How long do hulled sunflower seeds last? (1 Viewer)

[MrBJones]

Howdy Folks! First time poster here...

I recently hung a feeder in my backyard and now have quite a few house finches and some cardinals visiting regularly. The cardinals are somewhat tidy, but the finches make a mess...sometimes it seems that they spill more than they eat. The problem, I think is that I used a mix of seeds and the finches dig through it looking for specific seed type (there's nyjer thistle in the mix)...so now I'm going to switch to straight sunflower seeds. I like the idea of no waste, and am considering shelled/hulled seeds. My questions is...how long will they last in the feeder? If it's only a few days, I'll go with whole black oil seeds; if it's a week or longer, I'll go with the hulled seeds.

Second quick question: Do empty sunflower seed shells attract rodents?

Thanks!

 

[KC Foggin]

Sunflower hearts are the best and most enjoyable for the birds with little mess but it can get quite expensive because they can drain the feeder rather fast.

Even if you use the BOSS, there will still be whole seeds on the ground. I've seen some birds have a hard time with a particular shell so they dump it along with the other birds dumping the shells. Though you might try putting them in a feeder with a tray on the bottom. And sadly, yes anytime you have feeders, it will draw in the rodents.

Hi Mr B and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum :t: Enjoy

 

[MrBJones]

Sunflower hearts are the best and most enjoyable for the birds with little mess but it can get quite expensive because they can drain the feeder rather fast....

Thanks for the welcome!

When I asked how long the seed lasts, I meant how long it can be in a feeder before it spoils. I travel on business and am frequently away for several days at a time...don't want to fill it up and have it go bad just a couple days later.

 

[KC Foggin]

They won't last that long in the feeder. At least mine don't

Unless of course they get soaked with rain fall.

 

[MeInDallas]

Here in the Dallas area they dont last long in the feeder, and I've never had any go bad or mold on me. I have a clear dome over my feeder that prevents wet seeds. If it rains hard I take the feeder down until it stops. If youre gone a lot, I'd try to find a feeder with a weather dome, or just buy one to go on your feeder. Look on Amazon or Ebay, they have some really nice weather domes at good prices.