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What foods should I put in my bird feeder?
Home » Outdoor Decor » Bird Feeders » What foods should I put in my bird feeder?Just as different types of bird feeders accommodate different birds, the birds you will attract also depends on the type of food you place in your feeder. You can purchase birdfeed or make mixtures yourself, but be careful, many birds are choosy.
A good basic food is sunflower seeds, which attract many different kinds of birds, including several of the “big names.” Another option is suet, which comes in the form of suet cakes (a mixture of nuts, fruit, seed, and insects) or as a product of beef kidney fat.
After you become a bird-feeding expert, you can specialize the food for particular birds. Bluebirds and cardinals, for example, like cracked corn while peanuts attract chickadees, sparrow, and starlings, and white suet works for woodpeckers. Before long, you will be able to make your own food mixtures out of food you have around the house, such as peanut butter, fruit seeds, fruit bits, and salt-less, butter-less popcorn. Don’t feed birds sweets such as chocolate or honey, however, as these items are toxic to birds.
When you change the food you place in your bird feeder, move the feeder to another location; otherwise the birds will likely avoid this “mysterious food” in their familiar location. In addition, only put enough food for two or three days in your feeder. If food sits too long in the feeder, it can become a health hazard to the birds.
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