Contents
- Top 10 Bird Seed Options That We Love
- Best Mixed Bird Seed
- Best Sunflower Seed
- Best No-Melt Suet For Summer
- Best Nyjer Seed
- Best Suet Cakes For Birds
- Best Safflower Seed
- Best Peanuts For Birds
- Best Millet For Birds
- Best Mealworms For Birds
- Best Cracked Corn For Birds
- Buying Guide To Selecting The Best Bird Seed:
- Bird Seed FAQs:
Imagine the following scenario:
Your backyard is swarming with your favorite winged friends.
You look around your property in awe. It reminds you of something like this:
- Blue jays are nibbling away at the peanut pieces you’ve supplied them.
- Cardinals are going to town on the Nyjer seed and suet in your feeders
- Juncos are devouring tasty energy boosting black oil sunflower seeds
This might seem like a dream too far-fetched to become real.
Guess what? It’s more than possible! Have a little faith, for starters, and share the health-promoting and tasty bird seed that I’m going to recommend to you today.
Before long:
Birds will swarm to your backyard searching for the delicious seed you’ve provided in plentiful supply. Your house will be the talk of the bird kingdom before you know it!
Are you new to birdwatching, bird feeding, or any other bird related pursuits?
Don’t worry!
Take a look around the website. We’ve reviewed the latest and greatest bird feeders, best birdbaths, and many other accessories. And we’ve shared years’ worth of research on bird species and their migration patterns, feeding preferences, nesting information, and other interesting facts.
No matter what you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered!
Stick with us to discover the truth about the best bird seed in no uncertain terms below.
Top 10 Bird Seed Options That We Love
Best Mixed Bird Seed
Wagner’s Deluxe Blend Wild Bird Food
Editor’s Comments:
This is my favorite bag of mixed bird seed by a long shot. It’s packed with 12 potent ingredients and blended with the highest quality grains possible. Plus, it consists of around 40% sunflower seeds, which means it’s loaded with high quality healthy fat content. The combination of these boundless ingredients makes this an excellent bird seed blend capable of attracting a wide variety of my favorite winged friends.
- Weight: 25 pounds
- Feeder Type: Tray, Hopper, Tube
- Dimensions: 3.5” x 15.5” x 28”
- Attracts: Finches, Cardinals, Chickadees
- Brand: Wagner’s
Overall Score:
94
The Bottom Line:
Here’s the deal: Wagner’s Deluxe Blend Wild Bird Food is wonderful for backyard bird watchers because it attracts so many different birds. As mentioned, it contains 40% sunflower seeds, which is a favorite of chickadees, cardinals, titmice, jays, finches, woodpeckers, juncos, doves, nuthatch, grosbeak, and goldfinches. You would be hard-pressed to find a better variety of mixed bird seed capable of bringing so many gorgeous fowl to your bird friendly property.What’s Good
- Perching songbirds and ground feeders love the taste
- Attracts many bird types
- Nutrient dense formula
- Ingredients are hand selected
- Premium blend
What’s Bad
- Dried out ingredients
- Moths
- Contains raisins – harmful to dogs
Summary
Why do I give Wagner’s Deluxe Blend Wild Bird Food such a strong recommendation by designating it the Best Mixed Seed?
First off, I see so many different varieties of birds in my backyard since I started putting out this mixed blend of bird seed. This alone is reason enough to continue using this deluxe wild bird food with so much variety.
But there’s more…
Because they packed this product with such a wide range of ingredients – remember I said it has 11 types of seed plus raisins – it’s an incredibly nutrient dense formula. It’s perfect for feeding a wide range of birds because it’s filled with all the vitamins and nutrients needed to help them live a happy and healthy life.
As an example, this mixed variety seed blend is far superior to Harvest Seed & Supply Birder’s Medley Wild Bird Food because it contains four more ingredients, it has a better ratio of fat, protein, and fiber, and it’s received greater accolades from other reputable birdwatching aficionados online.
Besides all that…
This seed mixture is a premium blend developed with the highest quality ingredients that were hand selected by the expert staff at Wagner’s. They go above and beyond to provide their customers with top quality bird food and they surpass my expectations almost every time.
