Food costs

[Lolly]

I just really got into my bird feeders. I have been getting tons of birds. Not sure if they are more than normal or not. But what's the avg you would say you spend on feed a month. ANd how many times do you refill your feeders?

[KCFoggin]

My monthly food bill for the birds including suet runs around $100.00 - 115.00.

There are days when I am refilling on a daily basis and I can almost always tell when a hawk as been close by as the feeders do not need refilling. I can't say that I have ever gone more than 3 days though without having to refill all my feeders and we're talking about a dozen plus suet cages.

[Silvershark]

I don't want to know how much I spend so I don't keep track! I have cut food costs down by buying seed from a local pet shop that sells the sunflower hearts cheap, and the birds love it just the same as the other one! How often I need to fill the feeders varies, sometimes it can be a day, sometimes 2-4 days. In the summer the birds (mostly the starlings) were polishing off a 600g fat cake in less than a day.

[turkish van]

My monthly food bill for the birds including suet runs around $100.00 - 115.00.

There are days when I am refilling on a daily basis and I can almost always tell when a hawk as been close by as the feeders do not need refilling. I can't say that I have ever gone more than 3 days though without having to refill all my feeders and we're talking about a dozen plus suet cages.


WOW! Do you have the whole North American bird population visiting your garden?! :eek!:

In the busy period we spend maybe £20-30 a month. I was refilling feeders almost every day in early summer, but only every week or so now.

[KCFoggin]

WOW! Do you have the whole North American bird population visiting your garden?! :eek!:

In the busy period we spend maybe £20-30 a month. I was refilling feeders almost every day in early summer, but only every week or so now.
LOL hardly. But I do have a very large bird population in my yard. When the goldfinches arrive I will go broke as I usually cater to over 100 of them on a daily basis.

[Lolly]

Wow. I can't imagine that many birds! I think my husband would kill me if I attracted that many! Not that *I* would mind..... lol

[turkish van]

Yes well. Personally I think we are all crazy.

And the birds are taking us for mugs!!! :flyaway:

[KCFoggin]

Wow. I can't imagine that many birds! I think my husband would kill me if I attracted that many! Not that *I* would mind..... lol
Nah! You might even convert him ;)

[birdpotter]

Crazy or not, it's too late to go back now!
I only spend about $20 a month, but with winter coming, I am sure it will go up. I have a tiny yard and get very few birds, but I do have to fill the smallish feeders that I have every day...partly due to the squirrels, partly the birds.
I have a cardinal who chirps in the early morning until I go out there and fill up the feeders.

[Joshua B]

I think it's important to mention squirrels in any discussion like this. If squirrels are eating your bird seed and suet, you'll be spending about 10x as much on food.

[edrick owl]

I have three peanut feeders, two sunflower heart feeders, one fatball holder, one small bird table, and now one niger feeder. All together I reckon on it costing me £26 per month.

The vast majority of this total is due to the high cost of the sunflower hearts and the niger seed. My wife spends a lot of time in the garden, so it's only right that the birds do not make too much mess - hence the sunflower hearts. I am trying to attract Goldfinches; I have only ever had three here in four and a half years. I know they are around locally, so it's worth a try. The bird table gets filled every day, and the peanut feeders as and when. All my food is bought from the local wildlife trust, thus helping them, except the peanuts which come from the market. I tried the trust's peanuts, but they were not touched at all.

The last food is raisins, bought from the supermarket, and sprinkled on the ground for Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens and Thrushes. They also get a good ammount of seed knocked off from the birdtable by the House and Tree Sparrows.

I must add though, that I see my food as complementing natural food, and not as an alternative, encouraging the local bird population to seek food naturally, but also knowing (hopefully) that a source is avaliable if needed. Severe weather does mean an increase in supplies to help them.

One last thing - water is always avaliable - a vital part of any bird's life - don't forget it by getting too carried away with food!

Regards,

[terryeyre]

i buy my peanuts and black sunflower in 25kg sacks,from a local pet supplier,this works out alot cheaper than buying it in small amounts.

[tiomet]

At the moment I am spending between 40-50 sterling a month on bird feed. It was more but I instituted savings by bulk buying ground mix and peanuts, and making my own fat balls.

I was going to extend my feeding stations but waiting to see how the winter demand progresses. At the moment attendance has dropped off some but there are different types of birds arriving so I may have to adjust.

[crickieheather]

My feeder costs go down durring the summer and back up in the winter. I live in an apartment complex, and I have just one feeder, a sunflower seed feeder. I don't have any trees near it, so I was able to put a squirrel 'bell' on the pole to prevent them from eating the feeder and it's contents. I get a lot of Tufted Titmouse(titmice?), cardinals and chickadees, but almost nothing else. I spend about $10 a month, refilling once every 2 weeks. I planned on putting up something else, but have nowhere to hang it!

[Jos Stratford]

In winter months,

garden feeding station, typical attracting 500-600 birds daily (sometimes more) - amount eaten goes up and down depending on severity of weather, but approx, they polish off (per month):
- 25 kg of peanuts
- 20-30 kg of sunflower seeds
- 20 kg of seed
- couple dozen apples
- 60-80 fatballs, maybe more
- 2 kg niger (rationed, as I can't buy it in this country)
Most feeders need refilling almost every day.


Forest feeding station, only established last year, but beginning to get as busy as the garden. Predict this winter, monthly consumption will be:
- 30 kg peanuts
- 20 kg sunflower
- occasional fatballs
- couple dozen apples
Feeders get refilled twice a week, more or less, but are of large capacity.

Total cost, don't know, but a lot more than my food bill :)

[turkish van]

In winter months,

garden feeding station, typical attracting 500-600 birds daily (sometimes more) - amount eaten goes up and down depending on severity of weather, but approx, they polish off (per month):
- 25 kg of peanuts
- 20-30 kg of sunflower seeds
- 20 kg of seed
- couple dozen apples
- 60-80 fatballs, maybe more
- 2 kg niger (rationed, as I can't buy it in this country)
Most feeders need refilling almost every day.


Forest feeding station, only established last year, but beginning to get as busy as the garden. Predict this winter, monthly consumption will be:
- 30 kg peanuts
- 20 kg sunflower
- occasional fatballs
- couple dozen apples
Feeders get refilled twice a week, more or less, but are of large capacity.

Total cost, don't know, but a lot more than my food bill :)


That's unbelievable!! :eek!: :eek!:

500-600 birds a day? I can't even imagine that. I had 11 goldfinches, 20 greenfinches and a few coal tits at my main feeding station yesterday (at the same time I mean), and I thought that was a lot. :h?:

How many feeders do you have up in the garden then?

[Jos Stratford]

How many feeders do you have up in the garden then?


The big numbers are more a function of the severe winters, rather than anything I specifically do. In garden, typically have twelve or so feeders, sometimes up to 20 (all need refilling daily). Plus stuff scattered on the ground.

At the the forest site, it'll be perhaps the same or slightly more.