Wild Bird Seed Recommendations?

[Mizzely]

I've not really had a bird feeder location before, and while I've had one up since moving in February, the snows have made my feeder quite popular!

I'm looking for a good wild bird seed, hopefully $1.50 a lb or less ($1 a lb would be preferable) that contains no milo as they do not eat it. Currently my most frequent visitors are:

Pigeons
Nuthatches
Chickadees
House finches
Blue Jays (two of which hatched from my tree this year )

I currently just have a gravity style feeder that dumps out to a narrow perch at the bottom, but am going to get a tray or two for the pigeons and jays, and am looking at a silo or similar for the smaller guys.

They will be located on my covered balcony.

Recommendations? I'm fine buying more than one blend

 

[Macawnutz]

I have so many birds inside that I can't worry about feeding the birds outside but Joe does. I will ask him what he feeds them but I know it's a production. In addition to the seed he is always opening these gross looking cakes of sticky mess. We are feeding about the same minus Pigeons, we have doves. I like that he feeds my squirrel family in the front trees. They are adorable once you get to know them.

I do know whatever he feeds I wouldn't want it somewhere I had to clean. Those outside birds are much dirtier then the inside birds and that's saying something here!

 

[Mizzely]

Yeah the pigeons luckily clean up most of the stuff the squirrel knocks out lol. Just the Milo is left behind. My balcony is over the driveway so I just use a leaf blower and blow it off the deck and then into the street

 

[Love My Zons]

I buy Red Bird mixes and really like the Audubon mixes. And I do hang the suet cakes they love them, gives them that added fat they need in the cold.

We have wild bird stores here but their bags are expensive.

A 5 lb bag was $6.99 of the Audubon brand. I don't buy the berry mix due to my dogs incase any raisins are in it.

 

[Mizzely]

Yes true, I have a lot of dogs in my neighborhood and would like to avoid raisins also. I do have a suet cake out there but so far no takers

 

[Love My Zons]

Yes true, I have a lot of dogs in my neighborhood and would like to avoid raisins also. I do have a suet cake out there but so far no takers

Really? My suet cake gets activity. There are so many flavors. I have seen squirrels on it too.

Yes, the berry and nut mixes are too dangerous for my liking if the dogs get into it or the feeder gets knocked down which isn't likely but still safety first.

I do toss uneaten bowls of food from my birds out for any ground feeders and other wildlife possums to raccoons.

 

[Mizzely]

Really? My suet cake gets activity. There are so many flavors. I have seen squirrels on it too.

Yes, the berry and nut mixes are too dangerous for my liking if the dogs get into it or the feeder gets knocked down which isn't likely but still safety first.

I do toss uneaten bowls of food from my birds out for any ground feeders and other wildlife possums to raccoons.

Yeah I've had squirrels run off with the whole suet cake at my old house lol. I might just need to rearrange

 

[April]

Yeah I've had squirrels run off with the whole suet cake at my old house lol. I might just need to rearrange

Those MI squirrels are nuts I tell you! I'll never forget when I was in 3rd grade our classroom was half underground(so weird) so our windows were level with the grassy area outside the school so we had those windows that you can open part of it on a hinge I guess for lack of a better word so it was open at like a slant and there was open space above and bellow the glass. so keeping that in mind we had a bird feeder hung higher up on the tree that was next to the window and the squirrels were obsessed with it and always were trying to get at it and day one of them launched themselves at the feeder came in to strong and sailed right into our classroom window through the opening! To say that got a reaction was an understatement! Luckily he was able to be captured quickly and returned outside but man they just don't care when it comes to food!

 

[Macawnutz]

Joe's grandfather used to have this ???? IDK squirrel deterrent wheel?

something like this.

You couldn't tell him anything so I just smiled. Man it would fling those squirrels.

 

[Mizzely]

Reminds me of this:

 

[Mizzely]

Looking at these:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/royal-wing-backyard-deluxe-40-lb

White Millet, Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Red Millet, Safflower, Striped Sunflower, Sunflower Chips

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/lyric-supreme-wild-bird-mix-40-lb

Black Oil Sunflower Seed, White Proso Millet, Cracked Corn, Shelled Peanuts, Safflower Seed, Black Striped Sunflower Seed, Pecans, Pistachios, Small Golden Millet Seed, Canary Seed, Nyjer Seed, Sunflower Kernels.

