Peanuts

[Mary]

Can anyone tell me why, having bought a feeder and a big bag of peanuts,CJ's of course, no birds seem interested in them? I have finches and tits feeding at my seed feeder. The peanuts have been on offer for over a month.

[barn owl]

hi mary,
thats strange indeed, are the nuts damp or have mold on them now ? are they easy to get at ? i would try putting them closer right next to the seed feeder, and see what happens. the finches will normally take seeds first anyway, but the tits love nuts.. by the way are they loose nuts or shelled ?
also i tend to spread a few about here and there with sultannas you know on a table or a stone just to make it easy for them to find, mind you the magpies find them when i go in the house but thats ok, its only a handful.
regards owl.

[Mary]

They are shelled, I hear that they should not be loose as birds tend to feed whole nuts to their young and choke them. I will try moving them near the seed feeder. Thanks fo the advice

[SCRUMPY]

Mary, I too put a number of peanut feeders out in my garden, but no-one seems very interested in them. I put it down to the fact they are getting natural live foods at the moment..
I also have niger seeds out but the goldfinches seem more interested in the sunflower hearts at the moment.
You may find the birds are just favouring other things at the moment..........being picky.:)

I've been feeding live mealworms to the robins for a few weeks now, but it is only today that the blue tits discovered them, and now there's no stopping them:D

[70007]

Can anyone tell me why, having bought a feeder and a big bag of peanuts,CJ's of course, no birds seem interested in them? I have finches and tits feeding at my seed feeder. The peanuts have been on offer for over a month.

I know it seems a waste, but if they have been there for that long I would throw them away. They will probably do more harm than good after a couple of weeks.

[dougied]

I know it seems a waste, but if they have been there for that long I would throw them away. They will probably do more harm than good after a couple of weeks.

I wouldn't be too hasty in throwing them away, unless, of course, they are mouldy or soft to the touch. I've got some peanuts that I've had for months in the garage in a sealed bin that I use. The best way to feed nuts at the moment, I find, is to crush them and just put them either on a table or just scatter them on the ground. The finches and tits don't seem to be interested in taking them from a feeder, but they don't last long fed as I have suggested.

[70007]

Sorry, perhaps I am a little too bird health conscious. I also keep mine in a plastic bin in the garage but that is dry. If the weather is wet outside I fear that nuts will begin to decompose, and I worry that I might spread bacterial diseases to the birds.

I do find that birds tend to ignore nuts that have been exposed to the elements for 10 days or more. Maybe they are more clever than I give them credit for.

[dougied]

http://www.cjwildlifeforum.com/showthread.php?t=243

I don't think you can ever be too health conscious, the reason for my reply is because I asked a similar question a while back. Check the above thread

[PiratesAhoy!]

Bear in mind it takes birds a little while to figure out if a certain type of food is safe. But also at this time of year, they're out hunting insects and things to feed their young. It may be a little longer, but provided they're not mouldy, leave them out.

Also, it could be something to do with where they're sited. Make sure there's some handy cover near by so the birds can land there and make sure the coast is clear first.

[70007]

http://www.cjwildlifeforum.com/showthread.php?t=243

I don't think you can ever be too health conscious, the reason for my reply is because I asked a similar question a while back. Check the above thread

Sorry, partly my fault. I have never progressed down a page beyond the quick reply box, believing that to be the bottom. I never realised that there was another bit further down with similar threads in it, until now.

I will look at that first in future.:o