bird feeding

[judynorth]

Hi Everone
im sorry I have not joined in for a while but I have quite a bit on with the campaign im running at the moment.I know this sounds like a stupid question but i feed the birds in my garden fat balls wild bird food and the odd sweet treat I did however used to throw scaps of bread and I was told this is bad for them is this true.
judynorth

[John]

If I put out bread I tend to wet it first. Over the years my understanding of using dry bread is that it can increase in size when wet so when a bird takes it the bread in effect could swell and possibly choke them.

As I said, that is my understanding, possibly gleaned from other peoples perceptions. I would also like to know if that is true.

John

[scholesy]

Hi

It’s ok to put bread out for your garden birds. You may want to cut it up into smaller pieces prior to putting it out. I slice the bread I put out into very, very small pieces. Its more manageable and tends to give the smaller birds a more equal chance too.

If the bread is very dry then it is advised to moisten it first so it is easier to swallow and to help prevent dehydration. You can dip the bread you put out in fat or lard first as this provides a great source of energy for the birds. Water is essential too, to drink and bathe.

[nightshade]

I only have wholemeal bread (I love crusty white ,ciabbata,olive bread)
so any scraps for the birds are better for them than white as it is nearer
to the natural grain with roughage etc.
Follow the advice above and white is fine, do not stop feeding them.
I do tend to crumble it fine and put a little in the borders to encourage the birds to forage (not too much or you could attract unwanted visitors (rats and mice) it should all be gone before tea time clean up and bin any leftover