Feeding the birds in your garden can be immensely rewarding. But over time, as you attract more and more species to your garden, you find that you have to buy more bird food to keep your feeders stocked and your garden birds well fed. You could find that what started out as a fairly cheap hobby, becomes quite expensive.
If you don’t want to stop feeding birds, or skimp on the food you put out, here are some tips on how you can cut the cost of bird food.
If you have somewhere to store your bird food properly so it doesn’t go off, then buying larger quantities of bird seed or seed mixes will usually be better value. If you buy loose bird food, or bird food packaged in bags that weigh over 12.5 kg, then it is not subject to VAT which will save you 20%.
Don’t buy bird food in bulk until you have tested smaller amounts with the birds who visit your garden, otherwise you may end up with a stash that never gets eaten. For advice on how to store bird food click here.
You’ll often find that online retailers are able to offer the most competitive prices as they don’t have the usual overheads associated with a bricks and mortar shop. Watch out for delivery charges, although you’ll usually find that most online retailers have a price threshold over which delivery is free.
If you’re buying large amounts of bird food, then buying online means you don’t have the hassle of transporting heavy bags home either, as most will deliver direct to your door.
Straight bird food contains a single ingredient such as maize, niger seed, or oats, and although it may seem a lot more expensive than bird food mixes, you should find that there is little waste. Low quality blended seed mixes often contain a proportion of filler material such as wheat which few birds will eat. And as many birds have a favourite food, if you fill a feeder with a mix of seeds, they will toss out the ones they prefer not to eat.
You can also buy bird food such as sunflower hearts, which have had the husks, which would usually get discarded, removed. Alternatively, look out for no-grow bird seed, which have been husked, flaked, or kibbled, and heat-treated to stop any dropped seed germinating.
If you know that your garden birds are happy to eat seed mixes, then buy the ingredients separately and make your own blends.
If you think your bird food is running out more quickly than expected check that squirrels or rats aren’t raiding your feeders. Squirrels are easy to spot as they will feed in the day, but rats and other rodents tend to feed at night.
To help prevent unwanted visitors eating your bird food buy specially designed squirrel-proof feeders or fit a squirrel baffle to your exiting feeders. Rats are usually attracted to bird feeders initially by any food that has dropped underneath them, so make sure you sweep up at the end of the day to remove any waste.
Rats can be hard to get rid of, particularly if they know they can have access to an easy food source, so you may need to stop feeding for a few days, until they have moved on. Thoroughly disinfect your bird feeders before rehanging and filling with food.
Supplement bought bird food with natural food. A well-planned garden can provide all sorts of food for birds. Berry-bearing shrubs and trees such as rowan and holly will ensure a plentiful supply of food throughout autumn and winter, while those with buds will attract birds in spring.
Leave a patch of lawn to go wild or plant a dedicated wildflower meadow to attract insects that will provide much needed protein for birds in breeding season. Avoid spraying your garden with pesticides so that birds can eat flies, beetles, and other grubs.
Sunflowers are easy to grow, and their large heads are full of seeds that birds will enjoy eating. You can either remove the seeds from the head after the flowers have wilted, or leave them as they and hang them from a bird table or pole for a natural take on a bird feeder.
If you grow fruit in your garden and want to protect the crop, make sure you use wildlife-friendly netting that birds can see, and which won’t trap them. Leave any fallen fruit or windfalls on the ground for a nutritious treat for birds in autumn.
Supplement bought bird food with kitchen scraps, such as cooked rice, grated mild cheese, cake and biscuit crumbs, mashed potatoes, and unsalted bacon. Don’t throw bruised fruit away – chop it up into small pieces and scatter it on the ground or on your bird table. Birds will struggle to digest uncooked vegetables, but cooked carrots, broccoli, and cabbage are all ok to leave out.
You can also use leftover food to make your own fat feeders. Simply mix the food into melted suet, press into an old yogurt pot, and when its set hang it up in your garden.
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