Feeding Birds

[broadway]

Been feeding the birds all year with wild seed, peanuts, and niger seed plus fat squares.

Peanuts not really eaten, should I put them on a table instead of the feeder?

Also, should I continue all year round with the others bits?

Cheers..........Danny

[shirlthegirl43]

General recommendation for peanuts is to always put in feeders so that parent birds don't try to feed a whole nut to chicks.

Should think you will see a greater uptake of all foods as natural sources become scarcer with the worsening weather. Fat balls are particularly good for keeping the birds well fed through the winter.

I have noticed that the birds in my garden don't appreciate meal worms so I can save myself the expense of buying them again!

[broadway]

Thanks Shirley,

Will continue then, my mrs mentioned the peanuts and chicks bit and I understand but none have been eaten at all.

Danny

[Two_Sheds]

Are your peanuts mouldy at all? If so, they could poison the birds. I recently took back a bag of nuts to the shop as when I opened them they were mouldy. The store manager wasn't at all interested or bothered, and I doubt he checked the rest of his stock.

I have started making fat balls out of suet (not veggie I know) because loose seed gets scattered on the ground and wasted.

[broadway]

Don't look mouldy, I'd eat them:-)

[Alice]

Once you start feeding the birds Broadway you should feed them all the year round. They come to depend on it and you'll have a higher concentration than the natural resources could support.
Don't know why they don't eat the nuts drom your feeder. I can hardly keep mine going.

[broadway]

Without wanting to start a "carry on film" type thread I was gonna try crushing some nuts and putting them on the shelf, is that worth a go?

[Flummery]

The answer's got to be 'Carry on Crushing!' Should be ok as the birds will only take small bits - no choking hazard. Anyway, no chicks about at this time of year.

[broadway]

I 'll let you know how the crushed ones go!

[MrsC]

A lady I knew once used to feed the birds same time every day, it was amazing, they used to gather on the fence, strange thing to see it happen :

[valmarg]

We feed the birds all year. I understood that putting out food for the birds, even while they are raising chicks, gave them a reliable source of food to keep them going while they searched for 'natural' food for their chicks.

Our peanut feeders are the sort that a bird can take a whole nut out of the hopper and fly away to eat is under cover. We do have a resident sparrow hawk which makes the mesh nut feeders 'bait in a trap'.

I have heard that there is a danger that Great/Blue tits will try to stuff a whole peanut down the throat of a chick. What I have seen is an adult Great/Blue, having taken a whole peanut out of the feeder, frantically chipping off small pieces to feed to an obviously hungry chick!!

During th Spring, when the birds are feeding chicks, we chuck out such stuff as leftover mashed potato, rice (preferably with curry sauce on), stuffing, bread sauce. You know you've got a nest of blackbirds nearby whey you see a frantic adult flying out of the garden with as much mash as his/her beak will hold.

Sparrows and starlings may be scarce in some places, but nimby.

valmarg

[Two_Sheds]

we chuck out ... rice (preferably with curry sauce on)

hee hee. Is that marinaded blackbird on the menu?

[Two_Sheds]

Our blackbirds absolutely love raisins, and v.cheap from the Basics ranges

[Flummery]

Ours too. And in very cold snaps I put out a block of lard on the bird table. Local farmer told me that. The starlings particularly love it. After a few hours it has little peck marks all over. Great energy source for them.

[Madasafish]

We drain off fat from roasts/bacon/burgers.
Crush peanuts, add melted fat, pour into a tray, into freezer.
Hangfat and peanuts in a wire container. Disappears in a day...

Woodpeckers adore it.