Bird Feed Comparison, Target Kaytee and Costco

[Terry]

Bird Feed Comparison, Target and Costco

I'm trying two bird seeds.

Costco in huge box
Mills Bros. Premium Wild Bird Mix
High End Mix




Mills Bros. Premium Mix has a high percentage of black oil sunflower in a combination with white and red millet, safflower and thistle seed.

• No Filler/No Waste
• Great for all types of feeders
• Available in 5-lb, 10-lb, 20-lb, and 40-lb bags
• 

This is good food. It will last forever.
Put this stuff in a bird feeder and you never have to refill it.
I bought it at Costco in a huge box that I could barely lift.
It should be good for ten years at the rate the birds are not eating it.
It does look nice though.
http://www.ghfoods.com/wild_mixes.htm#premium


KAYTEE Birder's Blend
Formulated by bird enthusiasts, this mix contains a superior blend of specialty seeds, grains, and nuts. This blend attracts a wide variety of songbirds to your yard year round.
Ingredients:

Sunflower, Millet, Cracked Corn, Milo, Peanuts, Hulled Sunflower, Safflower, Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Artificial Cherry Flavor.

The birds eat this way too fast. Do they think I'm made of money?
Where are there manners?
I have to refill my feeder every day.
It seems to attact the whole neighborhood.
Sometimes four birds will be on the feeder at a time, and four more waiting on the fir to swoop down and eat.
Didn't their mother teach them to be more polite?
Don't buy this is you want to save money on bird feed.
http://www.kaytee.com/products/kaytee-birders-blend.php

 

[Chris8796]

I've had the best luck with buying bags of individual seed types, rather than mixes. I get most stuff at our local wild birds unlimited. We also get too many undesireables if put out something with cracked corn or millet in it. By combining specific seeds with different feeder types you have much better control of the type of birds you attract.

 

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[Cookie]

Terry,

The reason the first one lasts so long is the birds will only eat it at last resort, that is why it seems like the other stuff attracts so many that like what is in it. The millet is used as a filler many times.

I also feed birds and in the winter I go thru about 80 pounds of feed a month.

Right now I am feeding finches with thistle seed. I also, feed woodpeckers and other birds, with suet.

I make my own Gourmet Birdie Suet. It is a hit.

 

[Cookie]

I have a friend who does not like Starlings, he claims they don't let the other birds eat, does anyone else have this problem ? I have don't have that problem, I have polite birds.

Check this out, nice site for birds pictures to help identify.
http://www.symbolicmessengers.com/Other_new_Birds.htmhttp://images.search.yahoo.com/imag...g7qbo0&sigi=11chs7044&sigb=13ioe3eqp&type=JPG

What do you feed Terry? Do you have these?

I havent met a bird I haven't liked yet.

 

[Chris8796]

Most cavity-nester bird groups (blue bird, purple martins, tree swallows) recommend the killing of Starlings. Starlings will often destroy eggs or kill nestlings of native cavity nesters. House sparrows are another non native that causes alot of problems for native cavity nesters. Both are invasive species and are routinely trapped and killed by native bird supporters. I realized I had a problem with them when I watched a Starling pull a House sparrow out of a Blue bird box I put up. I actively try to control both species when I have time. From the Purple Martin Society and Starling introduction

 

[Terry]

I think I have some finches and some sparrows, and a couple Blue Jays.

They sure seem to pick through the seed.
If I knew a bit more about it, I could put out the seed they like.
A lot winds up on the ground.

I will try to take some pics.

I was joking with the first post.

 

[Cass]

During the summer birds will be picky about what they eat because of the selection they have during the winter they will eat almost anything because there is not much else...at least in my part of the country...

 

[Speedbump]

During the summer birds will be picky about what they eat because of the selection they have during the winter they will eat almost anything because there is not much else...at least in my part of the country...

I wonder if that's true in Florida. I had all kinds of birds at my feeder in the winter, but not in the summer, I have two cardinals, a couple of blue jays (that I can do without, they are mean to the other birds) and a couple of Doves. That's about it.

The seed I have; you put it in the feeder, it rains and next thing you know you have grass growing out of the feeder and the seed is starting to ferment. STINK???
I had about 20#'s of seed in a styrofoam cooler that had a hole in it (I found out the hard way) someone squirted water in the hole and I had a fermenting mess. It still smells bad.

When someone finds a good brand of seed that the birds like and that won't grow grass each time it rains, I'm all ears.

 

[Cookie]

Bob,

Use cans to store the seed, I use large popcorn cans. Another thing you could do is use less feed at the feeders and just feed the birds more often.

What about rigging up a cover over the bird feeder? The birds love to stay dry, mine wear little yellow rain coats like the Morton Salt girl.
I have a friend who chases his Starlings with little homemade nooses, so I told him I made his starlings little robin costumes so he won't know who is who.

 

[Cookie]

Is this a Robin or... a Starling in disguise?

 

[Speedbump]

Hmmm, I posted in here between your two posts here but must have missed hitting the button.

It's a Starling in disguise. I can tell by it's beak.

 

[Cookie]

This is the real beauty I had outside the other day, he just walking in the grass like he was taking a stroll. Mine was just alittle bigger.

 

[Speedbump]

I've got a few of those woodpeckers. I actually have three different kinds. One of them is Hugh.

 

[PEW]

I have tried feeding thistle for the gold finches, but for some reason ours just do not like it. Had a tube feeder full of it for a couple of years, just threw it out.

Switched to feed from one of our local feed mills, it has more cracked corn mixed in with various seeds. Big hit with the birds, big hit on the wallet.

Our problem is the blue jays, they chase all the other birds away.

Paul

 

[Speedbump]

I'm with you Paul, Blue Jays are a very aggressive bird. They take over if you let them. I'm going to use one of Cookies costumes and disguise my cardinals to look like Yellow Tailed Hawks. That should chase the Blue Jay's away.

I have a bunch of cracked corn, maybe I'll try putting that in the feeder with the other stuff. Who knows, it might bring more birds.

 

[Cookie]

The trick with feeding blue jays is to feed them first. I put out peanuts, I line them up on the deck railing, along with other things they like. Then, when they are done, they leave and go do whatever they do leaving the others to eat. Then, I feed the smaller birds and no one bothers them. Later comes the squirrels, I put corn out for them in their feeders along with the stuff they like, then I got this rabbit who has been coming around, so I feed him carrots and stuff, nightfall their are the deers, they get corn and apples. Sometimes a stray cat, or the neighbors. In between I feed the kids.

One time I had a pot of homemade gourmet birdie suet cooking and they were looking in it, and said, " mom, is this birdseed with blueberries?" Yeah... he said, " well, I ain't eatin it."

 

[Cass]

The finches love thisstle seed and you can get feeders that are only for thisstle...the Jays love oiled sunflower seed...as do most of the other birds...

I think I have some finches and some sparrows, and a couple Blue Jays.

They sure seem to pick through the seed.
If I knew a bit more about it, I could put out the seed they like.
A lot winds up on the ground.

I will try to take some pics.

I was joking with the first post.

 

[Chris8796]

I've got a few of those woodpeckers. I actually have three different kinds. One of them is Hugh.

You name your woodpeckers? Was he named after Hugh Heffner?

 

[Speedbump]

You name your woodpeckers? Was he named after Hugh Heffner?

He would have been one of my hero's, lucky guy that he was. But it was actually supposed to mean he was large.

I have always had problems with the word hugh. How do you really spell it? My spell checker capitalized it and seemed to like it.

 

[Chris8796]

"Huge" , but its funnier to have a large woodpecker named Hugh.