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Can I eat bird food? (1 Viewer)

Wickham

Skype username wickham43 (I have video)
I bought a large bag of mixed bird table food from RSPB but the birds don't eat the black sunflower seeds, so they clutter up the bird board or get blown to the ground where rats come and eat them.

I now sort the feed and have a large glass jar full of black sunflower seeds. I only need a few for garden flowers, so can I eat the rest or put them into muesli, porridge, etc?

If so, what's the best way to get the husks off, or just grind them up regardless?

Edit:- I've just read one or two posts in the poll on whether sunflower seeds or peanuts go fastest, (sunflower seeds by a big margin) but not as far as my birds are concerned. I don't feed peanuts.

The birds I get are only blackbirds, robins, blue and great tits and dunnocks and none of them touch the sunflower seeds (too large, possibly).
 
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Hi Wickham, I wouldn't risk eating the sunflower seeds myself. Are you sure the birds are not eating the kernels and what you are finding is just the empty shells?

Dave
 
They are definitely the whole sunflower seeds. I'm convinced that they are too big for the dunnocks, tits and robins while the balckbirds seem to prefer grapes!

I'll have to think of a use for them.
 
If they are 'certified safe seed for birds' (or something like that) then I'm sure I'd have a go at them. Or even if not. Sunflower hearts and seeds are popular in health food shops for people after all. . . Can't think they'd use any worse chemicals (fertilisers or in storage) than they put on the rest of our food anyway ;)

Ready to be corrected, but can't see why not ..
 
In garden centres you only get a few seeds in a packet for £1.50 so I think I'll sell them and possibly recover all the cost of the bird seed!

I'll eat a few but if you don't see another post from me, you'll know what's happened.
 
In garden centres you only get a few seeds in a packet for £1.50 so I think I'll sell them and possibly recover all the cost of the bird seed!

I'll eat a few but if you don't see another post from me, you'll know what's happened.

LOL,
I wait in anticipation to your next post!
 
Most human diets are very poor anyway (1 in 5 deaths globally) are caused by poor diet. So I would say you SHOULD definitely eat seeds (and nuts) as they are far healthier than crisps, biscuits and cake whether or not they are marketed for human consumption. The only thing I would say is that human fat requirements in seeds are different to birds. That said most people eat bad fat anyway and bird seed is better than the fats in unhealthy food. Human and bird diet requirements are actually not that different biologically. Humans can eat milk and cheese whereas birds can only eat cheese and not milk. Most of the world's plants are edible even to humans just like birds.
For a healthy diet:
1) Avoid processed foods. You NEVER really need to eat these.
2) Don't be over cautious about plants being toxic (though toxic plants do exist)
3) Eat fruit and veg
4) Eat nuts and seeds
5) Enjoy some dairy
4) Eat wholegrains, rice, cereals, oats and pasta
5) Limit meat consumption
Read the rspb advice for birds diet and it is not terribly different. Yes we ARE different to birds biologically but the gap is narrower than you think.
 
Most human diets are very poor anyway (1 in 5 deaths globally) are caused by poor diet. So I would say you SHOULD definitely eat seeds (and nuts) as they are far healthier than crisps, biscuits and cake whether or not they are marketed for human consumption. The only thing I would say is that human fat requirements in seeds are different to birds. That said most people eat bad fat anyway and bird seed is better than the fats in unhealthy food. Human and bird diet requirements are actually not that different biologically. Humans can eat milk and cheese whereas birds can only eat cheese and not milk. Most of the world's plants are edible even to humans just like birds.
For a healthy diet:
1) Avoid processed foods. You NEVER really need to eat these.
2) Don't be over cautious about plants being toxic (though toxic plants do exist)
3) Eat fruit and veg
4) Eat nuts and seeds
5) Enjoy some dairy
4) Eat wholegrains, rice, cereals, oats and pasta
5) Limit meat consumption
Read the rspb advice for birds diet and it is not terribly different. Yes we ARE different to birds biologically but the gap is narrower than you think.

