Sunflower seeds in the shells or out? (1 Viewer)

[Dawnypops]

I have recently put up a bird feeder with just sunflower seeds in their shells in it. The sparrows have just found in the past couple of days but don't seem to know what to do with them as the just thow them about onto the ground and I just find wole ones on the floor still in their shells.

Could anyone tell me I am putting the right thing in this feeder, and do they normally de-shell them easily or am I using the wrong type of food in this feeder?

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Hi,

Probably people will disagree with me but Sparrows are like that, they just like throwing seed out, like kids in a way. Try putting smaller seeds nearby, there are many mixes on the market without sunflowers in and scatter them on ground nearby or on a bird table (if you can).

My feeders are in a tree right outside the window where I sit (most of the weekend) so watch Sparrows doing this all the time, people will think I am awful but I stand up and they fly away. There is plenty of food they will eat on table nearby and also I laid flags in my lawn specially for ground feeding birds as I get a lot of Collared Doves and an occasional Woodpigeon.

Good luck.

Ann

 

[IanF]

Not all birds can cope with sunflower seed in their shells. It's so long since we used shelled ones that I can't recall whether Sparrows can.

We only use sunflower hearts nowadays which are popular with just about every garden species - even Goldfinches. Much less messy too a there are no husks covering the ground.

 

[Tammie]

Here, I don't have a choice. I can't find sunflower hearts anywhere and even if I could, the price would likely be prohibitive.
I use black oil seed in the shell. Most species love it and I have not noticed a single bird or species that has any trouble.

 

[Leif]

I have recently put up a bird feeder with just sunflower seeds in their shells in it. The sparrows have just found in the past couple of days but don't seem to know what to do with them as the just thow them about onto the ground and I just find wole ones on the floor still in their shells.

Could anyone tell me I am putting the right thing in this feeder, and do they normally de-shell them easily or am I using the wrong type of food in this feeder?

I used to feed whole sunflower seeds to Greenfinches, Sparrows, and a few other species. They were messy eaters, and most went on the ground, but Sparrows have no problem eating them. Their little tongues and strong beaks are well suited to manipulating and cracking sunflower seeds. A solution is to use a seed tray to collect 'windfalls'. The small type are best, else you get pigeons hoovering up the seeds and scaring away the other birds.

However, over the years the husks create a right mess, and I would recommend shelled sunflower seeds, unless you don't mind an inch or two of husk mulch. Buy from a garden centre and the cost shouldn't be too high.

Leif

 

[Katy Penland]

Two major problems with hulls on the ground -- more than the mess -- is the potential for mold to set in and the accumulation of bird poo from birds on the feeders. The former can sicken or kill birds if they ingest it, and the latter can easily spread any number of avian diseases. I feed both hulled and unhulled sunflower seeds, and as soon as there's enough of a layer of hulls on the ground that I can't see the ground, I rake them up.

You can still "recycle" these hulls since there will inevitably be unopened seeds mixed in -- just scatter them on another part of the garden (away from under feeders) or over the fence (assuming that isn't causing someone else a problem), and other birds will come in to "clean up" what's edible. Where I live, I can toss this "seed detritis" over our yard fence, and that's where the larger birds forage (doves, pigeons), which is great because that gives the littler birds a chance to get at the feeders for a change.