fbpx Q. My dad is convinced the cheap bag of bird seed he gets at the grocery store is perfectly fine for his birds. He is on a limited budget, what can I tell him? (FALL 2009) | Backyard Bird Center

Q. My dad is convinced the cheap bag of bird seed he gets at the grocery store is perfectly fine for his birds. He is on a limited budget, what can I tell him? (FALL 2009)

Plain and simple, it really is expectations. The “cheap” birdseed blends are filled with fillers like milo, cracked corn, wheat, sticks, stems, rocks and who knows what else. If he is OK with feeding hordes of House Sparrows, grackle and Mourning Doves then the cheap mixes are probably fine. If he wants to attract cardinals, chickadees, flickers and other beautiful birds then he will do far better with quality seed. A 50lb bag of Black Oil Sunflower (the favorite seed of more birds than any other) is (check for current price). I can’t imagine a bag of the “cheep” seed costing much less. If he does want to feed the sparrows and doves, he is better just buying a bag of White Proso Millet (check current price for 50 lb) and spreading in on the ground and leaving the feeders for the sunflower and better birds. The proof is in the results. Give this a try and see what happens.

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