Feed the birds

Written by Kris Collins / Published on October 31, 2011

The frosts have arrived! I’ve been slightly late for work the past few days, having had to deal with a covering of ice on the car windows. But the garden has looked great covered in a layer of shimmering frost as I made my way up to the chicken run to give my girls their morning feed. They seem to be eating more in the colder temperatures, which has got me thinking about the other birds that visit my garden.

With nights drawing in, the garden birds have less day light hours to search for food, and moving towards winter, their food sources become increasingly scarce. So, I’m giving my feathered visitors a helping hand by making sure feeders are topped up, and that the bird table has something to offer them.

Most of my kitchen scraps and veg peelings go in the chicken run, though I do hold some back for the garden birds. However my main offering to them comes in the form of seeds and peanuts in hanging feeders.

I offer this year round – birds become reliant on feeders once they get used to them, so it is unfair to suddenly stop offering them something.

This winter I’m trying the Peckish range of bird feeds. These offer more than just standard seed. The Winter Warmer Seed Mix has added energy-rich Calvita, developed to replace the nutrients birds need to stay healthy over winter, including calcium and vitamins A, D, and E. This should attract a wide range of birds to the garden, especially if I scatter some on the bird table and on the ground too – different birds feed in different ways and this will cover all bases.