Leaning towards the 2nd one just because it seems to have a bit of everything for everyone

 

[Macawnutz]

I just looked at Joe's bags. I think he makes a custom mix. We are in a heavy livestock area so feedmills are abundant. Making custom mixes is not uncommon to our stores so, I'm no help. I don't know what half those oat looking things are.

 

[Mizzely]

Looking at these:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/royal-wing-backyard-deluxe-40-lb

White Millet, Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Red Millet, Safflower, Striped Sunflower, Sunflower Chips

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/lyric-supreme-wild-bird-mix-40-lb

Black Oil Sunflower Seed, White Proso Millet, Cracked Corn, Shelled Peanuts, Safflower Seed, Black Striped Sunflower Seed, Pecans, Pistachios, Small Golden Millet Seed, Canary Seed, Nyjer Seed, Sunflower Kernels.

Leaning towards the 2nd one just because it seems to have a bit of everything for everyone

Apparently both of these are not carried in store and they don't offer free shipping Off to Chewy!

 

[MommyBird]

Apparently both of these are not carried in store and they don't offer free shipping Off to Chewy!

you might want to check Duncraft wild bird superstore. They frequently have free shipping on orders around maybe it is 75$.
You should check one of those promo sites to see what promos are on now before ordering.
Bird Seed, Bird Food, Bird Feed Supplies

 

[Mizzely]

you might want to check Duncraft wild bird superstore. They frequently have free shipping on orders around maybe it is 75$.
You should check one of those promo sites to see what promos are on now before ordering.
Bird Seed, Bird Food, Bird Feed Supplies

I haven't ordered anything yet, ty for the link!

I had Josh pick up a mix to tide us over while I'm looking. It still has milo but it's farther down the list at least. I do really like the looks of the Lyric Supreme Mix and Chewy carries it, so I might just grab that.


Black Oil Sunflower, White Millet, Cracked Corn, Red Milo, Peanut Pieces, Safflower

 

[finchly]

That one looks pretty good!

 

[Mizzely]

I put out a suet cake and another hanging feeder with a wider platform today. Still want to get a ground platform and a finch feeder but so far I am happy! As you can see I needed more space so I zip tied my unused shepherd's hook to the banister I will be Ubolting it on later, but needed proof of concept for the husband

 

[Love My Zons]

I put out a suet cake and another hanging feeder with a wider platform today. Still want to get a ground platform and a finch feeder but so far I am happy! As you can see I needed more space so I zip tied my unused shepherd's hook to the banister I will be Ubolting it on later, but needed proof of concept for the husband

View attachment 397017

Love this, but that wouldn't fly at my house. One, the mess of spent seed near the house (me) and the attraction of vermin my other half thinks it attracts field mice.

As if, we already had an issue with them and no feeders near the house! Every year it gets cold, yup we get a meece or two unfortunately and they meet a snappy fate!

Not in my house, no bueno!

 

[Mizzely]

Love this, but that wouldn't fly at my house. One, the mess of spent seed near the house (me) and the attraction of vermin my other half thinks it attracts field mice.

As if, we already had an issue with them and no feeders near the house! Every year it gets cold, yup we get a meece or two unfortunately and they meet a snappy fate!

Not in my house, no bueno!

I know when we bought the house there was evidence of them having mice at one point. I haven't seen any new signs since moving in. This is up on my 2nd story so hopefully will discourage them a little!

 

[Love My Zons]

I know when we bought the house there was evidence of them having mice at one point. I haven't seen any new signs since moving in. This is up on my 2nd story so hopefully will discourage them a little!

I don't understand how we had a few years ago. None for years and then last year and recently!

Like that ain't happening in my house. My Mom got one in her house last year too and her house is 9 years old. They can squeeze under anything it seems. I hate to use traps, but if you don't get them, you'll have a problem. Dog food is sealed in storage containers so they have no food access.

Hopefully these 2 were it. P