Feeding wild birds

[teejk]

Do you feed year-round or only during the winter? We feed only say Nov- April on the assumption they have food when stuff is growing. My feeder has two compartments I am going to try the corn idea on one side, we only use sunflowers seeds. We also found the birds would throw out the millet and go for the sunflower.

Depends where you live...around here they throw out a lot of seed but we have a lot of birds that only eat from the ground so everybody is happy. And in the spring we don't feed much because of bears and it's a pain to have to pull them in at night and get them out in the morning.

 

[tcreeley]

I like millet, oil sunflower seeds, thistle, scratch feed. I try to find flat sheltered from snow places to throw seed on the ground for the ground feeding birds- higher for the others. I used to feed a lot and had regulars stop by year to year. I used to keep records of coming and going. For many years I dealt with our cats by enclosing an area in a 20x20' square with 5-6' mesh wire. The birds fed inside and the cats watched from the outside. My current cats are younger and don't hesitate to climb in. I don't feed now- waiting until the cats slow down.

 

[Ken45101]

A lot of the "wild bird seed mixes" are not ideal for the birds, at least that's my understanding. I seem to remember them throwing out the millet and it sprouting in spring.

I didn't care for all the weeds and I've gone strictly to cracked corn and sunflower. The cracked corn doesn't sprout weeds of course, and the sunflower is easily mowed down if any sprouts (rare).

I have a large two compartment metal feeder but gosh, they eat too much if I fill that! So this year I just throw a couple of handfuls out on the driveway several times a day. We seem to have plenty of different birds out there: woodpeckers, doves, cardinals, titmice, sparrows, juncos....

I usually quit feeding when the starlings get too thick in spring.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We feed year round; and through experimentation, I have come up with mix that works pretty well, and attracts all kinds of birds. I use sunflower seed (about 80 - 90%) mixed with chicken scratch (which is a mixture of cracked corn, grain sorghum), and a bit of finch food. When I can get hemp seed, I add it too, and the birds seem to like it. The birds here seem to like the sunflower seed, and they will kick the rest of the mix out of the feeder if the proportions aren't right. This mix works well, and they don't waste much of it. The doves and turkeys get most of what ends up on the ground.

 

[crash325]

Must not be much natural seed around. Birds are really hungry and go through what should be 3 days of food in 1 day. Even with my outside dogs running them off now & then.

Had a different kind of bird here yesterday. Some kind of a Thrasher or Mocking bird. 6 Or 8 different songs, some real nice, others mostly just noise. This was about mid afternoon, most mocking birds that I have come across start singing in the middle of the night. Thrushes aren't suppose to sing like it did, and mocking birds aren't all black.

He / She was all black and pretty good sized, twice / 3 times as big as a sparrow.

 

[grnspot110]

We feed mostly black oil sunflower seeds & cracked corn, plus some suet for the woodpeckers. ~~ grnspot

 

[Pirate]

We use a lot of black sunflower. Problem is, I have the feeder on a large contraption outside the window so DW can watch. It is in a bed. Now I have three turkeys I have named Larry, Moe, and Curly who tare up the bed, kick the stacked slate all over the place, and basically make a mess of things. I have shot them with the BB gun so many times now they run like crazy when I open the window but they are still a nuisance. I left the feeders go empty for weeks and a day after reloading them, the 3 stooges are back again. Anyone in NE TN want some turkeys?

 

[crash325]

For a long time I spoiled my wild birds. Fancy bird seed mixes & sunflower seeds. Now they just get scratch. They have adapted and eat over 2 pounds a day.
Plus a little dog food.

Anyone have an idea what my Mocking bird actually is???

 

[Grateful11]

We've been feeding a pretty good mix that seems to have something for everyone around here. We usually only feed during the Winter. We actually got our last mix at Aldi Foods, pretty cheap and decent quality.

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks for the advice. I will try some cracked corn. I have been feeding them Suet, Sunflower Seeds and a mix.

I got some of the cheap mixed seed a TSC.Value Mix Wild Bird Food, 35 lb. - 6851572 | Tractor Supply CompanyThe birds at it for a while but then stopped. The bird quit eating it so I got this. They ate it for a while and then stopped. Now I add some more sunflower seed to it and they will eat it.

I also feed the squirrels corn. Doves come in and eat the stuff that falls on the ground.