Go Back   Wildlife and Environment Forums > British Wildlife > British Birds

Notices

Reply

 

LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 01:18 PM
wildone's Avatar
Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 3,492
Exclamation Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

Hello All Birdfeeding Members

I have noticed some photographs with Whole Peanuts on a flat surface, during the past few days. We are now coming to the time of year when early breeders will be hatching eggs and feeding young, so please be aware that BABY BIRDS CAN CHOKE ON WHOLE PEANUTS, OR EVEN LARGE PIECES OF THEM. Please make sure that ALL peanuts are in a mesh feeder or are not fed during the breeding season. Probably until late September/early October just to make sure.

Thank you, as I'm sure that you wish no harm to the birds you feed.

wildone
__________________
A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
W.H.Davies
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 02:51 PM
Alan's Avatar
Frozen
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: N.E. Lincolnshire
Posts: 4,130
Re: Warning!

And also if you put bread out, wet it first as it can swell up inside the chicks!
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 03:16 PM
cherrybee's Avatar
Dame Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: exmouth devon uk
Posts: 5,143
Send a message via MSN to cherrybee
Unhappy Re: Warning!

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildone
Please make sure that ALL peanuts are in a mesh feeder or are not fed during the breeding season. Probably late September/early October to make sure.
Oh dear I am guilty as charged. It is only recently I have been putting seed and nuts out so I can attract the birds close to my back door to take photos.I didnt realise.I am sorry I will get a feeder tomorrow.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 03:25 PM
wildone's Avatar
Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 3,492
Re: Warning!

Cherrybee, the other seed is fine to be scattered, it is just that peanuts are a particular hazard. Because they are large and hard and don't melt or soften, baby birds get them caught in their throats and they can no longer breathe. This is a reminder to all members that they can cause harm if they continue to feed loose peanuts.

wildone
__________________
A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
W.H.Davies
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 03:50 PM
digi's Avatar
Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,614
Re: Warning!

This should be made a sticky if any moderator reads this.
__________________
Better to ask a silly question, than make a silly mistake!
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 04:29 PM
Grantus's Avatar
Active Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lundy Island, Bristol Channel
Posts: 50
Re: Warning!

Just a question. Is there any evidence that chicks will choke on peanuts?
__________________
[url]www.returntickettonature.co.uk[/url]
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 04:48 PM
wildone's Avatar
Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 3,492
Re: Warning!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grantus
Just a question. Is there any evidence that chicks will choke on peanuts?
I have just downloaded this from the RSPB site:

<If food shortage occurs whilst birds have young in the nest they may be tempted by easy food put on birdtables to make up the shortfall in natural food, initially to feed themselves, but if the situation gets bad enough, they will also take the food to the nest. If the food offered on bird tables is not suitable for the young chicks, it can do more harm than good, and can even be lethal to the chicks as they can choke on the food. It can be difficult for a human to gauge when food shortage in the wild occurs, and hence it is best not to put out food that is likely to create problems during the breeding season. Therefore, never put out loose peanuts, dry hard foods, large chunks of bread, or fats during the spring or summer months.>

I think that to go along with what an organisation like the RSPB is certainly not going to do harm and may save some from being done.

wildone
__________________
A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
W.H.Davies
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 06:06 PM
John's Avatar
Knight Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Coventry
Posts: 5,719
Re: Warning!

Absolutely spot on regarding the nuts and bread. I never put loose nuts out at any time of the year.

I have several peanut feeders spread around the garden plus a couple of feeders full of Kibbled Nuts and I find that just about covers all those birds that want to feed off peanuts.

John
__________________
Visit my web site. http://www.coventrybirder.co.uk/
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 16-03-2006, 10:10 PM
Tragus's Avatar
Member of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 352
Re: Warning!

Hi Grantus
Yep, we have had birds in with nuts, peas and even whole caterpillars stuffed in their throats and crops. Some can be removed with careful tweezering (don't know if that is acrtually a word!!) It's okay to crush up your peanuts too using a food processor and scatter them about, but make sure the pieces are small. Or just buy peanut granules instead of whole ones!

Bread is a killer and should never really be put out,unless as digi says, wet, but this can dry out and I would advise avoiding feeding bread anyway. It fills the bird up but has little nutritional value for growing birds. Breadcrumbs are okay, but even giving it to ducks is not the best. Better to take a bag full of mixed corn and feed them that instead. We even have a pet shop selling small bags of corn to feed to the swans and ducks near to the River Severn.

Good thread Widlone
Jo
__________________
[CENTER][I][B][color=green]Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. (Frank Lloyd Wright)[/color][/B][/I][/CENTER]

[url]http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hedges407@btinternet.com/my_photos[/url]
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 29-03-2006, 01:01 PM
paulinemiller10's Avatar
Wild Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 169
Re: Warning!

