If I were to add mealworms and/or dried raisins to commercial birdseed

[conuly]

what ratio would I aim for? Google is shockingly unhelpful, which is why I'm asking everybody else.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

RSPB says 3:1 of seed to mealworms. I'd say a 2:1 of seeds to raisins & worms based on that.

[conuly]

Thanks. I assume British and American birds have similar feeding patterns? (Why am I saying "American" like we're a normally-sized nation?)

[siliconshaman]

I think it varies from species to species, but it's a safe assumption there would be a lot of overlap.

[rebeccmeister]

Also seems to me like this should be totally fine!

[frandroid]

I have no idea. But instead of searching for ratio, which *may* have been your keyword, I just searched for recipes, which inherently contain ratios. If you've done that kind of research and not been happy with the results, then just ignore me. But anyway, from a not-google search engine, I ended up picking these, for different types of recipes:

https://forsythfamilymagazine.com/backyard-birdseed-recipes/
https://www.audubon.org/news/11-tips-feeding-backyard-birds
https://thisismygarden.com/2019/11/homemade-bird-seed/

The advice in one of these pages that says "put something out, and put out less of what the birds didn't eat" sounds good too... :P

[conuly]

Belated thanks :)

[movingfinger]

Mealworms are very rich food, and yet not all birds eat them! I started with a small proportion and added a bit more and then scaled back when there were leftovers. To 3 C birdseed say 1/2 C mealworms for starters.

The suet balls have mealworms in them and can be mixed in with your birdseed. Amazon had a really good price on an 8-lb box of those (good by my mother's standards, she loves her birds and feeds them the best).

Ditto raisins, start with only a small amount and see who shows up to eat them. If it's just the squirrels, you can skip them.

If you are feeding a commercial blend, there is probably a lot of waste seed in it (milo/sorghum) and black oil sunflower is acceptable to most birds you'll get. A few scoops of millet (NOT MILO) or small cracked corn will make the dove types happy. The sunflower hulls will kill the grass under the feeder and get rather gross, so be prepared for cleanup!

[conuly]

Well, somebody's sure eating everything I put out. I swear, there's nothing left but shells, and all the dried mealworms are certainly gone.

If it's just the squirrels, you can skip them.

I actually don't mind feeding squirrels, I just wouldn't want to do it at the same feeder as the birds. I do feed squirrels on my windowsill!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

You might be better off providing those in a separate container. Birds will throw out anything they don't like in search of favorite bits, which is messy. Sometimes I get birdseed with dried fruit because that's what is available, but my birds aren't fond of it and will ignore it or toss it. As for the ratio, there's not much dried fruit in all the seeds. Maybe a scoop in a whole bag. Look at something like a suet cake, though, and there's more.

Re: Thoughts

[conuly]

I just want to spoil them.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Then I'd say make a list of the birds you see most often, or want to spoil most. Type in their name and "favorite foods" into a search engine to get a list. Different birds like different things.

That said, some of the most popular foods include:

* Mealworms, especially live ones. Pretty much any bird that eats insects will eagerly take mealworms, and so will some seed-eaters. This is mostly a warm-weather food though. In particular, if you see birds nesting in your yard, mealworms help them fledge their chicks. It takes about 10,000 caterpillars to raise a nest of chickadees. O.O There are bluebird feeders for serving mealworms -- you need a glass dish because the little buggers climb well.

* Suet (plain, with peanut butter, seeds or dried fruit). Insect eaters that stay through winter (like woodpeckers and nuthatches) adore suet, but lots of other birds will eat it too. This is mostly a cold-weather food, but you can get non-melting versions for summer use. I use a peanut butter one because the peckers love it and it's less messy than the pure fat.

* Sunflower seed. A favorite among seed eaters of most sizes.

* Thistle seed. A favorite among small birds like finches. You can also get finch mix sometimes.


For reference, I have a thistle sock for my finches (I get goldfinches and indigo buntings), songbird blend that is mostly sunflower seeds with a few peanuts and dried fruits, and a corncob for squirrels and woodpeckers. When I see woodpeckers, I put out a peanut suet cake. I used to get mixes that had a lot of white millet, but then it got to where every brand included cracked corn, which I don't want because it clogs feeders. So I went to the songbird blend.

They also really like the flowers I grow. Echinacea, thistle, goldenrod, and sunchoke are among the most popular.

Re: Thoughts

[conuly]

Yeah, live bugs are a no-go. Freeze dried or bust. But thanks for the advice :)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yep, you can buy freeze-dried mealworms to spoil your birds with. Lots of folks don't like creepy-crawlers.

Me, I rip hornworms off my tomatoes and, if the birds are watching, throw them a snack.