Peanut or seed

Asus1

Hi just wondering whats best for birds over winter.I usually just get a 25kg bag of peanuts for around €50 and that seems to do me the winter.I see I could get 40kg of mixed bird seed for around €35 and apart from it being a bit messier is it just as good as peanuts.
Also would it be worthwhile if people said where they were getting there feed and at what price.
Im getting mine at a local farm supplies in edenderry.If its its allowed id put up name,but will leave it out for the moment.

Dial Hard

I feed a mix of fat balls, peanuts and mixed seed. All Erdtmann's from Lidl. The fat balls are by far the most popular, followed by the seed, although there's one particular type that's always left til last, I must see if I can identify what it is. Peanuts always last to be eaten.

OpenYourEyes

Don't get mixed seed instead of your usual peanuts. Mixed seed tends to have a lot of 'filler' ingredients that most birds won't bother with, and you'll get much more of a mess as a result.

Peanuts are a good 'standard' food, if you're only going to supply one thing, and it lasts longer and there's no waste with it. If you're looking to diversify a bit I'd recommend sunflower seeds (or even better, sunflower hearts) - almost every garden species loves them, the mess is minimal (for the hearts) and they're of good calorific value to the birds over the winter.

See here for more details: https://birdwatchireland.ie/irelands-birds-birdwatch-ireland/garden-birds/feeding-your-garden-birds/#:~:text=High%20calorie%20foods%20like%20fatballs,t%20like%20hanging%20from%20feeders.

And generally when you're buying birdfood, it's better value and often better quality to get it from someone like an agri supplier or a store that caters to pigeon racers etc. Be wary of supermarket mixed seeds and sometimes the fatballs too can be of poor quality (it varies a lot).

Asus1

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Don't get mixed seed instead of your usual peanuts. Mixed seed tends to have a lot of 'filler' ingredients that most birds won't bother with, and you'll get much more of a mess as a result.

Peanuts are a good 'standard' food, if you're only going to supply one thing, and it lasts longer and there's no waste with it. If you're looking to diversify a bit I'd recommend sunflower seeds (or even better, sunflower hearts) - almost every garden species loves them, the mess is minimal (for the hearts) and they're of good calorific value to the birds over the winter.

See here for more details: https://birdwatchireland.ie/irelands-birds-birdwatch-ireland/garden-birds/feeding-your-garden-birds/#:~:text=High%20calorie%20foods%20like%20fatballs,t%20like%20hanging%20from%20feeders.

And generally when you're buying birdfood, it's better value and often better quality to get it from someone like an agri supplier or a store that caters to pigeon racers etc. Be wary of supermarket mixed seeds and sometimes the fatballs too can be of poor quality (it varies a lot).

Yeah local farm supplies is the best price.Im just wondering are you feeding any other grains or any animal feeds.Ive been using up a bag of whole wheat in the feeders and they seem to be eating that,I assume its fine for them.What about barley,oats,maize are these ok to feed again i assume they are as they fly in and out of the chicken shed most days eating it.

OpenYourEyes

They're all fine, but some of the smaller birds will find them tough to digest so they certainly won't prefer them if they have other options. Those sorts of grains are fine for pigeons, doves, house sparrow, greenfinch and maybe chaffinch!

The Continental Op

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

They're all fine, but some of the smaller birds will find them tough to digest so they certainly won't prefer them if they have other options. Those sorts of grains are fine for pigeons, doves, house sparrow, greenfinch and maybe chaffinch!

No self respecting house sparrow will bother with any seed if there are fat balls nearby

Asus1

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

They're all fine, but some of the smaller birds will find them tough to digest so they certainly won't prefer them if they have other options. Those sorts of grains are fine for pigeons, doves, house sparrow, greenfinch and maybe chaffinch!

Thats exactly what are eating them finches and house sparrow and robins also the hoards of jackdaws and rooks.These last few years must have been excellent breeding conditions for corvids as Ive never seen as many before also woodies look like they done well too.Thanks.

11James11

I used to feed a mix of different bird feed but found sunflower hearts the best value as most birds will eat them from feeders and any that fall to the ground are eaten by doves ,chaffinches ,robins and dunnocks .I was thinking of placing an order online from my usual store but seen the prices are gone up 10 pounds on a 28kg bag of seeds :eek: Anybody recommended a good site ? or is t because of covid that prices are gone up.

Knine

I have nyjer seed, peanuts, fat balls & sunflower hearts. The most popular by far even with the Goldfinch is the sunflower hearts. I may order some more.

The Continental Op

Knine wrote: »

I have nyjer seed, peanuts, fat balls & sunflower hearts. The most popular by far even with the Goldfinch is the sunflower hearts. I may order some more.

Check the price in Dealz I found they weren't as bad as I expected.

Knine

I am using a seed feeder for the Sunflower hearts, Would a peanut feeder work as well as I have an empty one

The Continental Op

Knine wrote: »

I am using a seed feeder for the Sunflower hearts, Would a peanut feeder work as well as I have an empty one

Wouldn't work in our peanut feeder, while I love them to bits (they were absent from the garden for years) our sparrows would have them out through the wide holes in no time thats if the even stayed it at all.

lordgoat

Any links for where people buy their bird seed.

Have a good crew currently in the garden, robins, blackbirds, starlings, all the tits, a few finches and the usual corvids.

If at all possible I'd like to get a couple of large bags of something to get me through a good chunk of the winter, and it'd be great if it was local/ from a shop in Ireland.

Thanks all round

kildare lad

lordgoat wrote: »

Any links for where people buy their bird seed.

Have a good crew currently in the garden, robins, blackbirds, starlings, all the tits, a few finches and the usual corvids.

If at all possible I'd like to get a couple of large bags of something to get me through a good chunk of the winter, and it'd be great if it was local/ from a shop in Ireland.

Thanks all round

Do you live near Dublin ? If you do there's a place called the corn store near ballyfermot and they sell loads of types of seed, 20 kg bags of mix seed is only around 15 euro and 2.5 kg bags of nyger , sunflower seeds are only a fiver . Just Google corn store ballyfermot and it'll show you the address in the JFK business park

OpenYourEyes

Agree the Corn Store is good value!

Also I think I'm ok to mention the BirdWatch Ireland shop despite the fact that I work for them (New Home, let me know if not!). You can buy online, great selection of food and feeders etc, and you're supporting Ireland's biggest wildlife charity at the same time: https://birdwatchireland.ie/shop/

Del.Monte

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Agree the Corn Store is good value!

Also I think I'm ok to mention the BirdWatch Ireland shop despite the fact that I work for them (New Home, let me know if not!). You can buy online, great selection of food and feeders etc, and you're supporting Ireland's biggest wildlife charity at the same time: https://birdwatchireland.ie/shop/

It would be of additional benefit if people took your advice instead of boosting the profits of foreign discounters with - in some cases - inferior products. Thinking nest boxes in particular.

corks finest

Asus1 wrote: »

Hi just wondering whats best for birds over winter.I usually just get a 25kg bag of peanuts for around €50 and that seems to do me the winter.I see I could get 40kg of mixed bird seed for around €35 and apart from it being a bit messier is it just as good as peanuts.
Also would it be worthwhile if people said where they were getting there feed and at what price.
Im getting mine at a local farm supplies in edenderry.If its its allowed id put up name,but will leave it out for the moment.

Rats and mice also love those