what can I feed the birds from the cupboard?

Mamzie · 10 January 2010 at 8:14PM

Marsh_Samphire wrote: »

I heard someone on the radio the other day talking about putting a metal baking tray on bricks with tea lights/candles underneath.

Also see
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/water/icefree.asp

thats a fab idea, will try this tomorrow, thanks, xxx

giantmutantbroccoli · 10 January 2010 at 9:25PM

Pretty much anything that doesn't contain salt. Birds are very bad at getting rid of salt from their food and too much can kill them. It can be very easy to give them too much especially if the birds you're feeding are small. I'd be wary of giving them bacon fat or rind for that reason. If you have leftover salted or dry-roasted nuts you can wash the salt or seasoning off no problem.
If you have any off milk you can leave it to go lumpy/solid and then feed it them.

System · 10 January 2010 at 10:18PM

has all the things to feed/not to feed here

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/whatfood/index.aspx

System · 10 January 2010 at 10:19PM

ignore this,just confused! thanks!

moomin5 · 11 January 2010 at 6:50PM

nikki702 wrote: »

I have a whole bag of skinners ruff and ready dog food ... my dog dont like it so do you think i could feed that to the birds?
This is it HERE

Ingredients

Protein pellets containing beef meat meal,
wheat glucose syrup, cooked flaked maize,
extruded wholewheat biscuits, cooked flaked
peas, cooked wheatflakes, soya oil, vitamins
and minerals.

Best to soak it as dry food usually swells a lot, hot/warm water will soften it the quickest. When i helped out at the kennels they soaked the dry food in big tubs outside and the birds would come and help themselves. Perhaps be careful where and how much you put out so your not attracting rats/mice also.

Its probably better use to offer the bag to a local dog rescue, they often have collection points in supermarkets and pets at home.

MrsTinks · 12 January 2010 at 2:08PM

I've restarted my nan's tradition of making my own fatballs - well... fat cylinders really... You take an old food can and make a hole in the bottom (I used the corkscrew LOL). Then take a string and thread it through - fasten with a piece of cardboard or similar. I sealed the hole with some congealed lamb fat from the sunday roast

added crunched leftover cereal from breakfast and I'll add to it as I go

When done you can either cut open the bottom with tin opener and warm the tin a little and slide it out the top or just leave the top and bottom open and hang the whole tin

Newbird · 13 January 2010 at 4:52PM

Just bumping this to remind everyone. I'm sure keen gardeneers are bird fans too!

Some great ideas above, it really is a life saver in this weather.

It has been snowing non stop all day here. I've had 10 blackbirds in my small top garden today, they and especially Robins are very territorial, so some squabbling over the food will happen. Please make sure you put food out in more than one area, so the ones bullied off can still get some food.

Old apples cut in half are soon gone, but again spread the halves rather than putting all in one area.

Water is also important, I put several water bowls out too.

The_Wall · 14 January 2010 at 1:36PM

Any suggestions for naturally occuring food at this time of the year. We did use to put out food, but it encouraged the rats. And London rats are not nocturnal. I saw one trying to climb the tree to get to the fat balls we left out, and this was in the middle of the day :eek:

So far we have ivy, holly and virburnum all have which have berries during the winter.

Then there is a greengage and pear tree, which I assume harbour small creatures as recently I have seen the blue tits and even a greater spotted woodpecker pecking at something in the trees.

Any other plants that could be useful at this time of the year?

Newbird · 14 January 2010 at 5:11PM

Rats are cheeky and the colder it gets the more daring they will get - they can't help being rats, they've got to eat too!

Blackbirds love Pyracantha, birds will eat Hawthorn haws/berries too.

You can push sultanas into the tree bark and spread peanut butter onto it as well, for the Woodpeckers and Nuthatches - you may be lucky enough to get a Treecreeper, but I'm not sure how often these are seen in urban areas.

I always leave trimming back my ivy until the berries have finished in Feb/March to allow the birds to get them. The flowers are a very important food and nectar source in late Autumn for bees, my overgrown Ivy was buzzing with them this year.

what can I feed the birds from the cupboard?

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