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Gardening

Recommend a bird seed mix please

(17 Posts)
Shinamae Thu 10-Jun-21 10:33:16

Looking to buy some birdseed, I’ve been on Amazon I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews so I think I would rather have personal recommendations from gransnet terms please..

Shinamae Thu 10-Jun-21 10:34:00

Not sure where the word terms came from ?

MaizieD Thu 10-Jun-21 10:40:43

We get our birdseed from the local Wildlife Trust. The birds seem to like it. They're devouring fat balls like crazy at the moment, too.

I did buy some badged as 'National Trust' bird seed mix once (two bags of it because a local shop was selling it cheaply- silly me...) It seemed to be 90% wheat seed which the birds wouldn't eat at all, they just tossed it out of the feeder onto the ground, where it germinated very freely!

I've never tried anything else, so no further thoughts...

fairfraise Thu 10-Jun-21 10:43:11

We have ours from Wilko. The only thing is we now have some wheat growing well in a patch just below bird table. There may be enough for a spoonful or two of flour.

The birds seem to like it.

shysal Thu 10-Jun-21 10:47:39

I can recommend Wilko too. The birds also love their fat balls, and they used to only like Chunky Dumplings from Notcutts, which are expensive.

Unfortunately I had to stop feeding the birds after seeing rats on and round the feeders. sad

kittylester Thu 10-Jun-21 10:53:09

www.birdfood.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8IaGBhCHARIsAGIRRYrmWRL8k8SYegdKy8laqx8sxPVRov3QQtW2AEBrFDbSRpWLX1Mk1uEaAiELEALw_wcB

I buy ours from this site. They offer lots of different types and lots of different feeders. We find it works well to offer different types and use meal worms, fat balls, peanuts, Niger seeds, sunflower hearts as well as table seed. And scraps of cheese.

ExD Thu 10-Jun-21 10:56:10

Morrisons do a 'no grow' bag of mixed seed which they seem to like.

WishIwasyounger Thu 10-Jun-21 14:30:35

I find the best seed are Sunflower Hearts which I buy from the local garden centre. Yes, any seed can attract rats as the birds drop the bits on the ground. I've tried telling the birds not to do this, but the little blighters just ignore me.

greenlady102 Thu 10-Jun-21 14:36:07

I buy this stuff and the whole avian world loves it. They will pick up the smallest dropped bit sand provided I put it out little and often and make sure that gthe feeders are empty overnight, I don't get rodent visitors www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ATO9RW4/ref=sns_myd_detail_page?tag=gransnetforum-21

Chestnut Thu 10-Jun-21 14:49:09

I used to buy from CJ Wildlife but was spending an absolute fortune! The more I'd buy the more they would eat.
CJ Wildlife

kittylester Thu 10-Jun-21 17:09:37

Surely that's the point! grin

Sarnia Thu 10-Jun-21 17:14:15

I have tried lots of wild bird food mixtures. The birds in my garden seem to love Field Fayre All Seasons Mix from Tesco costing £3.50 for 2.5kgs. They also do a High Energy Mix for the winter months, which I haven't tried yet. Wilko are the cheapest I have found for mealworms.

toscalily Thu 10-Jun-21 17:29:10

Have tried various sorts, including the more expensive ones from Amazon & Dobbies. I now buy from Wilko, the birds seem to really like their fat balls and the £1.50 bag of mixed seed. When I went recently they had run out and I bought two bags of the more expensive sort but that was not eaten very quickly at all so the birds round here obviously prefer the cheaper version.

JaneJudge Thu 10-Jun-21 17:31:19

my milkman delivers ours but we have issues with rats in winter too

vampirequeen Thu 10-Jun-21 19:02:44

We use Gardmans No Grow. I buy it from Amazon. The birds like it and nothing grows from any dropped seeds.

NfkDumpling Thu 10-Jun-21 19:10:26

We get ours from Vinehouse Farms. Reasonable prices, next day delivery and the birds prefer it to most others. Our birds -mostly sparrows- like sunflower hearts best... all shelled for them and we avoid mixes with a lot of small seeds as it clogs the feeders. Thats ok for bird tables, but not good for us as wood pigeons move in, take possession of the table and hog the lot.

They do their own dried hedgehog food too, which our hogs prefer to the expensive stuff.

Shinamae Thu 10-Jun-21 21:32:49

Thanks all..??