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Striped sunflower seed? (1 Viewer)

Talon 1

Talon 1

Well-known member
I have just been given a sample of general bird seed. the seed is half general corn etc and half striped sunflower seed. The sparrows chuck out the sunflowers so its not cost effective.This is because at this moment in time i have no tits or finches.
If however they return then to seperate the two could be cost effective if the stripes are taken by finches.
I have never used stripes so i have no idea and offcoarse no way of testing them out.

Anyone got views on striped sunflower seeds or are they no good and are just made to used to fill the bag up?

regards B :)
 
Hi Free,

I always thought that striped sunflower seed was just a normal sunflower seed with a few strips taken off the husk? If so they i would have thought they would go down just as well with the birds as sunflower seed does. Regards
 
Hi Free,
The Striped Sunflower are eaten by the same birds that eat the black.
Blackbirds,Doves,Goldfinches,Greenfinches and the Tit family. :bounce:
 
Richie, striped sunflower seeds are NOT normal sunflower seeds with strips taken off. Black and striped sunflower seeds are different.

Free, I've read in the past that they have lesser calorific and nutritional values than black sunflower seeds, though I may be mistaken. Maybe they are just used as "fillers" as you suggest. I often find that the birds favour black over striped seeds too.

It's worth noting that the RSPB only recommend black sunflower seeds to feed wild birds.
 
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Black Sunflower is better than striped because of the oil content but Free has striped ones at the moment.They certainly wont do the birds any harm.They are a safe food. :bounce:
 
Mary Evelyn said:
Black Sunflower is better than striped because of the oil content but Free has striped ones at the moment.They certainly wont do the birds any harm.They are a safe food. :bounce:
Click to expand...

Not being touched mary, just like my peanuts and peanut suet cake also not being touched its just general bird seed and thats it.
So, Just sparrows and seed it is getting rather boring after 6 months of this!
My only saviour is a blackbird that i leave cherries or sultanas out for.

Regards B :)
 
Free said:
Not being touched mary, just like my peanuts and peanut suet cake also not being touched its just general bird seed and thats it.
So, Just sparrows and seed it is getting rather boring after 6 months of this!
My only saviour is a blackbird that i leave cherries or sultanas out for.

Regards B :)
Click to expand...
Hi Free,
When I first started feeding the birds,I had mostly Sparrows,now I have all kinds.You be patient and by Winter you will draw in new birds all of the time.Your Robin will soon be back too, as they usually take to hiding around now while they moult.I bet if you continue with small amounts of sunflower (Black)and peanuts you will soon see Greens,Chaffinches and the Tit family, just like me.So cheer up Free :flowers: :flowers:
 
Free perhaps you should go to: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/BirdFoods.htm#Seed.
If you look a round on the site you may get some useful information, including seed preferences, feeder types and locations..
Striped sunflower seed isn't just a filler. It's a good food although not as good as Black-oil. Here it's sold in almost a sgreat a quantity as BOS. I usually but both kinds in 18 kg sacks. Things like wheat and oats tend to be filler. Corn is also used as a filler because it's cheap but doesn't attract a lot of the really desirable species.
 
I agree snowyowl. Wheat definitely is usually the filler in general bird food. I expect striped sunflower seed is fine too, just doesn't get eaten much around here.

Free, when I started feeding birds I only got House Sparrows and Tits with the occasional Blackbird for a long time. But I found over time, and with other food like sunflower hearts and high energy seed mixes (e.g. CJ Wild Bird foods) many more different species came - I now get a pair of Yellowhammers and a pair of Turtle Doves and once had a Reed Bunting in the winter!
 
Hi again Free,

For the average garden,these are our best selling lines and my customers tell me ,they bring in all our regular garden birds and more.Certainly works for me although,I use other things like dried and fresh fruit too.I know your birds at the moment do not eat fruit but Blackbirds,Thrushes and Starlings love fruit Free.Last winter we had more Thrushes visit than we had ever had ,for the dried and fresh fruit.The Hedge out front, Berberis Darwinie (I know you have a couple)brought in the Blackcaps.The Elder has been a real bird puller and a Blackbird has used it to nest,producing 3 fledglings last week.
Peanuts and Splits,Wild bird seed,Black and Striped Sunflower (although Black sells better),Saflower,Sunflower Hearts,Niger,Fatballs.Although I put out grit,most of my customers don't.
The most important thing is not to overdo it until you see the birds beginning to visit or you would end up with a lot of waste.Just add a very small amount until the visitors begin to arrive and believe me they will. :flowers: :flowers:
Also check out the site in Snowyowls post. :bounce:By the way,they should be a best before date, if you buy the big bags.
 
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Hi Mary E.
You're right about fruit. I don't buy it but I have a dozen or so Red Elder growing around plus a couple of Common Elder. There's also holly, grape, Mountain Ash, Saskatoon Berry and gooseberries growing around the garden. They all pull in birds although at different times of the year. The biggest problem is that E. Starlings and A. robins tend to clean off too much of the fruit in the fall not leaving enough for other species in the winter.
I'm interested in your comment about grit. I haven't done it but have thought about it. What size do you use? I've put out crushed oyster shell but with limited success.
 
snowyowl said:
Hi Mary E.
You're right about fruit. I don't buy it but I have a dozen or so Red Elder growing around plus a couple of Common Elder. There's also holly, grape, Mountain Ash, Saskatoon Berry and gooseberries growing around the garden. They all pull in birds although at different times of the year. The biggest problem is that E. Starlings and A. robins tend to clean off too much of the fruit in the fall not leaving enough for other species in the winter.
I'm interested in your comment about grit. I haven't done it but have thought about it. What size do you use? I've put out crushed oyster shell but with limited success.
Click to expand...

Hi Snowyowl,

I use a normal bird grit with eggshell that can be fed to all birds.Not too big for the small birds and the larger birds ,Collared Doves etc.just take up a little more.Believe it or not,I was told by a gamekeeper and have done it ever since.Also, I knew grit was important for the digestion,its inexpensive so I thought why not.I just add a little to the different seeds and it all goes, although,I know some who prefer to feed it in individual feeders.

My problem at the minute Snowyowl with the berries on the bushes is ,they are being splattered all over the cream pillars on the front wall ha ha and it is a devil to clean...........Oh for the love of birds ;) ;)
 
I tried some Oystershell grit in the breeding season Mary, but everything completely ignored it! I even mixed it in with the seeds (in the feeders and on the ground) but the grit somehow always got left behind!
 
tp20uk said:
I tried some Oystershell grit in the breeding season Mary, but everything completely ignored it! I even mixed it in with the seeds (in the feeders and on the ground) but the grit somehow always got left behind!
Click to expand...
Hi tp20uk,
Just use ordinary egg shell grit and just a little until the birds get used to it.A handfull is all you need.Thats how I started but on saying that most of the people I know, don't use grit at all. I have also used oyster shell grit and the same applies.It is always better to put tiny amounts out,see how it goes and increase as needed.This way you save on waste because it keeps so well. :flowers:
 
tp20uk said:
Richie, striped sunflower seeds are NOT normal sunflower seeds with strips taken off. Black and striped sunflower seeds are different.

Free, I've read in the past that they have lesser calorific and nutritional values than black sunflower seeds, though I may be mistaken. Maybe they are just used as "fillers" as you suggest. I often find that the birds favour black over striped seeds too.

It's worth nothing that the RSPB only recommend black sunflower seeds to feed wild birds.
Click to expand...


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