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Peanuts (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter abp
- Start date
Ruby
Well-known member
Hi Brian,
I don't use peanuts in feeders any more - they don't seem particularly popular with birds and they tend to start going a bit skanky after a week or two out in the weather.
Have you tried sunflowers or sunflower hearts?? They seem to be more favoured and are taken by more species of birds, and you might even find that your existing feeders are OK for sunflowers.
As rgds peanuts.... I smash them up in a food-processor, and then mix them with wild-bird mixture, cake crumbs etc before turning into birdcakes with lard. Very popular with Starlings and Coal Tits.
Good Luck.... Ruby
I don't use peanuts in feeders any more - they don't seem particularly popular with birds and they tend to start going a bit skanky after a week or two out in the weather.
Have you tried sunflowers or sunflower hearts?? They seem to be more favoured and are taken by more species of birds, and you might even find that your existing feeders are OK for sunflowers.
As rgds peanuts.... I smash them up in a food-processor, and then mix them with wild-bird mixture, cake crumbs etc before turning into birdcakes with lard. Very popular with Starlings and Coal Tits.
Good Luck.... Ruby
snowyowl
Well-known member
That may well be the case in the UK but definitely not here. Chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches and even Blue Jays will all hit the peanuts on a fairly regular basis. I've even seen Starlings picking at them.Bluetail said:
I prefer to offer as many different foods as I can and while Niger, Blackoil Sunflower and suet are the staples lots other feeds work as well.
Elizabeth Bigg
Addicted member
There was a lull during May and June,when peanuts were not much in favour, so I took down some of the feeders. Now they are popular again, used by bluetits, great tits, greenfinches, nuthatch and great spotted woodpecker. Also availabe to them are hearts, black sunflower seed and niger seed, though the niger is not being used much - the goldfinches prefer hearts at the moment.
Janshorty
Well-known member
Elizabeth Bigg said:
Same goe's here Elizabeth. The only problem with not putting the peanuts out is that I end up with the grey squirrels trying to hang from the sunflower feeders instead. They have broke two in the last month, so I just leave a plate of peanuts out for them and they tend to steer clear of the feeders then!
Bill@dwp
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
I nearly gave up on peanuts until this year. Like Brian I was concerned they were rotting and they weren't being touched. So in Spring I was going to dump them but as I had a few left I put them out rather than chuck them and they started taking them again.
I've noticed its the starlings that like them best but my sparrows and tits have been regular visitors. They still much prefer the seed and sunflowers but as they've been getting through that quicker than me replacing it then I suppose the peanuts have been better than nothing. I'll prpobably keep them going as they dont cost much and last a while.
I've noticed its the starlings that like them best but my sparrows and tits have been regular visitors. They still much prefer the seed and sunflowers but as they've been getting through that quicker than me replacing it then I suppose the peanuts have been better than nothing. I'll prpobably keep them going as they dont cost much and last a while.
More the better ...I have about six feeders out currently, goes up to about 15 in winter.
Peanuts very popular, especially with tits, etc and woodpeckers. In particular, I am lucky to have Middle Spotted Woodpeckers and Crested Tits, neither of which go to the sunflower feeders.
Greenfinches and Hawfinches absolutely prefer sunflower feeders and ignore peanuts until preferred option is empty.
Nuts have one big advantage - they don't empty so quickly, so food is available all day, the sunflowere feeders are usually empty by late afternoon (and I have one of those big RSPB types!
But to the original question, if food is still in the feeders after quite long time, esp if warm and damp, I think safer to throw out and put in new ...regardless of whether nets, seed, etc
Peanuts very popular, especially with tits, etc and woodpeckers. In particular, I am lucky to have Middle Spotted Woodpeckers and Crested Tits, neither of which go to the sunflower feeders.
Greenfinches and Hawfinches absolutely prefer sunflower feeders and ignore peanuts until preferred option is empty.
Nuts have one big advantage - they don't empty so quickly, so food is available all day, the sunflowere feeders are usually empty by late afternoon (and I have one of those big RSPB types!
But to the original question, if food is still in the feeders after quite long time, esp if warm and damp, I think safer to throw out and put in new ...regardless of whether nets, seed, etc
Elizabeth Bigg
Addicted member
Bluetail said:
I would hope that those marketed by the reputable companies selling guaranteed "Safe Nuts" (ie nil Aflotoxin detected, on test) will be selling the better ones. I only buy from these sources - not from pet shops or garden centres, unless they are labelled as safe.
Larry Lade
Moderator
I put out black oil sunflower seed, niger and whole shelled peanuts. The peanuts are in a wire mesh feeder and "hold up" pretty well. If it rains the peanuts dry pretty quickly in the wire mesh feeder. I have Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadees and some House Finch and House Sparrows coming to this peanut feeder. The "star attraction" coming to this feeder since July 23 has been a Bewick's Wren! Today there were two Bewick's Wrens in the yard. I thought that this was highly unusual since I have read that the Bewick's Wren's diet consists mainly of insects (97 percent). They sure seem to like the peanuts though, in my yard! They do not touch the black oil sunflower or niger seed. I do see them picking around in the leaf litter and curled up dry leaves getting spiders and bugs when they are not at the peanut feeder.
Bill@dwp
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
abp said:
hi Brian
The advantage of the starlings on the peanuts is that they dont try and land on the other feeders. I have recently moved the seed from one of the feeders as the young starlings found they could get on it and ended up spilling the seed everywhere. Thus I have ended up with more pigeons. Since I did this the starlings stick to the nuts and fat balls and I've lost a few pigeons.
I dont expect to see them much in the winter though, once they get a bit older they seem to lose interest in the peanuts.
Bill