I agree EdwinBrophy. Sunflower seeds are very good for you :t:
 
When going birdwatching take a bag of seeds to eat for easy food so you feel fuller for longer. They are also easy to transport as you don't need to eat huge amounts to nourish the body. You don't need any equipment at all to eat them in remote areas. You can just eat them as if you were actually a bird. At least if you do decide to feed birds the seeds you carry, it will never harm them.
 
My Spanish friends eat sunflower seeds all the time, though they are toasted and salted. I wouldn't fancy eating them raw and from a source that is not intended for human consumption.

Eating them involves a lot of spitting out of husks just like the birds do.
 
My Spanish friends eat sunflower seeds all the time, though they are toasted and salted. I wouldn't fancy eating them raw and from a source that is not intended for human consumption.

Eating them involves a lot of spitting out of husks just like the birds do.

You can purchase " Bakers standard " sunflower hearts - no husk and used in cakes, breads. Lovely when quickly fried in sunflower oil, then sprinkled with sea salt. Why should the birds have all the goodies.
 
I personally wouldn't eat bird food it's not meant for us, bit off topic seeds have fallen in my Mums plant soil and with all the rain we've had and have seen little leaves growing up.
 
You say you won't eat bird food as it is not meant for us. But I can think of devastating things about modern food that is certainly not for human consumption either. Too much salt, wrong types of fats, too much processed, processed meat, not enough nutrition, food poisoning cases at 600 million illnesses 450,000 deaths, too many ingredients designed to confuse consumers, drugs added to food that harm your mental health, not enough nuts and seeds eaten, not enough fruit and veg eaten, too much sugar added to everything, not enough wholegrains eaten and a lack of polices to have fair distribution of vital food resources to where it is desperately needed. All these problems have millions of pounds of marketing behind them and food companies track your eating habits to make you spend spend spend on crap you don't need. Bird food, given it's high standards, is the least of my concerns about diet.
 
You say you won't eat bird food as it is not meant for us. But I can think of devastating things about modern food that is certainly not for human consumption either. Too much salt, wrong types of fats, too much processed, processed meat, not enough nutrition, food poisoning cases at 600 million illnesses 450,000 deaths, too many ingredients designed to confuse consumers, drugs added to food that harm your mental health, not enough nuts and seeds eaten, not enough fruit and veg eaten, too much sugar added to everything, not enough wholegrains eaten and a lack of polices to have fair distribution of vital food resources to where it is desperately needed. All these problems have millions of pounds of marketing behind them and food companies track your eating habits to make you spend spend spend on crap you don't need. Bird food, given it's high standards, is the least of my concerns about diet.

You don't happen to work for the Sunflower Marketing Board by any chance? ;)

I do agree with you.

However the only real issue could be storage if contemplating seeds actually used to feed birds. We tend to store stuff outside and for too long - answer would rather be to treat storage of bird food in a better way.
 
In case you are wondering what is the difference between human and bird seed is: NONE. Humans and birds do have different requirements for the ratio of different seeds we need to eat to optimise for consuming healthy fats, human and bird biology IS different in terms of the fats the body needs from seeds to stay healthy. But the seeds in and themselves are not different intended for consumption for any herbivore, omnivore human or bird. The marketing is the only difference. You do NOT need to purchase any different seeds for humans or birds. This is a myth that there is NO evidence of.
 
In case you are wondering what is the difference between human and bird seed is: NONE. Humans and birds do have different requirements for the ratio of different seeds we need to eat to optimise for consuming healthy fats, human and bird biology IS different in terms of the fats the body needs from seeds to stay healthy. But the seeds in and themselves are not different intended for consumption for any herbivore, omnivore human or bird. The marketing is the only difference. You do NOT need to purchase any different seeds for humans or birds. This is a myth that there is NO evidence of.
 
I have self taught a diet and nutrition online course at level 3. I don't work for any company. I had some guidance from my mum who has a postgraduate course in diet and nutrition. My marks in all my coursework was great. I can totally assure you that seeds are OK to eat.
 
Yes, they are safe to eat.

However, they have an oil content (some higher than others), so if you have a weight issue should not be eaten in large quantities.
 
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