Feeding my feathered friends is getting expensive

**Darlene** · 10-08-2008, 10:26 AM

Went to go buy some black oil sunflower seed the other day & the lowest price I could find was $25 for a 50lb bag. I'll keep searching for a better price but those birds better start rationing, lol.
Do you feed the birds & if you feed them the black oil sunflower seed, how much does it cost where you shop? thanks

**nvmommyx6** · 10-08-2008, 10:43 AM

I do not feed sunflower seed at all as it can be addicting to the birds, I bought a 50 pound bag of wild bird seed a few years ago, I threw some out, covered it up and grew it!! When its ready I cut and hang it to dry then I am feeding them for free!!!
I used to raise exotic birds, I miss having them, but I do love the little birds I bring in with my home grown seed!!!

**KatieInLa2** · 10-08-2008, 03:29 PM

I feed my birds (and squirrels) too. I buy mine from the local wild bird center, 20# songbird mix for $24.00. It has increased in price in the last year. Our farm supply store sells the big bags of sunflower seeds but the last couple of bags I bought there had weevils. Yuck!

**ellebee** · 10-08-2008, 03:29 PM

Oh wow - haven't looked this year for seed yet - last fall I paid $18 for 50lbs of black sunflower seed - I did buy some wild bird seed too and the birds were barely interested - lol - I'll be buying soon and let ya know of the price.

**Moor** · 10-08-2008, 03:38 PM

I don't use the black sunflower food.
I use the Morning songbird feed. I bought a 40 lb bag for 7.49 at our walmart.

**EmilyD** · 10-08-2008, 04:39 PM

I do feed the birds, but not sunflower seed.

I was buying a finch mix with sunflower seed pieces (not in the shell) and thistle. This spring it was 7.95 for a 10 pound bag when I could get it. Now it is 15.95 at Walmart ... going to finsh off what I have and then re-evaluate .. but possibly stop feeding them.

**PAVallygrl** · 10-08-2008, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by nvmommyx6

I do not feed sunflower seed at all as it can be addicting to the birds, I bought a 50 pound bag of wild bird seed a few years ago, I threw some out, covered it up and grew it!! When its ready I cut and hang it to dry then I am feeding them for free!!!
I used to raise exotic birds, I miss having them, but I do love the little birds I bring in with my home grown seed!!!

That's GREAT. So just burry some of it? How much water? How do you hang to dry and then get the seeds out of it? I too love my backyard feathered friends, but it is expensive and I haven't put any out in quite a few months.

Thanks ahead of time.

**madhen** · 10-08-2008, 06:29 PM

I don't even worry about burying my black oil sf seed. The squirrels do it for me. I have it growing wild all over the hill near my bird-feeding tree. I also feed Nyger thistle. You think sf seed is expensive, try the thistle!

OUCH. But the goldfinches and sparrows go crazy over it.

**stinkbug** · 10-08-2008, 07:02 PM

We buy a local mix from our local farm store. We don't buy sunflower or the cheap mixes. The cheap stuff is full of junk our local birds don't eat, and it just goes to waste. We used to buy a nonsprout version (sterilized) but the price has gone up terribly in the last year or so. Yeah...I know we can zap it, but we feed out about 40 lbs a month! We also feed thistle in the summer to the purple finches and gold finches. And we feed whole corn in the winter to the flocks of geese and ducks that come onto the property. About 100lbs a month of that....evidently, they told all their friends!

**madhen** · 10-19-2008, 10:01 PM

I wish I had my camera this afternoon. I had about thirty crows hanging out in my driveway, helping themselves to my chicken feed.

I have an in-ground bird bath (natural rock formation that I keep full of water) that they use daily for bathing. I know they are considered pests, but I love seeing them. They co-exist with the chickens, and they are just natural comedians.

**Dave'sGirl** · 10-20-2008, 04:00 AM

I grew quite a lot of sunflowers in my veggie garden this year, for the soul purpose of having 'free' birdfood. My garden was LOVELY! As far as the free food goes...it fed goldfinches, chickadees, woodpeckers and mourning doves (I'm sure a few other varieties too, I just didn't see them) way before I planned on them eating it! It was almost as if as soon as the bees pollenated, the birds ate it! I did put a few pantyhose over some of the 'prize' heads, but There was no way I was able to save the seed till winter. It was fun though!

**Dave'sGirl** · 10-20-2008, 04:03 AM

As far as feeding and costs, I just bite the bullet and buy black oil, niger and white millet mixes. The pleasure I get is worth the cost to me. You go cheap and you either get nothing or you get crows and rodents.

**madhen** · 10-20-2008, 12:14 PM

Well, the crows and rodents are just as happy with the "good" stuff, too!

My main visitors at my feeders are scrub jays, house sparrows, American goldfinches, towhees, robins, mourning doves, and quail. I get crows and wild turkey freeloading with the chickens. The occasional oriole, and during migration, hundreds of hummingbirds!