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| Ariel Badger |
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Ariel Badger
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 Posted: 16:52 - 13 Jan 2010  Post subject: Please remember |
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To feed the birds during the cold weather.
I have C&Ped this from the RSPB website.
| Quote: | What food can you leave out for birds and how can you keep your feeding station hygenic and pest-free? Here you'll find the answers to all your bird feeding questions.
Feeding birds in the garden is a popular activity - over half of adults in the UK feed birds in their garden. That's a lot of extra help for the birds!
Providing birds with supplementary food will bring them closer for you to marvel at their fascinating behaviour and wonderful colours. It will also reward them for sharing their lives with you. Feeding birds is also an ideal way to enthuse children about wildlife.
Supplementary feeding can't provide all the natural proteins and vitamins that adult and young birds need, so it's important to create and manage your garden to provide a source of natural foods as well, through well-managed lawns, shrub and flowerbeds.
If you provide both natural and supplementary food, your garden will be visited year-round by a host of different birds. You can take part in our Homes for Wildlife scheme and we'll give you all the advice you need, especially tailored to your garden, to make your garden into a wildlife haven.
It is important to feed your garden birds responsibly and safely. By following a few simple guidelines, you can play a valuable role in helping your local birds overcome periods of natural food shortage, survive periods of severe winter weather and come into good breeding condition in the spring.
We receive numerous enquiries about what and how to feed garden birds. Many of them relate to the best type of food to provide, or whether particular foods are suitable for birds or not. This page shows you what to feed your garden birds - and what to avoid.
Bird seed mixtures
There are different mixes for feeders and for birdtables and ground feeding. The better mixtures contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds, and peanut granules.
Small seeds, such as millet, attract mostly house sparrows, dunnocks, finches, reed buntings and collared doves, while flaked maize is taken readily by blackbirds. Tits and greenfinches favour peanuts and sunflower seeds. Mixes that contain chunks or whole nuts are suitable for winter feeding only. Pinhead oatmeal is excellent for many birds. Wheat and barley grains are often included in seed mixtures, but they are really only suitable for pigeons, doves and pheasants, which feed on the ground and rapidly increase in numbers, frequently deterring the smaller species.
Avoid seed mixtures that have split peas, beans, dried rice or lentils as again only the large species can eat them dry. These are added to some cheaper seed mixes to bulk them up. Any mixture containing green or pink lumps should also be avoided as these are dog biscuit, which can only be eaten when soaked.
Black sunflower seeds
These are an excellent year-round food, and in many areas are even more popular than peanuts. The oil content is higher in black than striped ones, and so they are much better. Sunflower hearts (the husked kernels) are a popular no-mess food.
Nyjer seeds
These are small and black with a high oil content. They need a special type of seed feeder, and are particular favourites with goldfinches and siskins.
Peanuts
These are rich in fat and are popular with tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and siskins. Crushed or grated nuts attract robins, dunnocks and even wrens. Nuthatches and coal tits may hoard peanuts. Salted or dry roasted peanuts should not be used. Peanuts can be high in a natural toxin, which can kill birds, so buy from a reputable dealer, such as our online shop, to guarantee freedom from aflatoxin.
Bird cake and food bars
Fat balls and other fat-based food bars are excellent winter food. If they are sold in nylon mesh bags, always remove the bag before putting the fat ball out – the soft mesh can trap and injure birds. You can make your own bird cake by pouring melted fat (suet or lard) onto a mixture of ingredients such as seeds, nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal, cheese and cake. Use about one-third fat to two-thirds mixture. Stir well in a bowl and allow it to set in a container of your choice. An empty coconut shell, plastic cup or tit bell makes an ideal bird cake ‘feeder’. Alternatively, you can turn it out onto your birdtable when solid.
Live foods and other insect foods
Mealworms are relished by robins and blue tits, and may attract other insect-eating birds such as pied wagtails.
