as dirt. They will run up the pole inside the cylindrical squirrel baffle time after time as if they expect to finally get through. What they are is dedicated with strong teeth. They ate all the plastic parts off the WBU weighted feeder and it still works. In less than a day they completely demolished a plastic feeder the Audobon Society sent me.

The baffle works quite well for me and the squirrels seem mollified by the food DH puts out for them. (But it gives me heartburn just watching them eat upside down!)

The trouble with the weighted feeder is that the titmice land with such vigor, it closes up for them too. I think I'll take it back and see if WBU can help me adjust it better.

Thanks Marcia . Love your photos . That is good advice about seeds and feeding methods .
Seems like the cheaper mixes are such a waste of money . Most mixes are filled with so much milo and other trash grains that no birds seem to eat .
Hate to see people throw their money away like that !
gardengrl- I see what I am putting on my wish list ! I remember seeing those feeders you bought - very nice ! Thank you for the link .

I have a baffle from Wild Birds Unlimited... I have "the system". The squirrels don't even try to get to the feeder!
I get WBU 'choice" blend with peanuts etc.
This was my first year with thistle. I did get gold finches but they arrived late and left early. The thistle doesn't last from one season to the next...that's what I was told.

This baffle is the best and they also have one that can be used on a 4 by 4 post. They also have one that is larger than the one picture (I have the large one). I don't know why I can find anything other than the picture on their website!

Here is a link that might be useful: baffle

here

Here is a link that might be useful: baffle

I don't really feed the birds, unless we have old bread... I did see a few different types at the big lots in longwood...

I had to laugh when I read Marcia's earlier post about smearing petroleum jelly on the poles because I confess I have been doing the same! The 'greased' poles create one of the best forms of entertainment. Watching those wily squirrels leap with such enthusiasm and expectation on to the bird feeder pole, only to gently slide to Earth in disappointment, is hilarious! However I just know they'll figure out a way.....!