Do Birds still eat regular seeds? (1 Viewer)

[Euan Buchan]

Just curious if your garden birds eat regular seeds? I have usually been feeding them sunflower heart seeds and they loved it but they finished it all and when I went to get more seeds I noticed regular seeds was on a discount price so I picked that up and filled the feeders up and they have hardly been touched. Even when I’ve been away on holiday (Porto) feeders still look full apart from the peanuts so I wondered has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Kits]

I’m not sure what you mean by regular seeds.

We buy mixed seed from Garden Wildlife (other suppliers are available!) and the birds seem to enjoy them as they empty the feeders quite quickly.

 

[Euan Buchan]

I’m not sure what you mean by regular seeds.

We buy mixed seed from Garden Wildlife (other suppliers are available!) and the birds seem to enjoy them as they empty the feeders quite quickly.

It was the Glennwood Wild Bird Seed Mix I got

 

[delia todd]

I get a mixed feed (for tube feeders) from Ivel Valley; using it to feed both my garden birds and some more at two edge of town feeding stations.

Strangely, the last few weeks my garden birds are hardly looking at it, but their numbers do seem reduced. But the edge of town ones can't get enough. One feeder is a really big one and it is soon emptied. The other one is harder to monitor, as other people refill there as well. They don't actually seem to mind if the feed is from Ivel Valley, Home Bargains, or a local pet shop LOL

 

[Montereyman]

Seed mixes are cheaper as they include filler seeds like red millet that birds will not touch. I only buy two seed mixes and rely primarily on black oil sunflower seeds and sunflower chips in separate feeders. The mixes have not saved me any money with birds often discarding the seeds they do want to eat.

 

[EK_Birds]

I find mixed seed to be a waste of money, stick with the sunflower hearts

 

[delia todd]

with birds often discarding the seeds they do want to eat.

I do find that other birds, the ground feeding ones, will eat the discarded seeds.

Between the two out of town feeding stations have Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Yellowhammer, Jays, Mallard, Pheasants, all gobbling them up. I get some of these at home in addition Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Jackdaw, House Sparrow.

I try to avoid mixes with red millet.

 

[jjff]

The doves in my backyard even get into my hummingbird feeder even though I have fresh water available! Doves are darn pests!

 

[Harry Stottle]

Hulled sunflower seeds are favoured everywhere I think.

No birds in my garden will eat millet, wheat or linseed even if there is nothing else to eat and it is freezing cold. Many of the mixed seed brands contain these and other seeds that birds will not eat. Best to check on contents before buying.

Incidentally, we bought some fat balls from Wilco recently which no birds will eat either, they take one peck and flee. It seems to have sawdust mixed in with old wheat - very low quality.

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Shop for wilko Fat Balls 12.75kg Pack of 150 at wilko - where we offer a range of home and leisure goods at great prices.

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[AvidReader]

Next door have feeders up with mixed seed so I mainly use the sunflower hearts & I rarely have anything left at the end of the day. When I was using mixed seed, there was always mess & leftovers.