do birds eat wheat grain

As per The Audubon Society

“Good mixed seed. Thompson emphasizes that there are bad mixed seeds. “A lot of filler, or junk seeds that most birds won’t eat, is included in bad mixed seed.” Bad mixed seed can include wheat, colored seed intended for pet birds, and some varieties of red milo that only seem to be consumed by birds in the Desert Southwest. Good mixed seed, according to him, contains a lot of cracked corn, white proso millet, sunflower seeds, and maybe even some peanut hearts. Check for seed at specialty bird stores. “.

Certain seeds shouldn’t be given to our eastern songbirds; it’s not that they will hurt them, but rather that they won’t eat them. These seeds will be scattered by eastern songbirds and end up piled up in a messy heap on the ground. Until you take the time to scoop up this filler/waste seed mixture and place it in a waste bin, it will continue to accumulate. Unfortunately, the reason why unwanted rodents may be drawn to your backyard could be these waste/filler seeds. (See our website, The Right Seed For Ontario, for a comprehensive glossary of what is meant by eastern songbirds.) ).

The filler/waste seeds are found in seed blends sold by retailers who have chosen to capitalize on one of the fastest-growing pastimes in North America, but do not specialize in bird feeding. To capitalize on our need for easy shopping, big box stores, hardware stores, general pet food stores, garden centers, grocery stores, and bulk food stores all sell discounted wild bird seed blends. These stores don’t care about the best quality; instead, they only care about the best price. This is because they won’t hire and train employees to assist you in making the best decision; instead, they want the sale to be attributed to the apparent but deceptive low price.

Our research indicates that discount seed blends contain 20%-70% filler or wasted seed in the bag. Example – Supreme Blend: Ingredients: raw peanuts (unroasted peanuts are dangerous to birds and wildlife), mineral oil (not natural, not required), berry flavoring (not natural, not required), white millet (regional ground seed), red milo (filler/waste), soft wheat (filler/waste), cut wheat (filler/waste), and black oil sunflower (regional seed). Out of the seven foods listed, this typical discount seed blend contains three filler/waste seeds, one dangerous seed, two ground feeding foods, one general regional seed, and additional non-natural ingredients for birds. The first three ingredients are waste or filler seed, and the fifth ingredient is the most all-purpose seed for all songbirds. Similar to any other ingredient list, the ingredients that are most abundant are listed from least abundant to most abundant in descending order.

The Wild Birds Unlimited Bird Seed Value Statement

Based on the ingredients lists we can compare three of regionally formulated blends to the Discount Supreme Blend. Deluxe Blend – black oil sunflower, white millet, striped sunflower, safflower – $35.99 per 20 lb. equals $1.80/lb. vs Discount Supreme $3.71/lb.

Supreme Blend – black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, safflower, striped sunflower – $39.99 per 20 lb. equals $2.00/lb. vs Discount Supreme $3.71/lb.

Choice Blend – black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, striped sunflower, safflower and roasted peanuts – $42.99 per 20lb. equals $2.15/lb. vs Discount Supreme $3.71/lb.

The Big Box Bird Seed Value Statement – Discount Supreme Blend

The value statement – $24. 48 for 10kg/22 lb. equals $1. 11/lb. ; 70% by weight is filler/waste seed; this means 15. 4 lb. of seed will be discarded and not consumed; 6 6 lb. of seed, including the potentially harmful raw peanuts, may be consumed if the seed is fresh and of high quality. The true value statement – $24. 48 for 6. 6 lb. or $3. 71/lb. If you didn’t know and there wasn’t a Certified Bird Feeding Specialist present to explain the worth of your purchase, you would probably estimate it to be $1. 11/lb. was a good deal for bird seed, but the actual cost per pound of bird seedwhich the birds might actually eatis much higher, at $3. 71/lb.

FAQ

What household grains do birds eat?

All types of grains: This includes beans, lentils, corn, wheat, rice, and any other kind of grains in their natural state. Often, these grains sit in the pantry for years and may not be suitable for human consumption. If dry and well preserved, grains are an ideal kitchen food that can be offered to backyard birds.

Is it OK to feed birds whole wheat bread?

Please don’t give wild birds bread, crackers or other human snack foods. Bread has zero nutrition for wild birds. In fact, bread, crackers, chips and other human snacks are, in some ways, WORSE than feeding birds absolutely nothing.

What cereals can birds eat?

Vets have approved the use of whole-grain cereals such as Cheerios for birds, because they are low in sugar, made of whole grains and contain no artificial colours or sweeteners.