Does Niger Seed Go Bad? (1 Viewer)

[dsegel]

Hello, I live in SW PA, USA Zone 6.

I have a black oil sunflower mesh feeder that is very popular--many species visit it, including many gold and purple finches. I recently found some niger seed in my basement I forgot I had. I'd say it's at least a year old. I put it in a "sock" feeder near the sunflower feeder and the birds ignored it. I thought maybe the sock feeder wasn't working well in the cold and snow so I bought a mesh finch feeder and loaded it up. Still no luck.

Is it possible that the niger seed is bad or could it be that the birds prefer the sunflower seed that is offered nearby?

 

[etudiant]

Hi and welcome to Bird Forum.

Niger seed can indeed go bad, especially if it has been exposed to moisture.
That said, it also takes birds a bit of time to learn to appreciate niger seed, although the finch species were never slow to pick up the niger in my experience.
Maybe just buy a small amount of fresh niger seed and use that in your feeders. If it does not get the same cold shoulder as what you have, you'll know where the problem is.
Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[dsegel]

Hi and welcome to Bird Forum.

Niger seed can indeed go bad, especially if it has been exposed to moisture.
That said, it also takes birds a bit of time to learn to appreciate niger seed, although the finch species were never slow to pick up the niger in my experience.
Maybe just buy a small amount of fresh niger seed and use that in your feeders. If it does not get the same cold shoulder as what you have, you'll know where the problem is.
Good luck and please keep us posted.

I did buy some fresh seed and the birds have been coming to it on a regular basis. Thank you for your answer!

 

[fugl]

Is it possible that the niger seed is bad. . ?

I've had a lot of experience with bad niger and nowadays I routinely discard any excess in the spring and buy a fresh supply in the fall.

 

[dsegel]

I've had a lot of experience with bad niger and nowadays I routinely discard any excess in the spring and buy a fresh supply in the fall.

That's going to be my routine, as well. Or at least feed it all out until gone. Except for humming birds, I do not feed seed during the warm weather.

 

[Brian2]

The birds soon tell you when the Niger seed's not right...they stop eating it
I buy from the same place every time now after purchasing a few places only to find the birds won't eat it..change it and they're straight back on the feeder. I think it's dampness that causes it to go bad too so store in a dry enviroment.