Best Sunflower Seed
Wagner’s Black Oil Sunflower Seed
Editor’s Comments:
Wagner’s Black Oil Sunflower Wild Bird Food is a great choice if you’re looking to feed birds that thrive on these seeds. They contain healthy oil and a great nutrient ratio, which means they deliver peak levels of energy. The birds seem to love the taste and it’s easy to consume.
- Weight: 3 pounds
- Feeder Type: Mesh, Tube
- Dimensions: 1.5” x 8.5” x 12”
- Attracts: Junco, Dove, Bunting
- Brand: Kaytee
Overall Score:
92
The Bottom Line:
Overall, I feel strongly about this recommendation because this is such a high-quality bird food. It contains healthy oil content which gives the birds the perfect amount of healthy fat for their diet, which leads to tremendous vigor and longevity. It isn’t very messy, they deliver it in fresh quantities with few exceptions, and you can offer it in tube, hopper, and tray feeders.What’s Good
- Packed with healthy fat and nutrients
- Songbirds love it
- Thin shelled gourmet seeds
- High energy formula
- Dispensed with 3 feeder types
What’s Bad
- Contained sticks and stems
- Dry seeds
- Funny smell
Summary
It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that there is much to love about Wagner’s Black Oil Sunflower Seed.
First of all, Wagner’s is truly a company that you can trust. They have been providing their customers with first-rate bird food since 1894! You don’t survive in the business world for nearly 130 years by accident!
But that’s not all…
It’s a healthy and high energy formula that attracts a wide range of birds. In particular, songbirds including the American robin, grosbeaks, tanagers, and others seem to love this food. Chickadees, cardinals, jays, goldfinches, juncos, nuthatches, and doves are also very fond of this vigorous and delicious food.
And guess what?
The birds really seem to love the taste. I can put out a fresh supply of these black oil bird seeds and my fine feathered friends will gobble them up faster than I can put them in the bird feeder!
It’s really nice to see and it makes me feel good about my contribution to these beautiful winged creatures.
No company is perfect unfortunately. Some people have received packages with a funny smell, dry seeds, or too many sticks and stems. Thankfully this is few and far between so your odds of receiving a bad batch are minimal at best.
Best No-Melt Suet For Summer
C&S Mealworm Delight No Melt Suet Dough
Editor’s Comments:
It’s my pleasure to recommend C&S Mealworm Delight No Melt Suet Dough to birdwatching enthusiasts like me. I appreciate this product because they dehydrate the mealworms before shipping, which means they remain very fresh. It has a sunflower meal base which delivers healthy energy to the birds, and the formula creates very little mess and waste.
- Weight: 16 pounds
- Feeder Type: Tube, Hopper, Platform
- Dimensions: 3.8” x 20.6” x 13.4”
- Attracts: Sparrows, Jays, Cardinals
- Brand: Wagner’s
Overall Score:
91
The Bottom Line:
All in all, I consider this product a wonderful choice from C&S Products Company, a well-respected brand. I’ve deemed it the Best No-Melt Suet for Summer because the birds seem to enjoy the flavor, it has lots of potent nutrients, and it’s always fresh and delivers a great deal of energy to my favorite winged wildlife.What’s Good
- Dehydrated mealworms for freshness
- Energy boosting sunflower meal base
- No melt formula
- Very little mess
- Very little waste
What’s Bad
- Slightly expensive
- Some birds avoid it
- Squirrels like it
Summary
Here’s the way I see it:
There are two huge benefits that make this such a first-rate formula that’s stamina promoting and tasty for the birds.
First, they overload each package with a plentiful supply of delicious mealworms that are a total delight for woodpeckers, bluebirds, and many other birds.
But that’s only part of the reason why it’s so beneficial.
These mealworms are delivered to you dehydrated. This means they have retained all of their robust nutrients. And it also means that they’re as fresh as they can possibly be.
