Feeding the Birds

Lip_Stick

I melted some lard with some bill oddie bird seed i got from Asda for £6. Got a huge bag of the stuff, and also added stale rice krispies, was i wrong to do this?

Was really pleased to see blackbirds and sparrows eating it though. I also went through a park on the way to the cinema, so dumped a load of in there (hope the little birdies find it). Gave a load of bread to the ducks too, but the seagulls and pigeons were fighting for it on the frozen pond.

BilberryCharlotte

Lip_Stick wrote: »

I melted some lard with some bill oddie bird seed i got from Asda for £6. Got a huge bag of the stuff, and also added stale rice krispies, was i wrong to do this?

Was really pleased to see blackbirds and sparrows eating it though. I also went through a park on the way to the cinema, so dumped a load of in there (hope the little birdies find it). Gave a load of bread to the ducks too, but the seagulls and pigeons were fighting for it on the frozen pond.

Thanks for all the helpful tips folks, we love watching the birds swooping down for the food. We have to put our offerings around the front lawn, if we but them in the back garden the dogs are outraged and bark at the poor birds.

I can never bring myself to put out chicken skin, it seems a bit like cannibalism. I know it`s stupid

Daughter brought home a little pack of chopped nuts for the birds today, would they be suitable to put out?

Counting_Pennies_2

BilberryCharlotte wrote: »

Daughter brought home a little pack of chopped nuts for the birds today, would they be suitable to put out?

I think someone said earlier not salted nuts

hth

Lip_Stick

BilberryCharlotte wrote: »

Thanks for all the helpful tips folks, we love watching the birds swooping down for the food. We have to put our offerings around the front lawn, if we but them in the back garden the dogs are outraged and bark at the poor birds.

I can never bring myself to put out chicken skin, it seems a bit like cannibalism. I know it`s stupid

Daughter brought home a little pack of chopped nuts for the birds today, would they be suitable to put out?

Lol.. my mum puts out the carcus when she's done a sunday roast, and the birds go nuts for it. I've always said it's like canniblilism, and I don't like it, but I'm hoping cos it's a different species, that it's fine.

Claire_Bear

My nanna used to do the same thing with the chicken carcass, have to admit I never thought of it like cannibalism! Now I'm more into Moneysaving all I can think of is how much of a waste it is, and how much soup and stock and things she could have made from the leftovers :rotfl:

Mumof2_2

We had some left over mashed potato and bread and butter pudding which I will put out for the birds tomorrow morning.

Got them some mealworms and suet pudding today which I left on the table for them and they seem to have had some. They must be so hungry in this cold; poor little things.

Lip_Stick

Mumof2 wrote: »

We had some left over mashed potato and bread and butter pudding which I will put out for the birds tomorrow morning.

Got them some mealworms and suet pudding today which I left on the table for them and they seem to have had some. They must be so hungry in this cold; poor little things.

I know, it makes me feel so sad wondering how they cope overnight in this cold. I live in a pretty industrial area close to the city centre, and would hate it if I didn't see any wildllife. I'm wondering if I should put out food for the fox that wanders by? Should I? and what?

i was in tesco today and a blackbird had got into an enclosed area in the car park, where the esculators where, and it couldn't get out (it was flying into the windows) so I complained to the customer services. Thankfully a young lass jumped at the opportunity of helping this bird. I'm such a soft touch, and if I hadn't said anything it would have been playing on my mind. Even now I'm wondering, 'did it get out ok'. lol

valk_scot

BilberryCharlotte wrote: »

I can never bring myself to put out chicken skin, it seems a bit like cannibalism. I know it`s stupid

Some birds eat other birds you know. Tthey're not all dainty little vegetarians and seed nibblers!

valk_scot

balmaiden wrote: »

I am afraid bread as well, even though I know that it is not very good for them, but I would have thought short term would be ok if it keeps them alive.

A bit of bread mixed in with other foods is fine, I would have thought. It's more when ducks and swans and such at the local beauty spot get fed dozens of loaves of bread a day by the local toddlers that problems creep in. The birds are too full up with bread to want to go and seek out more normal foods which would give them the wide range of necessary nutrients.

But if it's a choice between the birds dying of starvation and folk putting some bread out mixed with other more nutricious scraps just to bulk up the calorie count...well, go with some bread, I say.

nopot2pin

I dont normally feed the birds... as a few years back I had squirrels in my loft :mad::mad:

The pest control man said the best way to not have squirrels in the area, was not to feed the birds.

Anyway... During this cold weather I have had a want to feed the birds.
I have a few stale bits to put out for them in the morning.
But earlier, I put out some sloes, that I had used to make sloe gin