Bird Feed

[ProfessorM]

I like to feed the birds and have a few feeders. I went to the local place the other day and had sticker shock at the price of black oil sunflower seeds. 25 bucks for 50 lbs. and the guy says I am lucky as they just went down 7 bucks a bag the other day. Wow. Every hobby is getting expensive.

[striperman36]

I have to check Wild Birds Unlimited.

[spence]

Haven't bought safflower in a while, hate to see what it's at...

If I use sunflower the varmints will clean it out in a day.

-spence

[Raven]

bj's is 17.99 i believe for the 50 lb. of black hull seed

best spot is always at a feed store

[gone fishin]

Originally Posted by Raven

bj's is 17.99 i believe for the 50 lb. of black hull seed

best spot is always at a feed store

They changed the bag weight to 40 pounds.....sneaky bastages

[Chris in Mass]

Check Christmas Tree Shoppes.

[ProfessorM]

Spence you need to get tree rat proof feeders, worth the extra cash.The kind where they close up when too much weight is on them. They give up after a while, smart little buggers. Got to be metal too or they will eat thru it. . Craig that was at a feed store.

[Raven]

the agway in i dunno, palmer i guess, has bulk seed in serve yourself barrels ...where ya make your own mix

just saying try a agway

[ProfessorM]

Originally Posted by Raven

the agway in i dunno, palmer i guess, has bulk seed in serve yourself barrels ...where ya make your own mix

just saying try a agway

will do, next batch. The flying squirrels are the ones that clean me out. They don't weigh much more than a bird so they don't trigger the cover. They are pretty cool to observe though so I really don't mind too much.

[Raven]

i have a chipmonk livin in my kitchen

[striperman36]

[quote=ProfessorM;639527]will do, next batch. The flying squirrels are the ones that clean me out. They don't weigh much more than a bird so they don't trigger the cover. They are pretty cool to observe though so I really don't mind too much.[/quote

I have the Audubon squirrel guard on my post, the have never gone up past it

I use the weight sensitve feeders to keep the stupid morning doves away.

The cardinals love the weighted feeder also, it's the only one they use because the dowel is big enough for them to get their feet around and be steady.

[Raven]

cardinals prefer the safflower as do the nuthatches

i used to watch in amazement as this nut hatch would land on my roof and tuck a single saflower seed up in the crevice of each shingle one by one all day long...

by the way Paul, im kinda concerned about Clammer's new Sleigh......the thing hauls ass.... no reindeer needed. -> saw him taking it on a test drive.

[ProfessorM]

ALVIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy him a hula hoop

[Raven]

it's a dog toy..... gittem Star Gittem

great game....

[UserRemoved1]

DO NOT store those bags inside your house...put them in a metal bin in a shed or something. We had the worst infestation of moths once from a bag of sunflower seeds it took an exterminator to get rid of them. They will hatch out of the sunflower husks and use the sunflower to feed on then when they escape out of the bag they will lay eggs EVERYWHERE inside clothes, in sleeves, you name it. MAN what a mess they made!!!

[Raven]

that happened to us once,,, back in the 80's except it was an old bag of rice....in an unused pantry.... to look at it you'd never know...little moths everywhere too.

[spence]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

DO NOT store those bags inside your house...put them in a metal bin in a shed or something. We had the worst infestation of moths once from a bag of sunflower seeds it took an exterminator to get rid of them. They will hatch out of the sunflower husks and use the sunflower to feed on then when they escape out of the bag they will lay eggs EVERYWHERE inside clothes, in sleeves, you name it. MAN what a mess they made!!!

Not to mention mice and rats, it is that time of year again.

-spence

[UserRemoved1]

yea spence them too but we put ours in a metal trash can... opened it up in the basement and you woulda thought it was snowing moths...just the warmth in a closed space they will hatch...once one gets away your doomed. We haven't fed the birds since. We used to have a lot of fun doing it too.

I gotta get my kids to stop leaving the damn garage door open for the mice now grrrr

[MAC]

My wife picks up bird seed at Walmart. 2 weeks ago it was $14 or so. Now it is over $18 for the same 50# bag.

My grandfather goes through approx 150#s a month. I actually hate it. My truck looks like a dalmation. Them little buggers crap on everything. We put up with it though as he can't do much else. Well that is except feed the dog....... we won't even get into that.

[Raven]

i used to buy seed from them because we had indoor birds. (they are Gone) Then suddenly they decided to move the bird seed right nest to the insecticides....in particular ....malathion
which is nasty to have to breath while shopping.
and
although Katee brand is quite good..., i no longer buy from them. Can't afford it this year.... first time i can remember in 30 years or so....
~
Mac your GrandFather
would enjoy using less seed and setting up some suet feeders which you buy at the Christmas tree shops for 66 cents each...the squares... sold for $1.29- 1.99 elsewhere... and or you can grab the beef suet at the super market..