Second, the mealworms are also packaged with a plentiful supply of a sunflower meal base. As we know, sunflower seeds contain lots of healthy oils that provide birds with a tremendous amount of energy to flap their mighty wings.
The combination of the sunflower meal and the mealworms creates a delicious and hale formula that these amazing birds will truly enjoy.
And best of all:
This is a no-melt formula, which ultimately means that it isn’t going to crumble into a million pieces and fall over the floor and become a complete waste of your money and time.
On the contrary, the birds are going to gobble up this recipe and create very little or no mess or waste at all.
Best Nyjer Seed
Kaytee Nyjer Seed Bird Food
Editor’s Comments:
Kaytee Nyjer Seed Bird Food is an all-around favorite of mine because it’s packed with a well-rounded supply of quality nutrients, it doesn’t create a terrible mess all over my backyard, and it seems easy enough for the birds to consume. You can expect fresh, tasty, and superior ingredients that you can feed in a tube or mesh feeder.
- Weight: 8 pounds
- Feeder Type: Platform, Hopper, Tube
- Dimensions: 17” x 12” x 3”
- Attracts: Swallows, Wrens, Orioles
- Brand: Wild Delight
Overall Score:
90
The Bottom Line:
Here’s the overall breakdown: this bird food is nutritious and delivered in bite-size portions, which makes it very easy for the birds to eat. It’s packed with lots of nutrients so it provides energy to numerous birds including buntings, doves, and juncos. On occasion, unhappy customers will receive a stale batch and it occasionally dries out faster during the warm months of the summer but this doesn’t happen too often.What’s Good
- Excellent source of sustenance
- Bite sized portions
- Provides plenty of energy
- Attracts a wide assortment of birds
- High oil content
What’s Bad
- Stale batch
- Pricey
- Dries out quickly during the summer sometimes
Summary
Why am I such a fan of this Nyjer bird food?
For starters, I tested it along with Audubon Park Nyjer Seed and Wagner’s Nyjer Seed. The birds in my neighborhood overwhelmingly preferred feasting on Kaytee Nyjer Seed, which is very telling since our winged friends are the ultimate judge.
I also like the overall nutrient ratios. It contains 18% protein, 35% fat, and 27% fiber. This formula also has 12% moisture, which means it remains sticky and wet and it will not dry out too fast.
Best of all…
The birds love it so much that they’ll gobble it up before it really has a chance to dry out anyway. So, the delicious taste combined with excellent moisture content means this is an excellent investment that your feathered friends will really enjoy.
And I have so many beautiful songbirds swarming my feeders that absolutely adore this formula. I’ve seen chickadees, American goldfinches, purple finches, indigo bunting, and mourning doves all wolf down this flavorsome food right in front of my eyes and it’s a beautiful sight to behold.
Best Suet Cakes For Birds
Wildlife Sciences Suet
Editor’s Comments:
This top shelf formula called Wildlife Sciences Suet is the absolute best suet in my estimation. The ingredients are premium quality, affordable, free of making a big mess, and the cakes are melt-resistant and packaged in 100% recyclable packaging, so it’s also really good for the environment as well.
- Weight: 5.84 pounds
- Feeder Type: Tray, Ground
- Dimensions: 13.04” x 10.95” x 6.86”
- Attracts: Chickens, Cardinals, Wrens
- Brand: Kimoe
Overall Score:
89
The Bottom Line:
In truth, it’s my pleasure to recommend this high-octane suet because it’s well respected in the birding community. It’s from a great company that people know and trust and it’s delivered in eco-friendly packaging. It’s also made with first-class premium ingredients that titmice, blue jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, and other perching birds seem to love.What’s Good
- High energy cakes
- Melt resistant formula
- Easy to open packaging
- Packaging is 100% recyclable
- Premium ingredients
What’s Bad
- Lower price means lower quality
- Some birds avoid it
- Received old stock
Summary
When all is said and done, I can recommend this product as the Best Suet on the market for many reasons, of which I’ll share a few below.
For the most part, it’s hard to ignore this product because they make it with the finest ingredients. Although some people would argue that the ingredients are lower quality because the price is so low. I am not one of them because I’ve used this product many times and I can tell you from experience that the ingredients are perfect and the birds love it.
