Wild bird food recipe anyone?

Artytarty

Morning all, it was - 5degrees here last night and I have run out of bought bird food.
I have at my disposal:

porridge oats
dried lentils
desicated coconut
bread
weetabix
hard cheese
sultanas

I've just put out the last of the Christmas cake for them.

can you tell me which of the above are suitable for the garden birds and which would do more harm than good?
Thanks!

ljonski

Im not sure about the dried lentils as they could well up inside their beaks. You could cook them first.

ljonski

desicated coconut This definitely should be avoided for the same reason.

Here is a link to make fatballs

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/british-birds/4909-do-you-have-good-recipe-fat-balls-3.html

YorkiePud_3

I wouldn't use the sultanas .. they will just stick to their beaks and cause them trouble trying to preen with their feathers getting stuck up with it.

Plus, someone told me they are poisonous to cats too, so if you have cats or have any neighbourhood cats coming to the garden it would be awful if they ate any and suffered.

Nothing with spices in (some Christmas cakes/Christmas puddings have them in) ... nothing with dessicated coconut as has been said already and basically nothing that is sticky or tacky and will gunge their beaks up ...

Someone told me about throwing out some handfuls of dried porridge oats ... not one bird touched it and it was a real mess when it rained! I found it a waste of time!

I don't bother with seed now ... I put out Atora Beef Suet (it is shredded but in mini sausage shapes. Crumbles straightaway so no fear of choking any birds, plus it is perfect for their energy needs this time of year).

I also put out Webbox dog food ... you know the ones, shaped like a big sausage? If you slice it and cut it into small cubes you will be amazed how many birds eat it (I have starlings, doves, coal tits, robins, dunnocks, sparrows ... you name it .. they all go for it!) ... again, being soft, there is no fear of birds choking (the baby birds can manage it very well too) plus it has a high moisture content so helps them out when water is scarce or iced over.

A few times a week I throw out red leicester cheese diced into tiny pieces as a treat and now and then I chop up a tin of Del Monte Fruit Cocktail too (usually when it is on BOGOF in the supermarket - but it needs chopping up tiny though so they can swallow each piece down in one go so it doesn't stick round their beaks).

My garden is full of birds right until it is dark and even in pouring rain ... and I've found the majority of birds will eat everything I put out, so it's less expensive than buying specific seed etc to attract certain ones!