Bags and bags full

[MariusStegmann]

Yesterday the wife went to buy more birdseed. Not there was a shortage, because I still had a 5 kg plastic container full of seed. Normally I buy 1 kg bags of white, red, and yellow millet, yapseed and canary seed and mix it. My wife decided that going to the shop every 2nd week to buy birdfood is nonsense. She decided to buy 5 kg bags of all the above seeds. 25 Kg of birdseed!
The shop put all the bags of seed in a big strong plastic bag and between my wife and my daughter they managed to drag this huge bag out of the car into the house. I don't know how many months it is going to take my poor birds to eat all this food.

[Rox]

Hahaha Marius, your wife really seems to be getting into the bird keeping side of things. She has a point though, bulk is better and easier. I should probably do that as well, now that I think about it....

I'm sure the garden birds won't mind if you share some of the seed with them

[MariusStegmann]

Rox I must admit, when you post pictures about your garden birds, it looks pretty cool, but I worked for the first 14 years of my life with researchers, who regards people who feed wild bird on a par with satan. In those circles it is frowned upon because they believe that it robs the wild birds of their natural ability to able to hunt their own food. I keep thinking that if I feed a few generations of wild birds and I move or die, those birds would die too. I don't really feel strongly about it like some of my ex colleagues, but I won't make a habit of it.

[Rox]

I do agree with that to a point. If we ever move, we will start weaning off the daily feed for our garden birds so that they know to still go and search for their own food (which they do anyway). We only put seed down once a day for them, definitely not enough to support all of them but it gives them a snack during the day. The fruit only lasts about an hour before the mouse birds devour it all and move off to the next feeding spot

[MariusStegmann]

Rox I don't really worry about the food issue. I don't want to make the birds tamer, for the cats to catch easier.

[Babs _Owner]

MariusStegmann

I cant put out bird food either. One of my dogs is superfast. She's already dispatched a snake and a few rabbits.

I do enjoy (twice a week) putting out a bowl of soft dog kibble or boiled eggs for a pack of crows. But I put that up high in the crook of a big tree. Not enough to make them dependent on me. Just enough for me to enjoy their presence once in a while.

Thankfully the crows know better than to hang out on the ground.

[Lucille]

How very fortunate you are to have a wife who will go buy bird food. A treasure.

[Smurf]

Marius, there's an easy solution to using up the Birdseed quicker

When i buy birdseed i always get the seed mixes, either versele laga foreign finch in 20Kg bags or Jovati foreign finch in 25Kg bags, it's ALOT cheaper than buying by the Kg, i find both above mixes to be clean.

[MariusStegmann]

Smurf It is cheaper here too. But in the finchmix I get all these seeds that my birds don't like. Like niger, canola, crushed maize etc.

[MariusStegmann]

Lucille Very true. My wife has proved to be a treasure now that I am laid up with a broken ankle. There seemed to be very little that I can do. It is very frustrating.

[lovezebs]

MariusStegmann

I think you are loving it , Marius. Laying around all day, being spoiled rotten, being waited on hand and foot, just snap your fingers and people come running, tsk tsk tsk......

Just kidding, I'm sure you're hating every second of this. When is it going to be persumed healed?

I just did the big seed buy today. Good grief, but these guys eat a lot of money . Two 18 pound bags of Wild Finch Mix, plus another 15 pounds of small Finch Mix, plus 2 pounds of spray millet, along with extra 1 kilo bags of Canary seed, red millet and oats, and Budgie seed.

All this gets mixed together and poured into large plastic buckets. This lasts about a month (give or take). And on top of that, there's the eggs and the greens and the fruit and vitamins..... PLUS hours and hours of work......

This is not a cheap hobby.

[MariusStegmann]

lovezebs Another two weeks of laying about, snapping my fingers etc. before I am allowed to weight on the foot. I am not taking any chances. I don't want another operation.

Sounds like your birds are eating more veggies than me. I hate the stuff. Really vile. If I had a choice, I would just eat meat.

[lovezebs]

MariusStegmann

'Marius, you have to finish all your vegetables, before you can have your meat,' lol. (I can just imagine your good Mother, telling you something along those lines when you were a child).

I have to admit though, that my birdlings do love their veggies, and fruits. When people see me with my cart at the store, they must think that I'm the healthiest eater around, with all the greens that I buy.

I'm glad it's only two more weeks to go. Then I am thinking some physical therapy, to build up some muscle tone, and then you'll be up and about, and as good as new for breeding season.

Best wishes

[MariusStegmann]

The only veggies I give my birds are broccoli and spinach. They also get chickweed in spring. My birds don't eat carrots etc. They love sprouted seeds. Birds are not vegetable eaters by nature. You have to teach them. My pf finches will eat corn on the cop and overripe pears and apples.