Mealworms are a natural food and can be used to feed birds throughout the year. It can become quite expensive to constantly buy mealworms, and many people want to grow their own. You can culture your own mealworms (click on the link to the left). If you cannot face this performance, buy your mealworms from the professionals, consoling yourself with the thought that successful mealworm breeding is even more difficult than it sounds. Click on the link to the right to buy mealworms from our online shop.
It is very important that any mealworms fed to birds are fresh. Any dead or discoloured ones must not be used as they can cause problems such as salmonella poisoning.
Waxworms are excellent, but expensive. Proprietary foods for insect-eating birds, such as ant pupae and insectivorous and softbill food are available from bird food suppliers and pet shops. Insect food appropriately offered can attract treecreepers and wrens.
Cooking fat
Fat from cooking is bad for birds. The problem with cooked fat from roasting tins and dishes is that the meat juices have blended with the fat and when allowed to set, this consistency makes it prone to smearing, not good for birds' feathers. It is a breeding ground for bacteria, so potentially bad for birds' health. Salt levels depend on what meat is used and if any salt is added during cooking.
Lard and beef suet on their own are fine as they re-solidify after warming and as they are pure fat, it is not as suitable for bacteria to breed on.
Polyunsaturated margarines or vegetable oils
These are unsuitable for birds. Unlike humans, birds need high levels of saturated fat, such as raw suet and lard. They need the high energy content to keep warm in the worst of the winter weather, since their body reserves are quickly used up, particularly on cold winter nights. The soft fats can easily be smeared onto the feathers, destroying the waterproofing and insulating qualities.
Dog and cat food
Meaty tinned dog and cat food form an acceptable substitute to earthworms during the warm, dry part of the summer when worms are beyond the birds' reach. Blackbirds readily take dog food, and even feed it to their chicks.
Dry biscuits are not recommended as birds may choke on the hard lumps. It is sometimes added to cheaper seed mixtures for bulk. Soaked dog biscuit is excellent, except in hot weather as it quickly dries out. Petfood can attract larger birds such as magpies and gulls, and also neighbourhood cats. If this is likely to be a problem, it is best avoided.
Milk and coconut
Never give milk to any bird. A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk and it can result in serious stomach upsets, or even death. Birds can, however, digest fermented dairy products such as cheese. Mild grated cheese can be a good way of attracting robins, wrens and dunnocks.
Give fresh coconut only, in the shell. Rinse out any residues of the sweet coconut water from the middle of the coconut before hanging it out to prevent the build-up of black mildew.
Desiccated coconut should never be used as it may swell once inside a bird and cause death.
Rice and cereals
Cooked rice, brown or white (without salt added) is beneficial and readily accepted by all species during severe winter weather. Uncooked rice may be eaten by birds such as pigeons, doves and pheasants but is less likely to attract other species.
Porridge oats must never be cooked, since this makes them glutinous and could harden around a bird's beak. Uncooked porridge oats are readily taken by a number of bird species.
Any breakfast cereal is acceptable birdfood, although you need to be careful only to put out small quantities at a time. It is best offered dry, with a supply of drinking water nearby, since it quickly turns into pulp once wetted.
Mouldy and stale food
Many moulds are harmless, but some that can cause respiratory infections in birds, and so it is best to be cautious and avoid mouldy food entirely.
If food turns mouldy or stale on your birdtable, you are probably placing out too large a quantity for the birds to eat in one day. Always remove any stale or mouldy food promptly. Stale food provides a breeding ground for salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning. At least one type of salmonella causes death among such species as greenfinches and house sparrows. Large quantities of food scattered on the ground may attract rats and mice. Rats can carry diseases that affect humans.
