Is thistle seed good for birds?

Will thistle seed germinate?

Bird watchers put out thistle for Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and others. The small black seed is packed with the protein and fat the little birds need. When thistle starts sprouting in their yards, some determine to never use this feed again. When I started feeding thistle to the birds, I heard somewhere that it will not germinate.

Can you feed thistle seed to birds?

Specialized and customized bird feeders are needed to attract eagerly consuming thistle seed bird species. Due to this, thistle can’t be feed on a regular bird feeder. The two most popular thistle seed feeders are tube feeders and thistle sock.

Can you mix sunflower seeds with thistle seeds?

By mixing thistle with sunflower seeds, you can increase the visits of a steady cast of wild birds to your backyard during the winter season and double your enjoyment in winter bird feeding. Which birds eat thistle? Do birds eat thistle seed in winter?

Do thistle seeds go bad in the rain?

Thistle seeds can become moldy or rancid in wet weather, make sure to change into fresh bags when birds stop visiting the feeder. Because of their oily nature, thistle seeds can dry out often and lose their capacity to attract birds. Birds will turn their beaks into dried seeds, so purchase less quantity and use it for a month.

Is thistle seed good for birds?

Bird watchers put out thistle for Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and others. The small black seed is packed with the protein and fat the little birds need. When thistle starts sprouting in their yards, some determine to never use this feed again.

How do birds eat thistle seeds?

The Thistle-eating birds have sharp-pointed and small bills to easily crack shells of the thistle seeds and extract the proteins. The thistle-loving species are known as clinging birds because of their feeding habit of acrobatically clinging to the side of the feeder and There are a few birds that even eat upside down.

Can you put Thistle seed in finch feeders?

Thistle: Don’t Blame the Bird Seed. If you find thistles growing in your yard, it might be from seed blowing in from a nearby location. Continue to fill your socks and finch feeders with this seed and enjoy the birds! For interest’s sake, I found some Canada Thistle seed and placed it alongside Nyjer.

What is the best Thistle feeder for birds?

Metal mesh thistle feeders allow birds to perch anywhere on the side of the feeder. The screen-like mesh allows seeds to be extracted from anywhere on the feeder, unlike the plastic tube feeders from which seed is only dispensed from a very few ports. These are sturdy feeders and will likely last many years.

Do finches eat thistle seed?

Most of the birders prefer to provide Nyjer in small quantities. To lower the cost, thistle is often seen in canary or finch mix proportions along with millets or sunflower seed, which looks appealing to birds that eat thistle and is less expensive than a pure thistle seed.

What do you mix sunflower seeds with?

I combine safflower seeds, sunflower seeds, thistle, nuts, raisins and lastly, dried cranberries.” — Kathy Lorigan, Easton, Pennsylvania “I buy cracked corn and black oil sunflower seed in bulk, store it in large plastic containers and then use an auger to mix the two seeds together as we need it.

Should I Feed my birds sunflower or safflower seeds?

If you discover that your favorite birds are picking all the sunflower and safflower out of a seed mix, you may want to fill one feeder with pure sunflower or safflower. Both safflower and sunflower can be bought in small bags, in bulk, or in mixtures.

Why don’t birds eat thistle seeds?

Sometimes the birds would also rather eat wild seeds instead of from feeders. Also, it’s not actually thistle seed, it’s just called that for marketing purposes and it’s sterilized by heat so you don’t need to worry about thistles coming up from the seeds. Show activity on this post.

What happens when birdseed gets wet?

When birdseed gets wet, the seeds may begin germinating and sprouting. Birds will not eat sprouted seed, so the seed not only goes to waste, but it may be tossed from the feeder where it will sprout in the lawn. This causes unsightly growths and disrupts the flowerbeds, turf, and gardens where bird feeders are hung.

How do you know if thistle seed is bad?

Similarly, how do you know if thistle seed is bad? As small as it is, a niger seed does have a shell. If you think birds aren’t eating the seed because you see some on the ground, examine it more closely: you may be seeing mostly the thin niger hulls.

Why do I have Thistles in my yard?

If you find thistles growing in your yard, it might be from seed blowing in from a nearby location. Continue to fill your socks and finch feeders with this seed and enjoy the birds!

What birds eat thistle seeds?

The species of birds that eat thistle seed include finches, juncos, and mourning doves, just to name a few. Thistle seeds are small and packed with nutrients, fat, and protein.

Do mourning doves eat thistle seeds?

Mourning doves also enjoy thistle seeds. These birds are larger than sparrows and finches, about 12 inches tall, and are fairly dull in color. Their backs are a grayish brown while their bellies and chest are brown with pink undertones. They have thin, black beaks and a small dot beneath their black eyes.

How to attract finches to feeder?

If your goal is to attract finches, there are two favorites that will get and keep their attention – thistle (Nyjer) seed and black oil sunflower seeds. Seeds from milk thistle or the similar Nyjer plants are easily the most favorite food of finches – in the wild or from a bird feeder.

How do you keep finches from eating thistle seeds?

Designed for thistle seed, it allows the finches to cling to the bag while eating. It also makes it easy for them to eat upside down which seems to be a favorite dining position for finches. A domed, plastic shield or baffle, over the top, helps keep the rain off of the seed.

What is a thistle sock for finches?

A thistle sock is composed of a fine braided mesh and thistle seeds filled in a synthetic bag. Most of the finches pull the thistle seeds out of this mesh feeder bag, by clinging to it upside down.. Thistle seeds can become moldy or rancid in wet weather, make sure to change into fresh bags when birds stop visiting the feeder.

What birds eat from a thistle feeder?

Other: Other birds may eat Niger seed from thistle feeders occasionally. Birds noted to try it include Dark-eyed Juncos, Indigo Buntings, Purple Finches, Cassin’s Finches, Song Sparrows, some quails, doves and chickadees, too. How to hang a thistle sock Hanging a thistle feeder is not difficult.

Do thistle seed bird feeders keep squirrels away?

The best thistle seed bird feeder is something that will make it quite easy to place enough supply of seeds for birds while keeping all those pesky pests away. One such pest is squirrels, and sad to say, there’s really no bird feeder that can be deemed 100% squirrel-proof.

How do you attract finches to a thistle feeder?

Thistle feeders are designed to dispense very small seeds to attract the tiniest of the finches. Finches feed primarily on seeds. Some finches eat larger pine cone seeds. Some finches eat tiny dandelion seeds. Each type of finch has a preferred food.

What birds eat Thistles from bird feeders?

Song sparrows Thistles are a popular feed among quails, buntings, finches, doves, towhees, and sparrows. At times, even exotic species like woodpeckers, chickadees, thrushes, and few other birds can also be spotted snacking thistles from seed feeders. Related Read: How Do Birds Find Bird Feeders? | Will Birds Come To A Bird Feeder?

What kind of seed do finches eat?

Nyjer seed – also commonly known as niger or thistle seed – is popular with many backyard bird species, particularly seed-eating birds and winter finches.

What kind of sunflower seed is best for birds?

Black oil sunflower seed provides the most energy per pound of any typical birdseed. Black oil sunflower seeds are easiest for most birds to eat, too, because they have thin shells compared to striped sunflower. When problem birds take over a feeder, striped sunflower becomes an excellent alternative.