How long do you leave peanuts in a hanging feeder for ?

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

I have a hanging peanut feeder and it looks like its never been touched which is a little suprising given its winter, its hung on the washing line, maybe i need to try it somewhere else. But then again though i do put a lot of other food out so the little fellas are probably spoilty for choice

How long should you leave peanuts in a feeder for ?

[NickCantle]

How do you mean? Surely you'd leave it there until it had been emptied?

[Hedge Witch]

They go moldy fairly quickly I've given up with them. Now it's mixed seeds, sunflower hearts and different shapes of suet cake. (Oh and mealworms for my little pet robin).

[NickCantle]

Mine get eaten before they have a chance to go mouldy. I'm looking forward to Spring as I shall not have to fill the feeders as much

[ChrisJB]

Once they turn green, I cob 'em. Once, peanuts would always be eaten, but with top class mixes and sunflower hearts used today, I find peanuts rather second rate these days.

Regards, Chris

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

I think i`ll drop the peanut feeder then and try something else instead, like you say with other great food choices these days for the birds its probably a bit dated, the birds are probably laughing at me and saying "ha ha that fool is still using a peanut feeder..... its so 90`s"

What i do use peanuts for and it seems to work a treat and they love it, i put them in a blender and blend them until they are not far off a powder with a few lumpy bits, i mix the peanuts with sultanas and break up some fat balls and put it all into my mesh ground feeder tray. The starlings go beserk for it, its a great way to get peanuts into their diet in a very presentable way.

I also grind peanuts until its a powder and use them in my fat ball mix with various other things.

[LynM]

I've given up with them too. They were just going mouldy and they were the best that one can get from Haiths, so not cheap ones! Oddly though, my neighbour finds that they eat the ones she puts out, but then she doesn't tempt them with fat balls, peanut granules, sunflower hearts and home made suet cake! Think that they are basically lazy!

[Rich]

In Folkestone, I kept moving the bird feeder around every couple of weeks until I found a situation where the birds felt comfortable enough to use the facility. I put a fatball on it once but a herring gull took it. I only ever had starlings on it anyway.

I was always throwing away peanuts that were looking a bit skanky and the mixed seeds were difficult to get out when they started sprouting.

Now I'm in Devon, it takes 1 day to empty the seed feeder and 5 days to empty the peanuts.

Same setup different garden.

[Hedera]

I think positioning is the key.
The birds have to stay longer pecking at the container, so need to be near cover. I have a peanut feeder at the bottom of the garden on a tree, and one near the house on a pole. The first gets emptied quickly, but the other is only a quarter empty even today after a week.
I also crush the nuts and put some for the ground feeders, the blackbirds eat some. Seed mix, crumbs and bits of cooked potato and cheese for the robin go down well.

[goosey]

[quote=LynM;403482]I've given up with them too. They were just going mouldy and they were the best that one can get from Haiths, so not cheap ones! QUOTE]

I also got fed up with hit and miss quality of the peanuts I was buying. Then one day I noticed when I was at the dry fruit and nut stall on the market, that the unsalted small peanuts there for human consumption were actually cheaper per Kilo than what I had been getting for the birds! Human consumption peanuts are 3.50 euros and 4.10 euros a kilo for the birds! The hc nuts have also been de-skinned.