Even better, the overall focus of these suet cakes is that they distribute high energy. Birds expend a lot of energy flapping their wings all day long and they need healthy food to give them a boost when they need it. This premium formula delivers the energetic boost that makes it possible for birds to lead healthy and hearty lives.
Finally, the 100% recycled packaging and melt resistant formula are beautiful add-ons that make this product that much more special. Melt resistance means it isn’t going to turn to mush and fall apart, so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
And the recycled packaging means this company cares about the earth, it cares about people and the animals and other earthly inhabitants. And it wants the world to thrive. You can’t ask for much more than that!
Best Safflower Seed
Wild Delight Safflower Seed
Editor’s Comments:
I chose Wild Delight Safflower Seed as the Best Safflower Seed for lots of reasons including the excellent taste and ease of consumption. The seeds have a thin shell, so it’s easy for orioles, wrens, swallows, and other songbirds to get to the scrumptious insides. It has abundant nutrients, creates hardly any mess, and they deliver it fresh directly to your door.
- Weight: 10 pounds
- Feeder Type: Tube, Tray, Hopper
- Dimensions: 14.5” x 12.75” x 5”
- Attracts: Cardinals, Grosbeak, Woodpeckers
- Brand: Wagner’s
Overall Score:
88
The Bottom Line:
I gave this product my highest recommendation because it checks all the boxes as far as quality is concerned. Safflower seeds have high oil content, which means the birds eating it will absorb lots of energy. Cardinals and other songbirds seem to love it, but it also scares away squirrels, grackles, starlings, and jays which means I get to see more of my favorite birds all the time.What’s Good
- Bitter taste repels squirrels
- Premium seeds
- High oil content
- Attracts an array of songbirds
- Dust free formula
What’s Bad
- Some birds dislike the bitter taste
- Deters jays and grackles
- More expensive than other brands
Summary
There’s so much to love about Wild Delight Safflower Seeds that include:
To begin with, this product creates hardly any mess at all, which is really nice and hard to believe when talking about seeds of this nature. Yet, it’s also a dust-free formula, so you don’t have to worry about lots of dust getting all over your hands, messing up your feeder, or falling all over the grass or dirt in your backyard.
Next, it actually has a bitter taste, which may seem unappealing to us as human beings. But certain birds like songbirds seem to love the way this food tastes and they can’t wait to devour it all. At the same time, it scares away squirrels and other ground feeding animals that could potentially eat all the birdseed before our fine feathered friends have a chance to get to it.
And best of all?
It’s an excellent choice for platform feeders, hoppers, or tube feeders. You likely have one or more of these feeders on hand, so you won’t have to buy a new one just to accommodate this specific type of birdseed and it should save you a little money too.
Best Peanuts For Birds
Lyric Peanut Pieces
Editor’s Comments:
Wild birds seem to love the great taste of Lyric Peanut Pieces because they keep swarming my bird feeder whenever I put them out. Although they can get slightly messy, and do require some cleaning, they’re very pleasurable, easy for the birds to consume, have lots of vitamins and minerals, and you can easily place them in a mesh, hopper, or tray feeder to attract your favorite birds.
- Weight: 7 pounds
- Feeder Type: Hopper, Wire Mesh
- Dimensions: 9.75” x 7” x 5”
- Attracts: Blue Jays, Nuthatches, Juncos
- Brand: Wildlife Sciences
Overall Score:
88
The Bottom Line:
At the end of the day, Lyric Peanut Pieces are truly a vigorous and tasty treat that backyard birds including blue jays, flickers, woodpeckers, and chickadees prefer a great deal. They contain healthy amounts of protein and fat, which makes these pieces an excellent meal for a wide array of birds. And since this product doesn’t contain any fillers, you aren’t wasting your money on stuff that birds wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole.What’s Good
- No mess formula
- Contains healthy fat and protein
- No fillers
- Makes a great snack
- Tasty
What’s Bad
- Peanut shells are messy
- Moldy
- Higher price point
Summary
In summation…
This formula doesn’t contain any germinating seeds or fillers. This is important because many people want to fill their bird feeder and forget about it. They do not want to have to clean up unwanted weed growth or lots of messy waste just to feed backyard birds.
