Grow Your Own Magazine

Go Back   The Grapevine > On the Plot > Wildlife Gardening
   Grow Your Own Sponsor
Wildlife Gardening Share your experiences and tips on attracting beneficial wildlife


Welcome to the The Grapevine forums.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our FREE community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, create your own online journal with our blogs, upload content and access many other special features.

Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 03:09 PM
peanut's Avatar
Tuber
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: North Cambridgeshire
Posts: 503
Default Cost of Bird Food

I'm spending too much money on birdfood!!!
Due to the poor summer last year the price of oats etc has gone through the roof. I switched to buying oats as they used to be the cheapest option but they've gone up so much almost £20 for 25kg!!! used to be £15.
As for feeding sunflower hearts, I now put those in a protected feeder so only the small birds can get them.

To my horror the 25kg sack of oats that I bought 2wks ago is nearly empty I'm going to stop feeding so often and only do twice a day from now on morning and evening.

Anyone else feeling the pinch?
__________________
Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Peanut aka Joanna
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 05:16 PM
jacob marley's Avatar
Tuber
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: north warwickshire
Posts: 769
Default

I feed a lot of Muesli mixed with grated cheese and chopped up bread twice a day at moment three times when it is realy cold but 25kgs in 2 weeks .
How many birds are you feeding are they Turkeys or Geese that amount in 2 weeks seems a touch excessive.
The Muesli i buy is the supermarket own brand not to dissimilar to the price you are paying .
Surely if you bought larger bags of muesli it would work out cheaper or perhaps you do not frequent supermarkets i am sure you will over come .jacob
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 06:13 PM
peanut's Avatar
Tuber
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: North Cambridgeshire
Posts: 503
Default

No Turkeys or Geese! just the usual Wild birds, though I do have a lot of Doves, Wood Pigeons, Jackdaws, Starlings and Blackbirds........If they keep eating this much they'll be too fat to fly, that'll teach 'em!!!
__________________
Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Peanut aka Joanna
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 06:13 PM
smallblueplanet's Avatar
Early Fruiter
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Vale of Pewsey
Posts: 4,082
Default

hey jacob, with the cheap muslei keep an eye out for added salt, bad for birdees. (I've just been looking at the e-numbers/salt thread and googling for info - amazing what has lots of salt added to it!)
__________________
Manda.

Yet Nature is made better by no mean
But Nature makes that mean; so over that art
Which you say adds to Nature, is an art
That Nature makes.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 06:14 PM
smallblueplanet's Avatar
Early Fruiter
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Vale of Pewsey
Posts: 4,082
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by peanut
....though I do have a lot of Doves, Wood Pigeons, Jackdaws, Starlings and Blackbirds........If they keep eating this much they'll be too fat to fly, that'll teach 'em!!!
Are you feeding them or fattening them for Xmas!
__________________
Manda.

Yet Nature is made better by no mean
But Nature makes that mean; so over that art
Which you say adds to Nature, is an art
That Nature makes.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 06:17 PM
peanut's Avatar
Tuber
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: North Cambridgeshire
Posts: 503
Default

Now there's a cunning plan!!!!
__________________
Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Peanut aka Joanna
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 06:22 PM
allotmentlady's Avatar
Rooter
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chorley, Lancashire
Posts: 376
Default

Make your own! Bird Watcher's Digest: Do It Yourself Projects
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 06:51 PM
areia's Avatar
Rooter
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: middlesex london
Posts: 337
Default

i make my own fat balls out of lard or veggie suet then put in oats, seed and dried fruit very cheap to make and they go nuts over it (pardon the pun) had some dried veg mix which i put in as well, along with all the fresh bread crumbs i have. I do have bird feeders but when i make fat balls everything else gets eaten last, shame to say i get the chavs of the bird world starlings, pigeons, magpies, i do put seeds round the edge of garden as the robins thrushes and blackbirds like them. I'm in competition with my neighbour she gets all the sparrows finches and pied wagtails i love them the chicks look like little pom poms bless em, kinda of eeire though i think i potter around the garden and it looks like a scene from the birds, word gets round and all the roof tops around me fill up slowly and they watch me
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 07:09 PM
jacob marley's Avatar
Tuber
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: north warwickshire
Posts: 769
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by allotmentlady View Post
Thank you very much for that link it is now in my favorites jacob
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 07:20 PM
jacob marley's Avatar
Tuber
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: north warwickshire
Posts: 769
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by smallblueplanet View Post
hey jacob, with the cheap muslei keep an eye out for added salt, bad for birdees. (I've just been looking at the e-numbers/salt thread and googling for info - amazing what has lots of salt added to it!)
I can't be doing to much wrong the amount of bird's queing up to get fed @6.30 am some mornings i think i have all the birds in North Warks Robins ,Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnocks, Black Birds, Pied Wag Tail ,House Sparrows, NutHatch,Doves, Magpies,Long Tailed Tits,Have also seen Sparrow hawk,and Goshawk,in the garden which is only natural .
I feed Nuts as well 4 feeders and a seed feeder so we do not do to bad jacob
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 09:05 PM
matthew2riches's Avatar
Seedling
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
Posts: 65
Default

i can't afford to feed the birds as well. i have got 6 greedy hens to keep full!!

they do get the bread ends on the bird table when i have them but other than that i don't.

i will be growing a whole whord of sunflowers this year so i will dry the heads out and they can have a head a week - i think that's fair.

i can't say i see particularly many birds on our site as their are a lot of cats about in the neibourhood.
__________________
NEW and UPDATED blog:
http://www.matthewriches.co.uk/allotment
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #12 (permalink)  
Old 26-03-2008, 09:10 PM
smallblueplanet's Avatar
Early Fruiter
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Vale of Pewsey
Posts: 4,082
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jacob marley
....
I feed Nuts as well 4 feeders and a seed feeder so we do not do to bad jacob
I'm sure you don't jacob. You always seem to be posting good birdy sightings too. I thought it might be useful for others to be careful of hidden salt in food for birds - not just salted peanuts as a no-no.
__________________
Manda.

Yet Nature is made better by no mean
But Nature makes that mean; so over that art
Which you say adds to Nature, is an art
That Nature makes.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:46 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.1.0