How I went from buying expensive bird seed to making my own mix last month

I used to just grab whatever brand name bag was on sale at the hardware store in town. Then I noticed the birds were picking through it and leaving half of it on the ground. After 3 tries with different store mixes, I started reading online forums like this one and realized the cheap stuff has tons of filler like milo and red millet that my local birds don't even touch. Now I buy separate bags of black oil sunflower seeds, white proso millet, and cracked corn from a feed store 10 miles away. I mix it myself in a big plastic bin in about 5 minutes and it costs me $12 less per month. The cardinals and chickadees have been hitting my feeder nonstop since I switched. Has anyone else tried making their own blend or found a weird ingredient the birds in your area go crazy for?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.cole4d ago

Started making my own blend about a year ago for the same reason, those premade bags are a scam. My blue jays go crazy for raw peanuts in the shell, I toss a handful in with the sunflower seeds and millet. Saves me a ton of money and the birds actually eat everything now instead of just kicking it around.

gonzalez.wesley4d ago

Man I feel that. Those premixed bags are such a ripoff. Half the time it's just filler the birds won't even touch. Switched to my own mix last fall and never looked back. My blue jays do the same thing with peanuts, they go nuts for em. Saves me a good chunk of change and way less mess on the ground too.