I have found it attracts more colorful birds that have no interest in seeds... even bluebirds that eat the tiny droppings underneath the pecker stations.

[MAC]

I'm not sure he feeds the birds out of enjoyment. I think he feels it is something he has to do. I'm kind of surprised any of them can even fly as he feeds them between 5 and 8 times a day.

He has been using suet feeders for years. Main problem is the tree rats like it too. Last year one of them chewed the branch off that held the cage and carried it away. I hate them little buggers too.

[stcroixman]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

yea spence them too but we put ours in a metal trash can... opened it up in the basement and you woulda thought it was snowing moths...just the warmth in a closed space they will hatch...once one gets away your doomed. We haven't fed the birds since. We used to have a lot of fun doing it too.

I gotta get my kids to stop leaving the damn garage door open for the mice now grrrr

LOL! My wife is the garage door police. Drives me crazy when I do yardwork.

[Gary]

too bad he did'nt go on about the mawths

[Clammer]

I have been having a great time with the woodpeckers l

I have quite a few feeders & the weekly expense is my family food bill

I have had problems in the past with squarrals . bid I,ve got that down .by having a couple of lever shut feeders & one with that looks like a wire ball & the feeders is in the middle .
my other success has been to set a couple up where the squarrals can,t fty to them & my ace in the whole was to put axsel grease on the pole the holds them ;; that was two years ago & after each resident squarrals tried a couple of times & got greased up they now don,t even try ;;

as far as the seed
suet is mostly $1.00 with 50lbs of sunflower seed at Ocean state job lot being arounf 22/23 ll
OSJL sells 20lbs bags of that small seed / mixed for over $20 .

But the Christman Tree shop>>>while it last ;;
suet .89 18lb of the small grainy mix >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4.99 .. stock up ><>,

Best selection of suet I,ve found is Bass Pro shops ;;

My BITA is the sparrows , those suckers set a target on a feeder & hit it from sunrise to sunset .. enoughs / enoughs ..............
the cardnals, wrens, chickadees, finches, snow birds, can,t get near them ;;
the doves just walk around the ground getting the drops ;;

Enought of this >>>>>>>>> lets design traps & ways to destroy the f #$%^&*()_)( bLOOOOOOOOFISH population

[Raven]

that's because millet is the main ingredient in those
cheap mixes....

Cardinals mainly want SAFFLOWER "the white ones"
which is absent from those mixes

so i don't /won't buy them ....plus the seed doesn't need shelling like sun-flower seed does...
so the sparrows just gobble it up

what was the price of suet at bass pro shops $1.99
each ? or similar ?

Christmas tree had them 3 squares for 2 bucks last time i looked

[Clammer]

C/T was .89 ea last week & BPS is .99 ea.

[Raven]

A red mesh onion bag full of raw beef suet found in the meat section at some markets kicks Butt! and it's cheaper usually.... and not so greasy to handle

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Clammer

My BITA is the sparrows , those suckers set a target on a feeder & hit it from sunrise to sunset .. enoughs / enoughs ..............

Ya, and the sparrows hit the sunflower seed feeders now where before they would just eat the cheaper mixes.

Then after pigging out they all gather in the bushes and fight like crazy from noon till one.

[FishermanTim]

Here's some added food for thought....
If you buy the "songbird / wild bird mixes, you are getting a variety of seeds. Som of these are weed seeds, and since birds know what they want, they will target the best seeds first. What they will do is pick away the "junk" seeds to get at the desired ones. That is why feeders filled with "mixes" need filling more often. The sparrows are renowned for spilling the junk seeds to get at the sunflower seed.

Cracked corn will be eaten by most birds, but if left on the ground, the decaying corn will act as a pre-emergent weed killer, preventing most seeds (like grass) from germinating.
Sunflower seeds - the shells can pile up around a feeder and act like a mulch, preventing desired plants from growing properly.

I feed the birds with 3 primary food types.
Sunflower seeds - My feeders are squirrel proof, so they only get the spillage.
Thistle (niger) seeds - Small songbirds LOVE these, but the larger birds and squirrels don't.
Suet feeders - Mainlly for the woodpeckers, although the squirrels will hit them for the sunflower seed in the suet.

Pigeons are pretty much a rarety in our yard, and the few that stop by never stay long.

[ProfessorM]

I stay away from the mixes they attract too many squirrels IMO. I just use sunflower seed.
Anywho if you have been feeding the birds make sure you keep them full this week as it is going to get real cold and wouldn't be fair to them to not have any food available as they probably depend on you now and would have a harder time finding new feeding areas during this snow covered cold spell.