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When to put out a thistle feeder (1 Viewer)

I don't put out thistle, because only finches eat it and I figure that if goldfinches, etc. were near the yard, they'd be coming for the sunflower seeds I put out.
 
lvn600 said:
They continue to ignore the nyjer.
If that's all you put out, they'll eat it like crazed lunatics. The house finches, while adorable in their own ways, are greedy consumers! They swarm my feeders and fight with other species for food. The cardinals get really mad! LOL
 
If you fail to attract finch to Nyjer thistle it may be due to the freshness of the seed itself. Nyjer thistle, and imported product, is sterilized by the USDA, to prevent introducing noxious weeds into North America, and the temperatures produce a shelf life of 4 to 5 months. Many stores (big box and hardware) may warehouse the seed for 6 months or more. By the time it is placed on the shelf it is old and the finch will reject it. Goldfinch and house finch feed on it year round, pinesiskn are more a winter bird that will feed on thistle as they drift south in search of winter food sources. House finch really like safflower seed in a seed tube feeder and will consume large quantities. To prevent sparrows from feeding on the thistle tube, cut the perches back to 5/8 inch. Gold, and house finch and pine siskin have no problem feeding on the shortened perches. However house sparrows, which will keep the more desirable birds away, cannot feed from the shortened perches. Purchase thistle seed from a reputable dealer. Avoid the grocery store packages if possible.
Dave Titterington
Wild Bird Habitat Store
[email protected]
 
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Weird. Many folks say they started with a sock, then moved to a tube and lost finches in the process. My experience was the polar opposite. Tried a few socks (replenished to ensure freshness) for over 2 months-- no takers. Same spot, hung a tube feeder, and bang... finches up the wazoo. Gotta love those goldies, and yeah, even the LBJs are growin' on me (little brown jobs).
 
I just removed a protective rain dome from the nyjer feeder.The next day after I removed it the finches started using it although they still seem to prefer the sunflower seeds.
 
lvn600 said:
I just removed a protective rain dome from the nyjer feeder.The next day after I removed it the finches started using it although they still seem to prefer the sunflower seeds.

After seeing a few goldfinches in the neighborhood I just put out my first feeder two days ago. I went with an upside down, thistle tube feeder. Sunday and Monday no finches, but today I watched a pair visit the tube often during the entire evening. Now I am all excited and planning what other feeders and feed to get, and what locaions in my yard to expand too next. I guess the moral of this story is, the finches seemed to take to my thistle quickly.
 
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Does anyone know when to put out the thisle sock?

I live in Weaverville, North Carolina, and I am new at trying to attract Goldfinches into my yard. I have seen them around the area so I figured I would try to get them to come to a feeder. I just put one up on April 14th 2014. I have not seen any activity yet. Any ideas? :D
 
I hung a thistle sock up three weeks after I had put up other feeders back in Oct. I had a lot of birds coming to the feeders until I hung up the white thistle sock. After a week of absolutely no birds I took it down and replaced with mesh thistle feeders. The birds immediately returned when the white sock was taken down. I think the white sock was scaring them.
 
Hi, Carly -

We are apparently neighbors. My wife and I live in Weaverville also, on the west side of 19/23.
I agree with stonechat. It can take a little time for the birds to show up if they are not expecting a regular food source at a particular location. Sometimes, it depends on your competition. If your neighbors are feeding them already, the birds may not have good reason to switch yards. We currently have Goldfinches coming to our sunflower seed feeder. In the fall, they seem to like the thistle in nearby fields but even then, they will show up for the sunflower seeds.

Steve
 
I live in Weaverville, North Carolina, and I am new at trying to attract Goldfinches into my yard. I have seen them around the area so I figured I would try to get them to come to a feeder. I just put one up on April 14th 2014. I have not seen any activity yet. Any ideas? :D

They're nomadic in lots of places. This means they may or may not be in your area now. For example in my area they come in from February till mid-may then leave, a few miles down they come in April till late summer then leave.

Best to have a small cheap tube feeder kept up all the time with Nyjer to see when they start coming in. Change the seed every few months.

They also love Sunflower in the shell from a mesh feeder, they can easily cling to the sides. This will be the first feeder you should notice them as the sunflower in the shell lasts along time and should have other birds using it. They also really love sunflower out of the shell but this is more costly to you, if you buy this then buy it at a feed store for the best pricing.

Once they do come in buy another feeder after you know how many you're getting at once, no point in putting out a feeder that gets emptied in a day. but don't worry about this until you see them in your yard.

When they do come in if they are eating more Sunflower than Nyjer then your Nyjer is bad. Best places to buy are feed stores that move their inventory quickly but only worry about it until you have them coming in your yard.

If you're having a problem with other birds wiping out the Nyjer then buy the Metal Droll Yankee upside down feeder, only goldies can eat from it. if you buy a cheaper upside down feeder the other birds may stretch and eat from it upright because on the cheaper feeders the tube is not wide enough. Even the upright Droll Yankee thistle feeders are great because of the small ports means less waste and they're the best made on the market...super easy to clean with a life time warranty.

Prefilled Thistle socks are a great way to see if you have them in your area but the Nyjer won't last as long in these. A nice one is the Kaytee Ultimate finch sock/mix.
 
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