Feeding Wild Birds. How much?

mrcol1000

I think it says a lot that most of the people that put a lot of food down for birds have seen rats, mice and pigeons in their gardens or neighbours gardens. These are all pests which carry disease and will harm you and your pets.
Please don't put too much food out as if you don't get vermin your neighbours will.

YorkiePud_3

elliebellie wrote: »

I can certainly believe it, i live in w. yorks and the birds round here are treating the bird feeders like an all u can eat buffet - they never stop, except when they so tired and fat they go to sleep, shouldn't complain as it's lovely to have them in the garden:D

My worry is that i'm off on holiday soon and the food i put out (3 seed feeders) will last about 4 hours, then no food for 2 weeks, should i start cutting them down now or will they source other food once it runs out. I live near allotments, so am assuming they'll be plenty there to keep them happy till I get back

Cheers
Elliebellie

Well you'll have to tell em to come to my house! I'll feed em for you! *L*

YorkiePud_3

mrcol1000 wrote: »

Actually they can if you put food on the ground. Your be prosecuted for allowing (or not taking steps to stop) rats to be attracted to the area. The only thing is where its on your land you can not be prosecuted for littering (as you have given yourself permission to drop food waste on the ground). If you put food waste out on the road or other peoples property then you could be prosecuted for littering.
As for putting up bird feeders and fat balls. If you put up so many that it was causing a nusiance for your neighbours you could be prosecuted for that but it would be a brave council that didn't care about what people thought about it (or Kirklees Council as its better known).

I am suprised you were told nothing could be done. I guess if it was seed then its not something the council would want to get involved in but if it was bread or other food then thats something they can take action on. Probably just a friendly warning letter.

That's what they told me ... I even phoned the CAB too because I was so worried with rats on either side (as anyone would be) ... as I say though, I haven't seen any for a while now and I haven't had them in my garden (I am always in the conservatory bird watching when I put the food out incase I see them) ...

YorkiePud_3

sweetserendipity wrote: »

I've bought that in Poundland before & there was never any waste. I buy a big bag of 'superior' mixed seed from the local petshop now (it has dried mealworms in it, yummy!!) & I usually make that last a week (think it costs £2.28??) Put it in a feeder & also a bit on the grass for the dunnocks & blackbirds.

I also put out half-coconut feeders (filled with suet & other bits) get them from Home Bargains for about 69p. I always hang them from a tree now, after spotting a nicely rounded rat feasting on one I'd put on the grass for the blackbirds!! _pale_

I throw a handful of Tesco Value mixed dried fruit out every day as well, the blackbirds love that, but I have never chopped it up though.

Poundland ... ?? Wow, I wonder if they have it still there?! I shall have to have a trip to Castleford for a look! Would save me a lot of money!
I put mine in the bird house/table though ... those cornflake bits used to clog up my bird feeders!

I have chopped up my sultanas cos I have a lot of the smaller baby birds about now ... the starling babies are doing great on their own but the dunnock and robin babies are in the garden most of the day so I daren't not chop things up small incase they get any!

Someone told me that dunnocks were ground feeders but what with the situation here I won't put anything on the floor and they've started to eat seed from the bird table now ... they find a way when they're hungry!

YorkiePud_3

mrcol1000 wrote: »

I think it says a lot that most of the people that put a lot of food down for birds have seen rats, mice and pigeons in their gardens or neighbours gardens. These are all pests which carry disease and will harm you and your pets.
Please don't put too much food out as if you don't get vermin your neighbours will.

As I said though, both my neighbours feed birds on the ground in their gardens ... they have food on the ground (all over their lawns) from dawn to dusk ... I've even known one neighbour put what was left of a chicken carcass out, too

sweetserendipity

I was horrified when I saw the rat in our garden & put the half-eaten coconut feeder in the bin straightaway. In hindsight it was stupid to leave something like that on the grass, but, you live & learn. Anyway, I stopped putting any food outside after about 2pm just to make sure it was all gone before it got dark. However, my neighbours, who also spotted the rat, continued to throw food out onto their lawns at any time of day/night They must have thought it was 'our' rat & wouldn't dare sneak into 'their' garden :rolleyes:

Hope you manage to get the Bill Oddie birdseed, yorkie, it seems to be a permanent fixture in our local Poundies. It's not a huge bag, but worth it for £1.

elsien

Wilkinsons do the bigger bags of bill oddie food, which work out cheaper than the smaller bags from poundland if you go by weight.