Last modified: 15 December 2009
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| Ariel Badger |
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Ariel Badger
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Flip
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Posted: 17:03 - 13 Jan 2010  Post subject: |
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Funnily enough, we found 2 bags of wild bird seed, whilst we were sorting out our pet food cupboard, so put some out for them this afternoon.  |
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| Handsome |
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Handsome
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ms51ves3
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| Dragonfly |
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Dragonfly
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| Posted: 17:38 - 13 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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I bought 3 bird feeders (already had special seeds and wormy yucky tings in them )and bags to refill and a coconut filled with what smelled like peanut butter. I hope I get some birds 
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flat spot
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| The Shaggy D.A. |
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The Shaggy D.A.
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| Posted: 17:45 - 13 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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I've been putting food out back for the birdies for the last week. Since it's been snowing, the cat only gets to the end of the patio to take a dump now, so they've been quite safe as he's more interested in returning to his sheepskin where the radiator pipes run under. My next door neighbour spends about £20 a week on bird food all year round. He's been doing it for as long as I've lived here (23 years) and it was only last year I found out he'd been buying it at pet shop prices, when there's a local farm shop a mile away that sells the same seed mix for a third of the price.
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panrider_uk
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| Charlie |
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Charlie
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| Posted: 19:33 - 13 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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I know you're a vegetarian Ariel but crows are truly nasty creatures. Plus with it being nearly dead shouldn't you just put it out of its misery and kill it?
Although I guess I have just answered my own question by saying your a vegetarian... oh well.
I have a bird feeder at home, its in the hedge, also recently put some fat balls in., they love it! But thats at home, I am planning to make a window bird feeder after my exams so I can see them feeding outside my window at university. 
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Handsome
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| Ariel Badger |
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Ariel Badger
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| Charlie |
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Charlie
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| Posted: 21:53 - 13 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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If you make assumptions you will generally make an ass of yourself. Point taken. Thinking about it, I remember you saying you'd try human if it had been a limb blown off by a land mind or something. And thinking about it I know quite a lot of veggie's (if not all) that will handle meat to cook for someone else. I should have thought it through before posting 
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| Pete. |
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Pete.
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Posted: 21:58 - 13 Jan 2010  Post subject: |
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I threw a bag of chips at three Essex girls standing at a bus stop - does that count?
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trevoriv
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| lostboy |
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lostboy
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| Posted: 07:09 - 14 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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You're supposed to feed birds in winter?   wondered why the missus was looking so thin  .
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Last edited by lostboy on 07:27 - 14 Jan 2010; edited 1 time in total |
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| Billing |
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Billing
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| Posted: 07:22 - 14 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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Alot of the people around my area are feeding the birds, our house included. I know this because the bird food where I work has completely disappeared in the last 2 weeks. (Bearing in mind it usually takes 3 weeks to use up what stock the shelves can take)
Our stockroom can hold about 150 bags of wild bird stuff (mix, peanuts, sunflower, niger etc) and we had a pallet of the stuff aswell. All of it was gone on tuesday, which if my maths is right is about 2 and a half grands worth in 10 days (about 250 bags, from £8 to £20 a bag)
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| 27cows |
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27cows
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| Posted: 07:41 - 14 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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We feed the birds here all year round. We've got numerous regulars. I cleared a large area in the snow during the recent weather and put extra seed down - our garden was the most popular in the neighbourhood with the birds 
Tesco are currently selling big 4kg bags of wild bird food for £3.82. |
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| Howling TerrorOutOfOffice |
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Howling TerrorOutOfOffice
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| Posted: 13:48 - 14 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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| Redoko |
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Redoko
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| Dragonfly |
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Dragonfly
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| Posted: 14:44 - 14 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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The birds havnt come near my feeders yet  They like the coconut on the oil tank though as its moved. Do they just notice them there and come over or can I attract them with anything but feeders filled with dear things they are suppose to like.
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Handsome
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| Finglonga |
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Finglonga
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| Posted: 16:23 - 14 Jan 2010 Post subject: |
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| Banned Again |
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Banned Again
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Posted: 16:59 - 14 Jan 2010  Post subject: |
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Great pics longa ... my table is doing a grand job, but it needs another paint already ... !!
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Bikeless
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 16 years, 273 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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