Guess what? You’ll never have to while feeding your favorite feathered friends with these peanut pieces. This product contains split and whole peanuts, which makes it very simple for birds to fully grasp and eat without making a huge mess.
Next, I truly appreciate that these shelled peanuts have a plentiful supply of protein and high fat content. This is exactly what the birds need to maintain a healthy diet so they can live long and happy lives.
Plus, these shelled peanut pieces attract my favorite birds including jays, house finches, and so many more. You’ll see a full complement of beautiful wild birds zipping around your backyard as soon as you start packing your feeders with these peanuts.
Remember, these peanuts are ideal for wild birds. They aren’t for human consumption, so try not to munch on them because they aren’t for you!
Best Millet For Birds
Cole’s White Millet Bird Seed
Editor’s Comments:
Cole’s White Millet Bird Seed was chosen as the Best Millet for good reason. It’s inexpensive and nourishing, so you can feed many birds without breaking the bank. They keep it artificially, chemically, and synthetically free from potential pollutants, so it’s also very healthy. And it also mixes well with other seeds and attracts sparrows, tanagers, quail, and buntings.
- Weight: 15 pounds
- Feeder Type: Tray, Hopper, Mesh
- Dimensions: 4” x 8” x 6”
- Attracts: Grosbeaks, Titmice, Finches
- Brand: Lyric
Overall Score:
86
The Bottom Line:
Overall, I like this product a great deal because the birds seem to enjoy it. It’s relatively easy to consume, and it also has an excellent nutrient profile. It’s a bit on the messy side so it does require some cleaning, but it makes up for it in freshness and the amount of energy that it provides our favorite winged friends.What’s Good
- No added synthetics
- Chemical free
- No artificial flavors
- Inexpensive
- Nutrient rich
What’s Bad
- Some birds ignore it
- Old and stale mix
- Dusty
Summary
Here’s the skinny:
There’s so much to love about Cole’s White Millet Bird Seed. Most of all, you’ll appreciate that it’s free of artificial flavors, chemicals, and synthetics. This means it’s wholesome and beneficial for the birds that we intend to feed it to.
I also like this product because you can scatter it all over the floor or put it in a platform feeder. Sometimes it’s best to scatter some on the ground away from your feeders to keep other ground dwelling animals distracted like squirrels, rodents, and raccoons.
On a side note, I also want to mention that a few previous customers complained about receiving stale, old, and dusty millet with their purchase. This doesn’t appear to be a consistent problem from this company. But I prefer to give my customers as much information as possible, so I decided to share these potentially unflattering facts with you anyway.
Overall, this nutritious bird seed is an excellent choice for ground feeding songbirds including pheasants, painted buntings, indigo buntings, towhees, song sparrows, and more.
Best Mealworms For Birds
Kimoe Mealworms
Editor’s Comments:
I’ve recently discovered two amazing sources of dried mealworms. This led me to test out Hartortempt Non-GMO Dried Mealworms and Kimoe Mealworms. All things considered; these products are very similar with one major exception. The birds in my backyard loved the Kimoe brand much more than their well-respected counterpart. So, I now consider them the Best Mealworms on the market today.
- Weight: 20 pounds
- Feeder Type: Platform, Ground
- Dimensions: 3.5” x 14” x 26”
- Attracts: Towhees, Quail, Tanagers
- Brand: Cole’s Wild Bird Products
Overall Score:
85
The Bottom Line:
These mealworms are an excellent source of multivitamins and protein, so they will successfully satisfy your backyard feathered friends. Believe it or not, they can actually boost bird immune systems and help them fight off colds, viruses, and bacterial illnesses. They’re packaged in a resealable zipped bag, which keeps them flavorful, crisp, and fresh without the need for refrigeration.What’s Good
- 100% natural
- High-protein food
- Non–GMO
- Grown in a clean environment
- Resealable package
What’s Bad
- Crumbly
- Made in China
- Beetles mixed in
Summary
As you can see, mealworms are an excellent source of nutritious food for all of your favorite backyard birds.
