Too warm for suet, feed chickadees what??
kimcoco
13 years ago
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donald lucius
13 years agoRelated Discussions
When and What to Feed for First Feeding in Spring?
Comments (15)Everyone is just guessing, since no one knows a thing about your soils. We're not growing corn! Adding complete fertilizers without a soils test is a crap shoot, pure and simple. Yes, most soils will need some kind of nitrogen early in the season. A modest amount of nitrate nitrogen works well. As for phosphorus and potassium, it really depends. My roses don't need it at all, so paying money for fertilizer they don't need is a complete waste of money. Many fertilizers have increased in price two to three times over the past two years. If a soils test isn't possible, and often you're told nitrogen can't be measured (then I don't know how my soils chemist does it), get a general idea from the local agricultural extension office which fertilizers are generally needed. Here is a link that might be useful: UConn soils testing...See MoreFeeding & attracting & photos of winter birds
Comments (15)I feed the birds all year sort of. They start with cleaning off the sunflowers that they plant the previous fall and continue to clean off the grasses, berries, and corn that I sometimes grow just for them. Of course I have water out all the time for them and a heated dish in the winter. I feed the big birds cat food with bread or cereal in it. They get any left overs when I cook a turkey or ham. I make my own concoction of peanut butter, prunes, hulled sunflower seeds, rolled oats, millet, black oil sunflower and a few other things they like to pick at. I buy millet, black oil sunflower and striped sunflower by the sack and keep it in large bins in the hall along with peanuts,hulled sunflower seeds, oats and rabbit pellets. Once in a while I will give them a treat of meal worms from the petstore or cut up fruit. And sometimes I will get a seed bell or spray millet just to watch them. I also ground up dry catfood last year and put it in the feeder. The little birds get much needed fat and protein to keep warm that way. I have the usual black and white feather dusters, the blue jays, lots of chickadees (black capped and boreal), nuthatches (red and white breasted), woodpeckers, northern flickers, juncos, finches, sparrows, the odd grosbeaks, waxwings, and redpolls and I even had a kestral last spring. Not many crows unless it is a really warm winter. My computer is in the corner of the front bedroom where there are the old corner windows. I feed the birds from about 5 feeders and baskets hanging from the big white spruce about 2 feet from the corner of the house here. I feed the rabbits under the tree and the dish feeders on the fence from big heavy ceramic dishes. It is such a routine for me to feed the birds after I feed the dogs on winter mornings. My neighbours are used to the crazy lady in her fleece pjs out feeding the birds every morning and the dogs go out and wait by the fence for the maggies to drop food for them. Quite the scene to watch! The maggies are very comical and they literally talk to me. I can't stand to see anything go hungry or be cold and the little birds seem to like to feast under the protective branches of this 50 foot spruce. My neighbour across the street says she likes to sit with her coffee in the morning and watch the bunnies and birds eating. And that reminds me: Must find a bale of hay for the bunnies. Last year I fed a cat all winter but coudln't catch her. She left me mice most mornings under the kennel....... I hope we have a mild winter or at least get some snow. It is bitterly cold without a little insulation. Ginny...See MoreMom and Dad blue feeding babies suet
Comments (3)Ha... a certain symptom of the madness I think ;) Our fledges sure do eat suet, (got 8 of them buzzin' around here now! what a joy they are!) They eat suet nuggets and the shavings that pile up beneath the suet cages where the woodies and many other birds eat. Missy and Mr.B also feed the fledges nuggets and seemingly teach them to help themselves too: I believe I've seen the parents carry some to the nestlings also. They are soft and moist... easily broken into smaller bites. But every bluebird that's out of the nest usually gulps them down whole. Doesn't seem to have harmed anyone here yet. Kenn :)...See MoreSuet feeders?
Comments (7)I've found some brands of pre-made suet blocks to be significantly more popular than others; Morning Song year round suet is liked far more than Blain's Farm & Fleet. They seem to be popular with woodpeckers of various types, Downy, Red-Headed, and Hairy I've seen. BOSS is very popular in my tube feeders, but do want to try the shelled variety to eliminate the shell waste. Corn seemed to be liked by Cardinals and Blue Jays, but also attracted lots and lots of Grackles, ugh. Thistle is liked by the smaller birds, especially finches, but I think they go for the bigger seeds more if they are available. Lots of various sparrows and similar smaller birds, Mourning Doves (counted 27 at one time, all at once), no Eurasian doves here but I have seen them in the fields a few mles away. Some Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, just saw a male Dark Eyed Junco this morning. 55 miles west of Chicago is the location. vince...See Moredzyg
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