How much feed do you get through?

E39MSport

I've been maintaining nut feeders during the milder weather and have today started to use sunflower seeds.

The nuts obviously require a bit of effort to break up through the narrow wire mesh of the feeder.

The sunflower seeds on the other hand are easy to get at. I just checked the feeder and it's half depleted after about 4 hours. I reckon it holds about 1.5 kilos of seeds and I buy 25kg bags.

There's a little rascle of a coal tit making sorties to the feeder every few seconds and burying the seeds in the garden. He'll be grand this winter!

Anyway, just wondering how much feed others get through?... I wonder how much they'd get through if I they had infinite supply.

Cheers,
Ken

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I gave up using seed holders as the birds went through it in double jig time. They also spilt an awful lot on the ground (which can lead to rodent problems!).
I now restrict feeding to peanut holders and loose seeds on the birdtables and on the ground but I put a limited supply of seed out (just enough to do the day). Homemade fat feeders with seed and lard also save a few cents.
The number, variety, and condition of the birds has not changed and I'm saving a fortune on seed.
While Nyger, Sunflower hearts etc are supposed to be great for attracting particular species I find I can attract them just as well with a good seed mix.

E39MSport

Thanks for the advice Srameen.

I must say that the cost can be significant but I don't mind given the benefits to the birds.

I have a load of partially consumed seed dropped too and I have a resident rat that comes out of the ditch in the evenings. He's been around for years. Seems to be only one. He's unsurprisingly gigantic. There are stoats knocking about too so I'm not over concerned about population. Have an eye out though.

I also get about 4 pheasant hens, one of which is the mother, along with 2 males, one younger. The big male has been coming for years. It's his patch I reckon.

I find with seed mix that the birds throw a lot of it on the ground looking for sunflower seeds. That didn't work for me. There's a lot of competition with sparrows for the nut feeders which is why I like to put put the sunflower seeds for the finches and tits.

I have had anything more 'exotic' than siskins and goldfinches though.

Kess73

I get through a bit of feed. I get a 25kg bag of mixed seed every two weeks. Which goes into two seed feeders.

I get 2.5kg of peanuts per week, and 2.5kg of niger per week.


My groundfeeding table goes through about 5kg of groundfeed mix a week, and I get mealworm and waxworm each week for the great, blue and coaltits who take from my hand and for the two robins that also take from my hand.


The birds I get would include Greenfinch, goldfinch, chaffinch, Great tit, blue tit, coal tit, goldcrest, wren, robin, dunnock, blackcap, blackbird, starling, sparrowhawk, magpie, collared dove, feral pigeon, sparrow, redpoll, and a few other thypes that don't visit quite as often

artieanna

I only start feeding this time of the year, I buy different seed mixes in small amounts and keep a bucket topped up so that I dont run out or have to buy a large amount. I wouldn't like to store too much seed as it could attract pests. I have one seed feeder out at the moment and the birds don't seem to have discovered it yet....

Half-cocked

I cleaned out 2 Lidl branches when they were doing the bird food specials a few weeks back and still won't have enough for the winter - I didn't get there until the stocks were getting low.

With the cold weather that arrived the last few days the bird numbers coming to the feeders has rocketed. I have a resident flock of sparrows that are insatiable. Starlings too. No finches yet but plenty of tits.

Does anyone know the cheapest place to buy large quantities of mixed seed, peanuts and black sunflower seeds? The pet shop in Sallynoggin is the best I've found so far - €30 for a 25Kg sack.

E39MSport

I get a 25Kg bag of sunflower seeds from Breffni in Dundrum, Dublin for Eur 26.

E39MSport

Kess73 wrote: »

My groundfeeding table goes through about 5kg of groundfeed mix a week, and I get mealworm and waxworm each week for the great, blue and coaltits who take from my hand and for the two robins that also take from my hand.

What does a groundfeeding table look like? Standard bird table? I've got a tray type thing nailed to the top of a fence post.

Where do you store the worms?

cheers.

Kess73

E39MSport wrote: »

What does a groundfeeding table look like? Standard bird table? I've got a tray type thing nailed to the top of a fence post.

Where do you store the worms?

cheers.

I store the mealworm in plastic containers that I got a few years back from Haiths.com. I feed them with a mealworm feed called pro-grub, and sieve them every few days.

The waxworm I keep in the containers they come in.


This is what a ground feed table looks like, except I have a cage aroumnd mine to stop starling sized birds or bigger from getting to it.

Kess73

Half-cocked wrote: »

I cleaned out 2 Lidl branches when they were doing the bird food specials a few weeks back and still won't have enough for the winter - I didn't get there until the stocks were getting low.

With the cold weather that arrived the last few days the bird numbers coming to the feeders has rocketed. I have a resident flock of sparrows that are insatiable. Starlings too. No finches yet but plenty of tits.

Does anyone know the cheapest place to buy large quantities of mixed seed, peanuts and black sunflower seeds? The pet shop in Sallynoggin is the best I've found so far - €30 for a 25Kg sack.

That seems expensive. Paws & Claws in Limerick sell 25kg bags for €17 euro, and every Tuesday they do a free delivery service for any purchases.

I know that is not much good to you, but maybe other places in the Dublin area have better prices.

There was a place out near Newlands Cross that had good prices, think it may be a garden centre. I am sure if it is still there, someone with better local knowledge than I will point you in the right direction.

E39MSport

Kess73 wrote: »

I store the mealworm in plastic containers that I got a few years back from Haiths.com. I feed them with a mealworm feed called pro-grub, and sieve them every few days.

I'm impressed. Thanks for the info. I'll give that a try. Would love to entice the birds to my hand. I'm almost there with some of the blue and coal tits but I find they need to be very hungry (if I've been away) to overcome their fear.
I reckon something yummier like mealworm would bring them down.

Cheers.

Kess73

E39MSport wrote: »

I'm impressed. Thanks for the info. I'll give that a try. Would love to entice the birds to my hand. I'm almost there with some of the blue and coal tits but I find they need to be very hungry (if I've been away) to overcome their fear.
I reckon something yummier like mealworm would bring them down.

Cheers.

Great tits, blue tits, and coal tits will readily come to your hand. I find that waxworm work better with blue tits though.

Robins, blackbirds, and house sparrows will come to your hand as well.

Stalings and jackdaws will too with a little encouraging.


If you look at posts 58 and 59 on the photo thread that is at the top of this forum, you will see Cheeky the great tit and Shadow the blue tit.

Both are still daily visitors to my garden, and both (along with their mate) reared their batches in nest boxes in my garden this year, along with Chuck the robin.

artieanna

The quality of seed you get can vary, some of the cheaper mixes the birds will pick out the seeds (wheat) they don't like and chuck them on the ground, which causes its own problems with pests and BIG Birds...

Dont use a ground feeder if you have cats or if there are cats around...

My lady had a great time today hiding behind a hedge watching the birds
feeding, I'd say she had the claws sharpened specially :rolleyes: Thankfully the feeder is high up in open space so the birdies have a good round view..

Funny, I only seem to attract tits, robins and finches...