Feeding wild birds in your backyard is an exciting hobby that can provide hours of joy for both you and the cardinals, woodpeckers and nuthatches that frequent your feeder. But make sure your seed mixtures meet certain standards – not all seeds are created equally!
Milo (sorghum), for instance, is not eaten by wild birds. To achieve maximum results from your feeder, learn which seeds to avoid in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.
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Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are an integral component of many bird feeders and should always be provided hulled for easier consumption by birds. Sunflower seeds offer many nutritional benefits for both you and the birds that visit, including protein, fiber, plant-based fats and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids – they’re even allergy-friendly, making them an excellent alternative to peanuts and other nuts for those with food allergies.
Black oil sunflower seeds are among the best seed choices to attract wild birds to your feeders, due to their high oil content and thin shells which allow most seed-eating birds to easily crack open resulting in minimal to no waste under your feeders.
Sunflower seeds provide an abundance of essential vitamins and minerals, such as folate, zinc and vitamin E which all work to strengthen our immune systems. Sprinkle some on salads, trail mix or over roasted vegetables as a satisfying snack that’ll leave you feeling satiated but satisfied – just avoid salted and flavored varieties as these contain excessive sodium levels.
White Proso Millet
White proso millet is an annual, warm-season summer crop grown globally. Often fed to livestock such as cattle, sheep, hogs, rabbits, quail and turkeys for feed production purposes; it can also attract ground feeding birds like finches.
Proso millet is chock-full of magnesium, an essential mineral for maintaining balanced insulin levels and managing blood sugar. Furthermore, its abundance of antioxidants helps flush away free radicals that contribute to premature aging and dull skin conditions.
Shafer Seed’s 84075 White Proso Millet is one of the most beloved wild bird seeds available today, ideal for drawing in chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and titmice to your feeders.
Mealworms
Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) are larvae from an insect beetle and provide birds with a tasty food source, packed with calcium which nesting birds need as essential nutrition for raising young. You can feed mealworms along with chicken eggshells or powdered calcium carbonate powder to your birds to get started.
Mealworms are packed with protein, fat and fiber – three elements beloved by many songbirds! Orioles, bluebirds and woodpeckers in particular love them; moreover incorporating dried mealworms into tray or hopper feeders may draw in species who would normally remain hidden behind cover.
Mealworms are an ideal winter feeding item because they contain essential proteins, fat and fiber to keep birds warm, however they cannot replace essential foods like insects, berries and fruits. Furthermore, birds require water for hydration purposes – Chickadees seek it out regularly through drinking from icicles or eating snow to find it!
Sorghum (Milo)
Grain sorghum is one of the top five cereal crops worldwide and one of the most versatile plants, capable of being grown for feed, fiber production or as an imitation molasses facsimile. Furthermore, grain sorghum serves well to suppress weed growth in dry fields by acting as a cover crop.
Rice is an extremely popular feed grain for cattle across the country and especially thrives in Oklahoma because it doesn’t need too much water and can tolerate long, hot summers without experiencing problems.
Sorghum can be used to produce popular Southern treats like sorghum syrup and hot biscuits, and can even be made into a thick molasses-like substance used as an ingredient for making rum.
Milo is often added to wild bird seed mixes to make them more palatable for birds. Milo provides similar nutrition as wheat and corn while being easier and cheaper to grow – all while filling up bags!
