'cheap' birdseed?

14 years ago

I have always bought "whatever" birdseed -- from Walmart, Tractor Supply, Lowes, Target, etc. depending on what store I happened to be in when I thought about birdseed. But I am getting the impression from you all that there's birdseed and then there's "cheap" birdseed. Just what makes a birdseed cheap and what makes it good? I would definitely like to discourage our plentiful cowbirds and HOSPS (though I haven't seen any HOSPS in my yard as of yet). What should I avoid and what should I buy?

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Comments (7)

kendra2003
14 years ago
Most folks use black oil sunflower seed and nyjer seed. The ones containing millet and corn tend to attract HOSPs. The HOSP will eat the "good" stuff sometimes, but at least it's not their favorite.
bandjzmom
14 years ago
Hey deanie! I can only answer for myself and give my opinion. I agree with Kendra. I think that the less you spend for seed mixes, the more millet, corn, and milo you get in the mixes. So, "cheap" seed is the seed with tons of that stuff which draws in the undesirables. I only feed Black Oil Sunflower, Thistle(Nyjer),Suet,Peanuts,Sunflower Hearts/Chips, and dried cherries and raisins. Look for seed mixes that contain NO millet, corn, or milo. There are loads of great options, even at Walmart. Every single time I have tried any mix containing any millet, here come the flocks of undesirable birds. That is just my experience. Some people may not have that problem. HTH.~~Angie
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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
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I get my bulk ingredients from a local feedmill, so start by searching for local co-ops, grain elevators, or feedmills. And yes, most store bought bags of "mixed seed" are filled with junk, which is a cheap way to add weight, so they can sack you for 20lbs, when they actually only have 5 to 10lbs of useful seed in it. As for those blackbirds and other regulars, I have them too. Here's how I have my feeders set up: First, I have my main area, where I feed only black oil sunflower seed, and suet for the woodpeckers. Then, about 20 feet away, I have a tray feeder with my homemade mixed seed, which equals 1 part sunflower, 1 part cracked corn, 2 parts white proso millet. This mix keep all the sparrows, blackbirds, and doves entertained, while allowing the neater birds like cardinals and various finches, to eat in peace, away from the more aggressive birds. On the the bluejays, my favorite bird. It's perfectly safe to feed them cat & dog food, although for me, the crows would just eat it all. I find that my bluejays like peanuts the most, especially in the shell. They also love cobbed corn, and also really like cheese nip crackers. Also, you said that your squirrels eat the cat food?? I can't seem to get them to eat anything but my sunflower seed. They'll do everything they can to get on my feeders, even though I give them corn and peanuts to eat. So yeah, try & find a source of bulk seed, and buy the big three. Don't get carried away on the cracked corn though, because it does spoil over time, so I limit it to 50lbs, which lasts a long time. The others can last 2 to 3 years, if you keep them stored in a dry place. I use metal trash cans, and keep them in my garage, and make sure to clean up ALL spilled seed to keep mice away. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how there is no more wasted seed when you feed the seed the birds want. The only time I got weeds was when I had feeders over mulched areas, because it would get under the mulch where the birds couldn't find it, then sprout. But, I moved my feeders to grass areas, so all the ground feeding birds eat the spilled seed. Good luck! Joe
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dzyg
14 years ago
Yep, don't buy that junk! I buy bags of BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower), sunflower hearts and peanuts and then mix them up myself to put out. I sometimes get nyjer in the summer for the finches too but they eat BOSS and sunflower hearts just as well. I must say I saw a great decrease in the number of Cowbirds we get when we switched from the cheaper seed mixes. It has been years since I switched and we don't get many cowbirds around here at all.

Donna
deanie13
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks so much guys! No cheap stuff for me! Now I'm going out to the garage and read the ingredients on my bags.
callalilykris
14 years ago
I agree with kendra and bandjzmom. I only feed black oil sunflower, nyjer, suet, peanuts, and sunflower hearts/chips. The tractor supply stores or even sometimes hardware stores offer these types of seed in large quantities at lower prices.
bandjzmom
14 years ago
Yes, kris is right deanie. I buy 40lb bags of Black Oil Sunflower seed at my local Tractor Supply for $15.99. That will last me awhile. Then, if you want to buy a smaller bag of more premium seed which contains lots of fruits and nuts, you can mix it into your large bag of plain BOSS, making your own custom mix. I love Tractor Supply, and they have lots of great birding buys there, including those pretty and durable Stokes brand feeeders that I adore.~~Angie
ohsoblue77
14 years ago
Although troubling times have occurred and I haven't fed seed in a while, like the others I feed the Black Oil Sunflower and nyger seed.

I quit with mixes ages ago. Unfortunately, two or three of my neighbors seem to love it and draw HOSP, blackbirds, and hawks in with it. Angering but I've made good choices I guess I can't inform everyone. Some people just don't believe or understand the bluebird hobby. There's a lot to it - but it's real and it's a great experience and very rewarding.

'cheap' birdseed?

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kendra2003

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'cheap' birdseed?

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kendra2003

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