First off, these dried mealworms are all natural and 100% free of genetically modified organisms, additives, preservatives, and dust. This means you’re giving your bird friends the best quality product of its kind.
Just to get this out of the way, please know that this product is made in China. Some people don’t like to buy products outside of the USA, and that’s certainly their prerogative. But I recommend these mealworms because they’re ultimately a great deal cheaper than the ones you can buy in the US, so they’ll save you some money.
These mealworms are grown in a clean, sterile, and safe environment. They feed them vegetables including carrots, pumpkin, and bran to keep them healthy, safe, and nutritious for your backyard birds.
Lastly, they come in a resealable bag. This means you can open and close the bag at feeding times and keep them perfectly safe and fresh without the need to store them in a refrigerator.
Who wants to put worms in their family refrigerator? I know I don’t, which is why I really appreciate their freshness sealed packaging.
Best Cracked Corn For Birds
Wagner’s Cracked Corn
Editor’s Comments:
I designated Wagner’s Cracked Corn the Best Cracked Corn for very good reasons. Ground feeding birds and other wild birds seem to love it. You can mix it with other bird seeds in your feeder or give it to the birds as a standalone product. Fowl enjoy it and think it tastes great, plus it’s relatively inexpensive as well.
- Weight: 2.75 pounds
- Feeder Type: Vinyl coated wire cage
- Dimensions: 15.25” x 5.25” x 5”
- Attracts: Bluebirds, Woodpeckers
- Brand: C&S Products Company
Overall Score:
84
The Bottom Line:
Now: getting down to brass tacks, you can feed birds and other types of animals including pheasants, ducks, chipmunks, and rabbits with this great tasting cracked corn. But ultimately, your favorite birds including cardinals, blue jays, juncos, and doves will very much appreciate the tantalizing taste. It mixes well with different bird foods to add additional variety, which we all know is the spice of life!What’s Good
- Standalone bird food
- Mixes well with other seeds
- Inexpensive
- Great taste
- Wild birds love it
What’s Bad
- Attracts rabbits and chipmunks
- Pulverized to dust
- Too many whole kernels
Summary
Let’s get down to business, shall we?
Believe it or not, I like to use cracked corn as more than just a simple bird food. I tend to spread it along the floor away from my bird feeders. This attracts squirrels, rabbits, and other ground dwelling creatures and keeps them fat, happy, and satisfied.
Guess what? By diverting the attention of these other animals, I can also put cracked corn in my feeders and mix it with other delicious tasting seeds. This will attract all of my favorite songbirds and perching birds, and I can watch them enjoy this tasty food as they devour it in the comfort and security of my backyard feeders.
Cracked corn doesn’t provide a wide variety of nutrients, unfortunately, which is why many people use it as a supplement to their existing birdseed. But as I’ve mentioned, the birds really enjoy eating it so I like to feed it to them anyway even though it lacks healthy fats and oils.
Finally, the occasional customer might open a bag and too many corn kernels are either pulverized to dust or not cracked and remain whole. This, unfortunately, happens from time to time, but thankfully it doesn’t seem like a regular occurrence.
Buying Guide To Selecting The Best Bird Seed:
You found your way here because you’re an avid birdwatcher and you enjoy seeing a wide variety of birds spend time in your backyard. And since you’re such a good person, you want to provide them with the best bird seed possible.
Am I right? I knew I had a good feeling about you!
Anyway, I understand wholeheartedly that you want the best for the birds in your neighborhood. You want them to lead healthy, happy, and peaceful lives and providing them with nourishing food helps to ensure their existence.
How do you choose the best bird seed?
Well, for the average person this isn’t going to be possible. They don’t have enough time to perform dozens of hours of research, read countless reviews, or test numerous products to discover the best.
Guess what? I’ve got you covered! I’ve handled all of the legwork on your behalf.
