cheap birdseed mistake
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7 years ago
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susanwv
7 years agoUser
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Purchasing birdseed suggestions?
Comments (16)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...See MoreI.D. birdseed weed - new one - never saw before??
Comments (8)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...See MoreHelp! Birdseed growing in yard
Comments (11)I have had the same problem a few years ago with a WalMart mix that "looked" very nice (to avoid pigeons and feed cardinals, juncos, etc.). It had lots of oil sunflower and red millet, for instance... but also, I was to discover, an awful lot of mustard-type seeds - I once researched it but cannot recall if it really was mustard-related or not - that the birds here simply ignored, and that sprang like rage all over the place!! I killed it by pulling and using heavy mulch. Then I replaced those mixes with pure oil-type sunflower + pure white millet (which I scatter in specific, inconspicuous places in order to avoid attracting pigeons... which works!!), and no problems anymore. This all depends on the region you inhabit. Take the trouble and talk to a good wild bird seed specialist in your area about what can be troublesome there for the environment vs. the birds species you really want to help....See MoreIs this a good price for birdseed/Do you prefer birdseed mixes?
Comments (15)I buy most of my birdseed at Tractor Supply for several reasons. First, I pass the store several times a week going here or there and can get in and out in a jiffy even if I stop to ooooh and ahhhhh at the baby chicks and ducklets for a couple minutes. Secondly, because of the rapid shelf turnover, I know the seed stocks are probably fresher than other places where the seed or seed mixes may have been sitting on the shelf or in a warehouse for months. Thirdly, I typically buy only BOSS seeds for the birds and a bag of shelled peanuts as a blue jay treat. As to suet cakes, I feed those only during the winter and make my own using what seed I have on hand, peanut pieces, lard, and chunky peanut better. Any mix with safflower or corn goes uneaten around here and even the squirrels ignore those bits that are tossed out of the feeder onto the ground. While I much prefer to buy seed at a real feed store, all our local feed stores have moved farther out or gone out of business here a bouts. Counting travel time, it quickly became more labor and dollar intensive to visit a feed store when quite honestly, I don't know that most backyard type birds can tell the difference or want to know where you got their vittles....See Morelittlebug zone 5 Missouri
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