Birds don't eat seed after adding pepper (1 Viewer)

[jeremyschultz]

I have a feeder that I've filled with a typical songbird mix and it's been popular with several birds--and a squirrel, of course. After trying a few different deterrents, yesterday I added 3 tbsp of cayenne pepper to several cups of the mix and refilled the feeder.

Today we're seeing chickadees visit the feeder but leave almost right away. And we've not seen the cardinals, sparrows or other birds who visit.

Everything I've read says pepper isn't a problem for birds, but I wasn't sure if I just ruined a batch of seed.

Jeremy

 

[jeremyschultz]

Update: Still very few birds. The chickadees might be feeding, but they just take a seed and go. But I still get a squirrel sometimes and they seem fine to lay on it and snack away.

 

[Ruff]

If you added pepper in powder form, it may be getting into their eyes.

 

[Sterngucker]

Why on earth would you add cayenne powder to your bird feeder:h?:

 

[rkahrl]

When I had a problem with squirrels getting into my mealworm feeder, I sprinkled Cayenne pepper on top of the mealworms, and the squirrels stayed away after that. I was using grocery-store cayenne pepper, but it wasn't powdery.

 

[etudiant]

Because birds don't have the sensitivity to red pepper that mammals do, the basic idea appears sound.
That said, there are lots of reports of squirrels getting hooked on cayenne treated seed, so the deterrent effect may be unfamiliarity rather than intolerance.
The solution imho is to put the feeders on a well baffled pole, with a distraction bait such as an ear of corn for the squirrels. Squirrels are just as lazy as people, they too go for the easy fix every time.

 

[Lerxst]

I tried pepper/ capsaicin a year ago to try to dissuade the little mammals from taking our seeds. It worked - at first - squirrels would sniff it and run away. But they eventually came back and started to eat. And so began an escalation of the war. I added more cayenne. Still had squirrels. Then I put tabasco sauce on the sunflower seeds. Squirrels did not care. In horror I watched through my bins and could see the red sauce on their faces and whiskers as they were chowing down. The birds, of course, wouldn't touch the soggy red seeds by then.

At that point I gave up.