You can either take my advice or not. I’ll leave it up to you.
But know that I love wild birds as much as the next person, so I really dedicated a large portion of my life to finding the best bird seed, bird feeders, bird baths, and other helpful products and related accessories to provide them with a good life.
I focused my research on 6 factors that include:
- Energy
- Freshness
- Messiness
- Nutrient Quality
- Taste & Enjoyment
- Ease of Consumption
Why did I key into these specific areas when choosing the best bird seed? Keep reading to discover my reasons for making these choices.
Energy
Determining whether or not a particular type of bird seed or mixture provides added energy is of the utmost importance.
But why is it so critical?
Think about it for a second…
What provides humans with the most energy? Is it healthy and nutritious meals with the perfect balance of protein, greens, and vegetables? Or is it processed and sugar filled foods?
We all know that processed sugary foods lead to diminished health and low-energy.
The same holds true for our fine feathered friends. You want to focus on finding bird seeds with ample amounts of protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and fiber.
By zeroing in on these nutrients, you’re providing your feathered friends with a wholesome and nutrient dense meal that’s packed with added energy.
And the best part?
After eating your nutritious bird seeds and mixes, your feathery friends will have ample energy available to fly around the neighborhood, spend the day in a tree singing their favorite songs, and frolicking with their other birdie friends.
Low-energy seeds lead to sick, unhealthy, and unhappy neighborhood wild birds.
Are you beginning to see the big picture? I figured you would since I already know that you’re concerned about the health and well-being of these fine winged creatures.
Freshness
It’s also important to focus on freshness when choosing bird seed.
Again, this basically comes down to common sense.
Rancid and yucky bird seed will make your backyard birds unwell. Fresh birdseed will provide strength and longevity.
How can you tell when bird seed goes bad?
Focus in on a few key things that include:
- Mold
- Mildew
- Musty Smell
- Fungus Growth
- Discoloration
It’s always best to stick with companies that have an excellent reputation. Otherwise, you may end up purchasing foul-smelling rancid bird seed that would make the birds in your backyard very ill and sickly.
If you plan on venturing out past my recommendations, you should spend time reading reviews about the product on popular online pet or retail websites.
Read the best reviews and the worst reviews and a few in between. This will help you get a well-rounded picture regarding the product and how it’s shipped to customers.
If most customers are regularly satisfied, then you’re likely dealing with a great company. If they have lots of complaints about the quality of the bird seed, you’ll likely want to steer clear of this company altogether.
Messiness
Unfortunately, you’re likely going to come across messy bird seed from time to time. It happens because some products are messier than others.
How can you help the birds avoid making a huge mess?
Believe it or not, more often than not the messy bird seed is more about the actual feeder than it’s about the seed. We’ve written extensively about our favorite bird feeders on this website, so check out some of our reviews to learn about our expert recommendations.
But besides the feeder, some things to consider regarding messiness include:
- Bird seeds that are still inside the shell
- Choose no waste bird foods
- Make sure the food is tasty enough so the birds eat every bit of it
Some of the least messy bird seeds include:
- Shelled peanuts
- Hulled millet
- Hulled sunflower seeds, chips, or hearts
- No melt suet
- Cracked corn
- Mealworms
Use this information as a guide to avoid choosing messy bird seeds.
Nutrient Quality
Guess what? Providing your fine feathered friends with seeds containing the highest quality nutrients is a beautiful thing. It’s such a nice thing to offer these amazing creatures with flights of fancy.
And the best part?
Finding bird seeds with the most nutrients doesn’t have to become a major chore or hassle. As a matter of fact, I already handled the heavy lifting for you.
But, if you intend to fly solo and look for different bird seeds that I may have missed, you’re certainly welcome to. Consider the following:
- Choose seeds with healthy fats
- Choose seeds with ample protein
- Choose seed mixes with animal protein, vitamins, and minerals
- Consider mealworms and suet because of the multivitamins, fat content, and other health promoting nutrients
Reputation is everything in this industry. Choose bird seeds and mixes from companies that are known for delivering top notch seeds. This way you don’t have to wait and wonder whether or not you’re buying a first-rate product.
