Wild Bird Care

What you should feed wild birds as part of your wild bird care regime?

How to feed wild birds throughout the year and how wild bird care can enhance your garden experience.

High-quality wildlife supplies to people all over the country: carefully selected, natural food and products that will help wild bird care and encourage the birdlife in your garden to flourish.

Each species of bird has its favourite foods, so putting out a wide range of different treats will ensure that your wild bird care means all of your wild birds are fed well and your garden is home to the greatest variety of feathered guests.

Wild birds are interested in a wide variety of foods, from insects to seeds. Here is a list of what you can feed them as part of your wild bird care:

• Seeds, peanuts, and grains – it’s vital to ensure these are bird-friendly and bought from a trusted supplier. We sell a range of approved wild bird seed mixes. Birds can eat sunflower seeds and hearts, niger (or nyjer/nyger) seed, millet, and oats. They also enjoy peanuts, but you must make sure you only feed them tested, aflatoxin-free varieties that the manufacturer has labelled explicitly as being bird-friendly.
• Live food – many birds’ natural diets primarily consist of worms, ants, flying insects, and other creepy-crawlies. Supplementing this with live food such as mealworms is excellent.
• Suet – suet comes in blocks or balls, and we offer it in netted or un-netted forms. This is fantastic for winter feeding and you can flavour it with berries and bugs.
• Fruits – birds enjoy soft fruits like berries, as well as apples, pears, and raisins.

Other bird-friendly foods include cheese, raw, unsalted bacon rind, and cooked (cold) pasta or boiled potatoes.

Throughout the colder months, many bird species prefer high energy seeds with plenty of healthy oils and proteins. Peanut kernels, niger seeds and sunflower hearts will provide them with all the nutrients they need to see them through the winter. Suet, made from creamy high quality fat, is guaranteed to make a wholesome meal . Rich in protein, suet is high energy food that is nonetheless very easy to digest – the perfect autumn and winter supper for your wild birds. Suet loving birds include:

What NOT to feed wild birds

As with any animal, there are certain foods you should never put out for birds. These foods can make birds unwell or cause them to choke.

• Milk – you shouldn’t give milk to any wild animal, so whether you are leaving a dish out for a local hedgehog or cat, think again. If a bird drinks milk, it can be fatal as birds aren’t able to digest it.

• Salty foods – Salt should never be a part of a bird’s diet; it can make them unwell. Don’t give them salty food like peanuts, crisps, and salted bacon.
• Bread – you might see people offering bread to garden birds, ducks, and pigeons, but it isn’t wise. Although unharmful, bread is very filling without providing much nutrition. A bird might gorge itself on bread and become unwell due to a lack of nutrients. It can also become mouldy very easily, which could make a bird sick if they come across it and eat it.
• Fruit seed and pits – although birds enjoy most fruits and they are safe for them to eat, you mustn’t give them seeded or pitted fruits. You can give them apples, peaches, etc., if you remove any seeds or pits.

• Other ‘human’ processed foods like chocolate, crisps, and sweets are also a no-go. If you drop food in your garden that you know is unsafe for birds, make sure to clean it up thoroughly.