sultanas or raisins,any preference? (2 Viewers)

[carol]

Good evening all,

Having made myself almost bankrupt through the generous provision of assorted seeds throughout the summer(you all know how the cost of sunflower hearts,black sunflower seeds,table mix,ground mix,feeder mix,peanuts etc soon mounts up!) I've decided to introduce some other,hopefully cheaper aspects to the diet of my feathered friends .Already using cheap porridge oats,brown bread and apples,pears,grapes etc, but I've heard people suggesting dried fruit, such as sultanas.Would there be any difference between sultanas and raisins?Do you need to soak them first?If so,how long for and is it ok to feed them whole now that the "chick/fledgling season" is over?I'm still going to be providing them with assorted seed mixes and peanuts,but I'm hoping that the provision of plenty of other things will mean that my seed bill might not get any worse than it is at the moment!
Any comments and suggestions will be most welcome.

Carol

 

[IanF]

uite a while ago we found that our garden birds definitely seem to prefer the sultanas over currants, though they all get eaten. we use the cheapest we can find and straight out of the packet.

 

[helenol]

I also provide sultanas for the birds, mainly the blackbirds. I buy the supermarket own brand "value" packets. Although when the starlings return, a packet soon disappears.

Helen

 

[Mike D]

Hi Carol
If your Blackbirds are anything like mine then they will possibly prefer Currants.
I've tried the others but have noticed that the sultanas get left till last, and even ignored altogether. However, if you are talking about Starlings then they will eat anything.

Washing them first? No, I buy the ready washed ones from my local supermarket, mainly because they are not so sticky and throwing out a couple of handfulls is just that, not a couple of bricks. Spreading them around helps because Blackbirds are very teritorial and will keep away others (though not the Starlings, who will intimidate them). Even if you buy the cheaper unwashed ones then it is not necessary to wash them. After all, they are fit for human consumption.

If you persevere then you will end up with a BB which will come withing a foot of you to take them.

Robins love mealworms! Available at lots of petshops, especially those dealing with reptiles. Again, they become very tame, to the point where one would come indoors to 'steal' them while we were watching, and feed from the hand. Wonderful feeling, a completely wild creature showing so much trust! Even after the mealworm metamorphose into black beetles these are eagerly accepted by most of my birds.

Cost? A lot. Value? Unmeasureable!

Luck with the feeding.

 

[helenol]

Regarding mealworms. I had a robin feeding from my hand and flying into the kitchen waiting for the worms this spring, as it was taking them back to the nest to feed the young.

Mealworms are expensive, and yes, I do buy them. But then, so is a packet of cigarettes (yes I do smoke). The pleasure of watching a bird, especially the small ones (dunnocks etc) picking up a mealworm before the larger birds get to them is just fantastic, and I find myself egging the smaller birds on by muttering "go on, pick 'em up quick, go on!"

Yes, it's the small things in life that give the most pleasure.....

 

[Elizabeth Bigg]

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Robins love mealworms! Available at lots of petshops, especially those dealing with reptiles. Again, they become very tame, to the point where one would come indoors to 'steal' them while we were watching, and feed from the hand. Wonderful feeling, a completely wild creature showing so much trust! Even after the mealworm metamorphose into black beetles these are eagerly accepted by most of my birds.

Cost? A lot. Value? Unmeasureable!

Also available by mail order - but for the ultimate experience try BYO - if you have the beetles, you are part way there to setting up your own breeding programme.

 

[carol]

Thanks everyone!

Asda seem to be doing a good deal on dried fruit just now,50% extra free on most big packs, so I might stock up with a few bags tomorrow.
For a while I was also putting out grated cheese,which was very popular with most of the birds(got a blackbird to come within about a foot of me)but unfortunately,every cat and dog in the neighbourhood discovered that the "cafeteria" had introduced a new line! Does anyone else have a problem with the local wildlife helping itself? I never realised that dogs ate fruit until I started putting it out for the birds,wondered why the grapes went so quickly!

Carol

 

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Squirrels are my only real problem, but I have a squirrel proof bird table, and they have more or less given up on the so-called squirrel proof feeders, because they can feast on the ground table feeders - but they only get porridge oats and seed mix there.

 

[Alf King]

For dreid fruit such as raisins, currants and sultansas it does help to soak them overnight before putting them out. Whilst feeding them dry wan't actually cause any harm it does help whenever water is scarce to provide them pre-soaked.