Feed the birds on the cheep

[Tafia]

Anyone know if I can safely feed chick crumbs ( poultry food ) to wild birds?

I see that some of it is medicated for domestic poultry and not to be used for wild birds but I guess the non-medicated stuff should be safe.

Why do I ask? 'cos I am spending a fortune on wild bird food, sunflower seeds for greenfinch, oats for the blackbirds, dog food for the blackbirds and robins, niger seed for the goldfinch etc. and poultry food is half the price and probably of better quality.

What do others feed?

Dashed cold here in N Wales BTW.

Cheers

T.

Edited by Tafia on Wednesday 31st December 15:05

[groucho]

Don't know, but I's ask on here

Edited by groucho on Wednesday 31st December 15:03

[Tafia]

groucho said:

Don't know, but I's ask on here

Edited by groucho on Wednesday 31st December 15:03

Cheers mon.

[Stamp]

I would have thought a kebab would be the staple diet of a welsh bird, with some cheap cider for a bit of internal warmth?






Only lidding.....

Go and have a chat to your local farmer. Get some wheat. ( Brush up floor waist is fine ) Mix that with some of the other stuff you have and mix with the left over fat from the bacon and so forth and let set in a suitable cake tray.

[Romanymagic]

Tafia said:

Anyone know if I can safely feed chick crumbs ( poultry food ) to wild birds?

I see that some of it is medicated for domestic poultry and not to be used for wild birds but I guess the non-medicated stuff should be safe.

Why do I ask? 'cos I am spending a fortune on wild bird food, sunflower seeds for greenfinch, oats for the blackbirds, dog food for the blackbirds and robins, niger seed for the goldfinch etc. and poultry food is half the price and probably of better quality.

What do others feed?

Dashed cold here in N Wales BTW.

Cheers

T.

Edited by Tafia on Wednesday 31st December 15:05

Blimey, I just feed our local birds (mainly blackbirds, pigeons and the occasional magpie) stale bread. Clearly I am going to have to up my game!

[Scraggles]

bought a bag of nuts and seeds for the local birds as the cats seem to think the bread is put out for them

[SmokinV8]

unmedicated chick crumbs will be fine but,as soon as they get moist they will turn to mush,best thing to feed is a mixture of hulled sunflower hearts and peanut kibbles,this mixture will appeal to all the birds,every day i put this out and we get-woodpeckers,bluetits,coaltits,greattits,yellowhammers,starlings,chafinches,redpolls,siskins.

[King Herald]

You can feed the birds for two pence a bag, two pence, two pence, two pence a bag.....

[Tafia]

King Herald said:

You can feed the birds for two pence a bag, two pence, two pence, two pence a bag.....

Sold. Gimme 20 bags

[Tafia]

SmokinV8 said:

unmedicated chick crumbs will be fine but,as soon as they get moist they will turn to mush,best thing to feed is a mixture of hulled sunflower hearts and peanut kibbles,this mixture will appeal to all the birds,every day i put this out and we get-woodpeckers,bluetits,coaltits,greattits,yellowhammers,starlings,chafinches,redpolls,siskins.

We get all those except redpolls and siskins..........plus collared doves, magpies, rooks etc

[ZR1cliff]

I put all my waste food out on the rear lawn, the local wildlife soon hoover it up plus it keeps my bin waste down. Don't see many, if any, swallows these days

[FlossyThePig]

ZR1cliff said:

Don't see many, if any, swallows these days

They fly to South Africa for the winter. Ours usually arrive back sometime in April and leave again in September.

[Cotty]

Romanymagic said:

Blimey, I just feed our local birds (mainly blackbirds, pigeons and the occasional magpie) stale bread. Clearly I am going to have to up my game!

Stale bread is not very good for them, not a lot of nutritional value and swells in their stomach. I know someone who feeds wild ducks every day, sometimes by hand. They buy the correct feed and its not cheap so they contacted the manufacturers and buy it direct in bulk.

I think they would roast lovely

[Shaw Tarse]

Cotty said:

Romanymagic said:

Blimey, I just feed our local birds (mainly blackbirds, pigeons and the occasional magpie) stale bread. Clearly I am going to have to up my game!

Stale bread is not very good for them, not a lot of nutritional value and swells in their stomach. I know someone who feeds wild ducks every day, sometimes by hand. They buy the correct feed and its not cheap so they contacted the manufacturers and buy it direct in bulk.

I think they would roast lovely

Post pics of your meal

[Cotty]

As they have fed these birds from chicks they perhaps would not be very happy if I was to kill one. Duck ala-cotty is not on the cards

[Rude Girl]

SmokinV8 said:

woodpeckers,bluetits,coaltits,greattits,yellowhammers,starlings,chafinches,redpolls,siskins.

We had a goldcrest yesterday. We have all the tits, resident blackbirds, robins, sparrows, a dunnock. Sadly we don't do so well for finches; we had a greenfinch last year but not seen it this year - our neighbour thinks the starlings kill them.

As for food... peanuts, sunflower kernels, fatballs, robin food in trays and on the ground, and kitchen leftovers (bits of bread drizzled with sunflower oil, grated cheese, unsmoked bacon). You can get the robin food, sunflowers and peanuts in bulk very cheaply from a feed merchants.

[cazzer]

King Herald said:

You can feed the birds for two pence a bag, two pence, two pence, two pence a bag.....

Tuppence ya philistine....

[King Herald]

cazzer said:

King Herald said:

You can feed the birds for two pence a bag, two pence, two pence, two pence a bag.....

Tuppence ya philistine....

Decimalisation obviously passed your hamlet by.....

I don't know why, but this song always whips me back 40 years to my youth, when life was so much more simple and fun.

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way to the people she calls,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs.
Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do.
Their young ones are hungry,
Their nests are so bare;
All it takes is tuppence from you."
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag.
"Feed the birds," that's what she cries,
While overhead, her birds fill the skies.
All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares.
Though her words are simple and few,
Listen, listen, she's calling to you:
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."

[oilandwater]

feed the birds = feed the rats. sad but true.

[Romanymagic]

Cotty said:

Romanymagic said:

Blimey, I just feed our local birds (mainly blackbirds, pigeons and the occasional magpie) stale bread. Clearly I am going to have to up my game!

Stale bread is not very good for them, not a lot of nutritional value and swells in their stomach. I know someone who feeds wild ducks every day, sometimes by hand. They buy the correct feed and its not cheap so they contacted the manufacturers and buy it direct in bulk.

I think they would roast lovely

Trouble is they keep coming back for more, its like the love of bread outways the lack of nutrition, its almost like I am running a bird version of McDonalds