Fussy birds!

[Jenny22Cumbria]

Hi everyone,

I try to feed a bit of a variety in our garden so I have, amongst other things, a peanut feeder and a seed one. The seed one is empty as soon as I fill it - as is the peanut one, but only if I use granules.

I started feeding in the spring so I used the granules because they're meant to be better for baby birds but when I switched to whole shelled peanuts the feeders just didn't empty.

Now I keep buying peanut granules (which cost a fortune and only come in small bags) because I don't want the birds to go without. Anyone else had this problem? Did you manage to solve it?!

[lynda66]

try blitzing them in a blender for a couple of seconds

[Flytrap]

I'm sure if they were hungry they would eat the whole peanuts so I wouldn't worry about them going without. My garden birds are fussy too. I have a feeder with mixed seeds that never gets touched. But the fat balls are often a frenzy of feeding birds of many types. I don't really understand.
Lynda66's idea sounds like a good one though.

[Paul Wagland]

It's the sunflower hearts that disappear first in our garden. And fat balls go pretty fast too.

[janeyo]

I threw out some bread, only to find no1 son eating some when he went out to see what the chickens were up to...GROSS!

[Jenegade]

Our birds love the fat balls, gone in seconds, but they pick through the seed mix leaving a pile of seeds they don't particularly like!

[janeyo]

I put a fat ball out a week ago. It got frozen solid and they have had lots of fun pecking at it. Think they like the hidden insects inside.

I think it will last them a few more days yet!

[Two_Sheds]

The loose seed feeder gets scattered all over the ground by the sparrows (but they won't or can't eat fat balls)

The blackbirds are ground feeders, so can't use feeders ... they get soaked raisins

The starlings are greedy & eat everything - so I chase them away from the raisins & tell them to eat the fat balls