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Is this a stupid idea?

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  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    If you are prepared to pay a bit more this one really is no-waste in my experience.  The only stuff left on the ground are the papery inner seed coverings from sunflower hearts.  Select "Premium Wild Bird Food - Husk-Free, Wheat-free, with suet" from the drop-down to see what is in it:
    I tried lots of brands but finally settled on this and it has been consistent quality for the 10 years or so I've been using it.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Perhaps some fatty balls (lol) as these are used in winter but are also good for them in spring when feeding young too. So they won’t leave lots of litter around on the floor perhaps, as there might be less waste? Just a suggestion 😋
  • Not sure about cooking seeds btw, birds wouldn’t eat them like that naturally and perhaps not worth risking it 🌿
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    @B3. I’ve got the feed in a mesh tray, we bring at night,

    @Fairygirl the feed I use is called robin and wild bird mix, there’s a bit of everything in it,  no waste, no grow,   Not bad at 1.00 per kg. As Hosta says, they vary, sometimes there’s more suet, sometimes more worms.

    Birds here don’t touch fat balls wherever I buy them from but they love the suet blocks, I find the best from Wilco but they’re OOS on some at the moment.
    I did get some from another company though, bit dearer but post free and the birds love them.

    I also buy peanuts which I chop and sunflower hearts so no mess from those either. All bought from the same company as my previous link.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • berginjim5berginjim5 Posts: 46
    B3 said:
    I bought some no grow bird feed. It had a lot of fillers like porridge and other stuff. This got chucked on the ground while the birds rooted about for whatever they wanted. So I ve given up on that.
    What if I heated up proper seeds in the oven, just enough to stop them germinating? Would the seeds lose their nutritional value to the birds?
    I'm thinking that if it was such a good idea, the seed sellers would be doing it already. 
    Any comments?
    B3 said:
    I bought some no grow bird feed. It had a lot of fillers like porridge and other stuff. This got chucked on the ground while the birds rooted about for whatever they wanted. So I ve given up on that.
    What if I heated up proper seeds in the oven, just enough to stop them germinating? Would the seeds lose their nutritional value to the birds?
    I'm thinking that if it was such a good idea, the seed sellers would be doing it already. 
    Any comments?
    B3 said:
    I had a blanket of discards, which I'm sure was attracting rodents . Although I never saw one, a lot of it would disappear overnight.
    I'm trying to think of a solution that would suit both myself and the birds without attracting mice,rats and tree rats.


    I think the birds tend to get enough food this time of the year ' so I don't think they will starve 
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