I always chop my peanuts up in the mixer , but watching a nest of blackbirds last year on live cam, they were fed only worms and insects for the first two weeks even though their favourite sultanas were just below them in the feeder, the worms they brought were sometime s huge, and it would take them ages to push it down their throats, and I did think they were going to choke them lol, but I think the birds know what they are doing and what to feed their young, but no harm in being careful. Pauline
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old 13-06-2006, 02:11 PM
Fritillary's Avatar
Active Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: London
Posts: 98
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

But is it not better stop of feeding birds in this period of the year?
Seeds are for winter, chicks need to eat more insects because they are growing and need more proteins than fat. It is better to stop of using insecticides
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #12 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 12:50 PM
Zeb's Avatar
Zeb Zeb is offline
Active Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Devon, UK
Posts: 79
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

I've been feeding the birds during the cold times using a wire mesh feeder containing peanuts and a smaller plastic feeder containing smaller seeds and dried grubs. I'd also been putting bread out on the bird table but wasn't aware of wetting them first - is this just during the "chick" season or is this for all through the year?
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #13 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 01:20 PM
Wild Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: east grinstead
Posts: 213
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

i have been putting out feeders but they are mobbed by jackdaws and small birds are not getting near the feeders how can i overcome this?

i have put out fat balls and as yet i have never seen a bird near them do they work or is it just me?
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #14 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 01:33 PM
Zeb's Avatar
Zeb Zeb is offline
Active Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Devon, UK
Posts: 79
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

I first put out about 4 fat balls and 1 bag of peanuts hanging around the garden but I had to relocate the peanuts as we found they were being stolen. It was a clean-out of the shed that we found a field mouse had taken refuge in there during the winter and had found the peanuts.

It seemed like a very long time for the birds to find the fat bals and I started to wonder whether they were of any use but all of a sudden it seemed that they were being eaten - by birds of all sizes.

The most popular feeder was the small plastic one containing small seeds and dried grubs - had to refill it every two or three days.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #15 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 01:37 PM
nightshade's Avatar
Knight Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,456
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

If it is possible do as I do and feed the jackdaws seperatley ours arrive early then move
after they have eaten they are fed away from the feeders to give the small birds a chance alternately put your feeders in an area that restricts the approach of the larger bird
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces.
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #16 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 01:39 PM
eeyore's Avatar
Knight Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,720
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fritillary
But is it not better stop of feeding birds in this period of the year?
In a word, No.

advice from the RSPB indicates that garden birds are considerably above the natural carrying capacity and thus they recomend feeding all year . a sudden stop in feeding could be catastrophic. Although you are partially correct about the need for protein for young birds, the adults are working extremleyhard feeding the young and need the high energy conentrate offered by seeds, and peanut fragments (although whole nuts should not be fed loose as discussed above). If you have a low level of insect live in the garden mealworms and robin mix (which includes dried insects) can be fed in addition to normal seed and fat based food.
__________________
"new improved eeyore , now with added tact..... for that whiter brighter finish"
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #17 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 01:41 PM
Zeb's Avatar
Zeb Zeb is offline
Active Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Devon, UK
Posts: 79
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

Ooooo! I'm going to refill all the feeders before I go out later then!
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #18 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 02:30 PM
cherrybee's Avatar
Dame Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: exmouth devon uk
Posts: 5,143
Send a message via MSN to cherrybee
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

There are so many juveniles about at the moment I am having to refill every day
__________________
:) A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked:D
www.cherrybees.co.uk
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #19 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 04:53 PM
Barbara's Avatar
Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Greater Manchester
Posts: 2,930
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

I used to hang fat balls out in the mesh bags which is how they are sold, until a woodpecker in my garden got his feet trapped in one, luckily I was able to free him and no harm came to him, but, if I had been at work, I dread to think what I would have found when I came home. Ever since that happened, I always take the fat balls out of the mesh bags and put them into fat ball feeders which are sold especially for their use. I think I purchased mine for under two pounds and I have peice of mind that no bird in my garden, will ever get trapped in the netting of a fat ball again.
Barbara
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #20 (permalink)  
Old 29-06-2006, 05:05 PM
eeyore's Avatar
Knight Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,720
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barbara
I used to hang fat balls out in the mesh bags which is how they are sold, until a woodpecker in my garden got his feet trapped in one, luckily I was able to free him and no harm came to him, but, if I had been at work, I dread to think what I would have found when I came home. Ever since that happened, I always take the fat balls out of the mesh bags and put them into fat ball feeders which are sold especially for their use. I think I purchased mine for under two pounds and I have peice of mind that no bird in my garden, will ever get trapped in the netting of a fat ball again.
Barbara
a very good point barbara - another thing to be aware of is any thread or net anyone might have over fruit bushes etc - we once had a goldfinch get caught up by the feet in our fruit cage - I have now replaced the mesh with wire netting to stop this happening again.
__________________
"new improved eeyore , now with added tact..... for that whiter brighter finish"
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #21 (permalink)  
Old 04-07-2006, 03:12 PM
maxi's Avatar
New Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wales
Posts: 7
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

Thanks for all the advice - I knew about the peanuts, but not soaking the bread - I'll make sure I do that in future!
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
  #22 (permalink)  
Old 04-07-2006, 06:13 PM
eeyore's Avatar
Knight Commander of the Wild Empire
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,720
Re: Warning! - Feeding Peanuts to Birds

Quote:
Originally Posted by maxi
Thanks for all the advice - I knew about the peanuts, but not soaking the bread - I'll make sure I do that in future!
With the bread it is probably better not to feed it at all, as it is fairly low in nutrition but takes up a lot of room in their stomachs (particularly true of white processed bread)
__________________
"new improved eeyore , now with added tact..... for that whiter brighter finish"
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
Reply  

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

» Online Users: 2,932

11 members and 2,921 guests
Brucie, cybershot, djackso, fairplay, MagpieMick, pictish, RobSutton, shutterbox, Tursiops2, Wild-Woman, wint
Most users ever online was 3,128, Yesterday at 08:12 PM.

» WAB Development Posts

No Threads to Display.

» New Wildlife Posts

Go to first new post