16/06/2026
You feed them. But with what 🌿
Some of what ends up on a bird table makes things worse than if nothing were there at all.
What harms them:
Bread — swells in the gut, zero nutritional value, and the salt damages kidneys. The most common mistake.
Rice, pasta, couscous — they swell and provide no usable energy.
Salty food (crisps, processed meat, salted peanuts) — rapid kidney damage in birds. Their kidneys cannot process salt the way ours do.
Cooking fat — contains salt and residues that destroy the waterproofing of feathers.
Fat balls in plastic mesh nets — feet and legs catch in the mesh, with real risk of injury and necrosis. Always remove the net before hanging.
What works:
Sunflower hearts (dehulled) — concentrated lipids and energy. The single most effective food for cold-weather feeding.
Dried mealworms — protein for egg development. Critical from February onwards when females begin preparing for breeding.
Halved apples and pears on the ground — for blackbirds and song thrushes, which do not use hanging feeders.
Plain porridge oats (unsalted) — excellent winter base, ideal mixed with unsalted vegetable fat or lard.
Fresh water — changed daily. In freezing weather, check and thaw each morning.
The fridge rule: if it is salty, cooked, or processed → bin.
If it is raw, fatty, and unsalted → feeder.