Taste & Enjoyment
Think about it…
What’s the point of buying bird seeds if the birds aren’t going to eat it? The taste has to be scrumptious and amazing, because otherwise the birds are going to turn their heads in disgust.
Now:
I understand that you cannot personally taste the bird seed to find out if it’s tasty and delicious! That would be weird and kind of scary too!
But,
You can let your fine feathered friends perform the taste tests on your behalf.
Either buy many types of seeds or read online reviews to find out if other customers found tasty bird seeds that the wild birds in their community tend to love.
There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. And there’s no reason to buy excess bird seed if you don’t want to. Trust online reviews because they’re helpful, and sometimes they’re even entertaining.
Ease Of Consumption
In case you might be asking yourself…
What does ease of consumption have to do with bird seeds?
Believe it or not, this is crucially important. The last thing you need is to buy a 20-pound bag of seeds that the birds have a hard time eating.
Right or wrong?
So, ease of consumption is a really important category.
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of:
- Bird seeds that come in a really tough shell that’s too difficult for birds to crack
- Bird seeds that are so wet and messy that they look rancid and become hard to consume
- Bird seeds that still remain in their thick shell
By avoiding these seeds, you’ll provide your local winged creatures with healthy and tasty treats that will help them sustain their energy and longevity.
Bird Seed FAQs:
When Should I Avoid Putting Out Bird Seed?
This might seem odd or even wrong at first, but there are actually certain scenarios when you should avoid putting out bird seed.
First, do you have bears roaming free in the wilderness surrounding your hometown?
If you answered yes, then you should avoid filling your bird feeders during the warmer months. Bears are roaming around during this season and they’ll be attracted to the smell.
Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to stumble upon a black bear eating bird seed in your backyard! It’s incredibly frightening to say the least.
Extremely hot weather is also bad for bird seed and suet.
The hot temperatures tend to spoil the seeds. And with the suet, the heat softens it, which has a tendency to foul up the plumage of birds.
How Long Will Bird Seed Last In The Feeder?
On average, bird seed lasts 2-3 days in the feeder before it begins to spoil.
More often than not, the seeds in your feeder will not last that long.
But to play it safe, you should not overfill the feeder. Otherwise, the bird seeds will end up going bad and you’ll have to throw away the foul seeds that are no longer safe for the birds to eat.
Do your best to avoid overfilling because it leads to spoilage. Keep your seeds in a dry, cool place during storage. And store them in an area where rodents cannot get to them.
Will Birds Eat Bird Seed After It Gets Wet?
Truth be told, birds will not eat wet bird food or seeds. And there’s a very good reason why they avoid it altogether.
Wet bird food can get moldy. Obviously, birds do not want to eat moldy food because it can make them really sick and nauseous.
Also, wet bird seed tends to begin sprouting. Birds do not like to eat sprouts whatsoever. They prefer eating full seeds and nothing more.
Even worse, the wetness can make the seeds spoil. It’s quite evident that your fine feathered friends will not want to eat spoiled food because they’ll turn ill.
What Is Bird Food Commonly Made Of?
For the most part, bird food is commonly made of a number of popular seeds, fruits, and other ingredients. All in all, in today’s popular bird seed mixtures you can typically find:
- Sunflower Seeds
- Safflower Seeds
- Cracked Corn
- Peanuts
- Raisins
- Cherries
- Red Millet
- Red Milo
- Nyjer
- Canary Seeds
- White Millet
- Mealworms
- Suet
What Common Foods Are Toxic To Birds?
To make sure the birds in your area remain healthy, safe, and in excellent spirits, there are certain foods that can be very toxic to these creatures.
Toxic bird food ingredients to avoid include:
- Garlic
- Onions
- Salt
- Xylitol
- Caffeine
- Avocado
- Chocolate
- Apple Seeds
- Fruit Pits
By avoiding these ingredients, you’re providing local wild birds with a safe and healthy place to eat tasty food that will provide fantastic nourishment to enhance their longevity and well-being.
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