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Post by featherduster on Jan 7, 2018 14:34:24 GMT -5
By now most of you know that laporte got approx.25" of new snow and we have been in the freezer for at least two weeks.
I have a soft spot in my heart for critters when it gets this ruff so I have been putting out around 1 pound or better of oiled sunflower seeds each day along with my 2 suet bars.
The amount of birds visiting the feeder is amazing.
Today I plowed a trail out to the marsh area and put out 20 pounds of ear corn for the deer and squirrels.
This is what I call my winter food plot.
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Post by nfalls116 on Jan 7, 2018 14:35:38 GMT -5
That’s cool! Thanks for sharing
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Post by esshup on Jan 7, 2018 19:58:10 GMT -5
featherduster, I put out 100# of corn on Tuesday, another 50# on Friday and another 50# yesterday. There is a flock of 14 gobblers that is eating it just as fast or faster than the deer are eating it. from now until the snow is gone is the hardest time of the year for the critters.
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Post by tenring on Jan 8, 2018 9:03:24 GMT -5
Years ago, I spent a lot of money buying the packaged stuff that had a little bit of everything in it. Wasn't cheap to my standards, and close observation on what was being eaten and what was not by what birds told me that Blue Jays were driving off all the smaller birds. Took several years to figure it all out. Now I just stop by our local mill and get 50 lb. bags of White Proso Millet. None of the Black Birds, Starlings, Blue Jays, etc. now, just bunch of Dove and the cutest tiny ones the species I have no idea what they are. Cheaper than the package stuff in the long run maybe, because of the number of birds that hang around now just waiting for me to toss out more. At around 4 pm the trees around the house have a bunch of doves waiting for supper if I forgot to replenish. Go out at sprinkle some on a piece of plywood and most of it on the ground. Wait about ten minutes and look out the back windows and it's a feeding frenzy.
Had some fellows who owned some ground tell me that they worked up a couple of acres and planted black oil sunflowers for a Dove field and had some good shooting, and then added Millet to the menu and then the shooting turned from good to great.
One guy told me he did the soil tests, worked a few acres that he had in set aside, put the sunflower and millet combo in and got it all payed for by a few of his friends who were doctors. He planted according to maturity time and then run a bush hog through a couple of strips before the season started to get the doves interested. Doctors loved the fact that they could shoot close to home and appreciated the fact with "donations" and wound up costing nothing. There was still plenty of doves left for him, and there were enough seeds left over to feed all kinds of birds through part of the winter. You build it and they will come!
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Post by Sasquatch on Jan 13, 2018 2:32:50 GMT -5
I'm sure they'll make use of your efforts!
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Post by esshup on Jan 13, 2018 9:49:58 GMT -5
Mom & Dad buy the sunflower heart pieces. They get the small pieces if they are available, those attract the smaller birds. The other benefit is that there aren't a bunch of sunflower hulls that don't provide any food for the birds piled up on the ground under the feeder. They have them in both a thistle feeder and a regular gravity type bird feeder.
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Post by Woody Williams on Jan 13, 2018 10:27:59 GMT -5
Mom & Dad buy the sunflower heart pieces. They get the small pieces if they are available, those attract the smaller birds. The other benefit is that there aren't a bunch of sunflower hulls that don't provide any food for the birds piled up on the ground under the feeder. They have them in both a thistle feeder and a regular gravity type bird feeder. How expensive are the sunflower heart pieces? I use the black oil sunflower seeds and am pretty well happy with them except the hulls. Niger seed in my upside down feeders.. |
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Post by jimstc on Jan 13, 2018 10:35:08 GMT -5
We have four suet holders out and two large feeders. Also put feed on the porch floor for the doves. At any given point there will be upwards of 25 birds feeding and at least 5 different species. The coolest are the big woodpeckers. They rule the roost. Pun intended.
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Post by esshup on Jan 13, 2018 13:12:04 GMT -5
How expensive are the sunflower heart pieces? I use the black oil sunflower seeds and am pretty well happy with them except the hulls. Niger seed in my upside down feeders.. I just talked to Dad. He bought 100# for just under $100. So, I'd be willing to bet that it's actually the same price as the sunflower seeds with the hulls if you only figure out what the edible parts cost per pound. |
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