Providing live food to your bird species is important for their wellbeing. These creatures don’t put on weight easily and they are always full of energy. They are constantly on the move and have to be on the lookout for predators. Fortunately, many wild birds have excellent evasion and hiding mechanisms, which means that they are in a constant state of alert. They’ll appreciate a steady diet of live food, but it’s best to offer different foods, such as niger seed, shelled sunflower, mesh peanut, and suet cake.
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Shelled sunflower
There are two main types of sunflower seed: hulled and unhulled. Headed sunflower seed is usually a little more expensive per ounce, but is more convenient for bird feeders. Birds won’t eat striped and black-oil varieties, and unhulled seeds are easier to remove from a feeder without leaving a mess. Shelled sunflower is good for almost every type of bird feeder, including hoppers.
Niger seed
The use of Niger seed as live food for birds is not new. In fact, it’s a staple food for many birds. This seed is packed with 18% protein and 35% fat, making it the equivalent of a superfood for birds. Common species that feed on niger seed include finches, nuthatches, and redpolls. However, the ostrich has not yet been observed to consume the seed.
Mesh peanut
A Mesh peanut feeder for wild birds will attract clinging, peanut-eating birds. Its unique design blends with its surroundings and provides a practical, sheltered feeder for birds. It will also keep birds at the feeder for a longer period of time. Here are some tips for feeding birds. Firstly, choose peanuts that are free of aflatoxin fungus. Poor quality peanuts may carry the fungus, which is toxic to birds.
Suet cake
If you’re interested in attracting wild birds to your backyard or garden, you can consider giving them suet cake. Suet cakes are made from no-melt suet dough and nutritional food blend. These mixtures include sunflower meats, pecans, and berry and insect Suet Kibbles(tm). Depending on the recipe you use, the suet may be made with either dried suet or raw suet. It’s best to use high-quality suet for this live food.
Eggshells
If you love wildlife, one of the best ways to feed them is to use your broken eggshells. Most of us use them in our cooking, but why not use them as live food for your birds? The eggshells contain calcium, which adult birds need in their diets. Without adequate calcium in their diets, they’ll develop weak bones. To use eggshells as live food for wild birds, you need to sterilize them. To sterilize your eggshells, hard boil an egg and peel it. Bake it at 200 degrees for 15 minutes, and you’re good to go! You can also add crushed eggshells to homemade suet cakes or sprinkle them around your backyard.
Pasta
If you are looking for a way to attract birds to your backyard, one of the best methods is to serve pasta to wild birds. Before feeding the pasta to wild birds, you should drain it in a colander or a spaghetti strainer. Once it has cooled, cut it into small pieces and leave it near the bird feeder or bird bath. Many birds like to feed from small piles of pasta, so you may want to leave several pieces of pasta out at a time.
Rice
Despite its popularity, rice as a live food for wild birds is not the best choice for your bird’s diet. While rice is relatively low in nutritional value, the birds can get too much of it and be deficient in essential nutrients. Rice is a natural source of carbohydrates and therefore can pose a risk to your bird if given to them in large quantities. It is also important to note that rice contains traces of heavy metals, such as arsenic and mercury. Because rice is grown in polluted areas, it can contain trace amounts of arsenic, mercury, and other contaminants. These contaminants are concentrated in the germ and bran of rice, which are considered the most nutritious parts of the grain.
Blueberries
Wild birds love blueberries. You can offer them in addition to their regular food on a weekly or daily basis, but don’t overdo it. Blueberries shouldn’t make up more than 25% of their diet, and you can offer them once or twice a week. Birds are not designed to live solely on blueberries, so they also need a wide variety of food. Whether they are offered as live food or in a dish, berries should always make up less than 25% of the total diet.
Pumpkin seeds
When preparing your bird feeder, add pumpkin seeds to it. This type of seed has a soft, nutty texture and is a favorite of many wild birds. The seeds are high in protein and fiber and contain additional vitamins and minerals. Additionally, they contain phytosterols, which help protect birds against cardiovascular disease. Be careful not to overcook pumpkin seeds though! Pumpkin seeds are toxic to birds when overcooked, so you need to make sure you use fresh ones.
Striped sunflower seeds
When feeding your backyard birds, you can offer striped sunflower seeds as a treat. These seeds are larger than black oil sunflower seeds. Many birds love sunflower seeds, especially blackbirds. However, sunflower seeds can be a problem for some birds. Blackbirds, for example, have a difficult time cracking the hull. Striped sunflower seeds have a thicker shell and are therefore less attractive to these birds.
