Here’s what you need to know about winter bird feeding, bird food, and creating a haven for wild birds in your backyard during the coldest months. The cold and snowy winter months can be hard for all wildlife, including our favorite backyard birds. For wild birds, the tough weeks of winter can be especially hard, as most food has run out. A reliable source of food from our gardens and feeders can make all the difference after a severe snow or ice storm. By keeping your bird feeders full of the food they need, you’ll find that helping backyard birds through the winter is both easy and rewarding. Winter Bird Feeding Wild birds may benefit from bird feeders year-round, but they need them most in winter. Energy-rich seeds and suet provide our feathered friends with the calories they need to keep warm, especially when food is scarce or buried under ice and snow. To attract winter birds to your backyard, consider setting out one or more of the following: Don't have a good … [Read more...] about Tips for Winter Bird Feeding and Care
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What Can Chickens Eat?
“What can chickens eat?” is one of the first things to know about raising healthy backyard chickens. Raising chickens in your backyard can be a fulfilling experience, not only for the fresh eggs but also for the joy they bring as pets. Whether you are raising Rhode Island Reds, Lavender Orpingtons, or Leghorns, you need to know what to feed them. That's because one of the key aspects of keeping chickens happy and healthy is offering them a balanced diet. But what exactly can chickens eat? If you're a backyard chicken keeper, this guide is for you. The Basics of What Chickens Can Eat: Commercial Chicken Feed Start with a foundation of commercial chicken feed. This feed is designed to offer a complete and balanced diet, including all essential nutrients for layers or broilers. There are three basic types of chicken feed, based upon the age of the bird. Starter Feed for Chicks Baby chicks need a food with a higher protein content for growth. These starter feeds provide … [Read more...] about What Can Chickens Eat?
Feed Birds with Homemade Birdseed Ornaments
Making homemade birdseed ornaments is a great project that is fun, kid-friendly, inexpensive, and it feeds birds such as cardinals, finches and grosbeaks. As if that wasn't enough, making homemade birdseed ornaments results in great gifts that are fun to give during the holiday season. Birdseed ornaments and wreaths fit the “bill” on all counts. (Did you see how I snuck that pun in?) Feeding songbirds is a great way for us to interact with nature. Plus, homemade bird seed ornaments help birds get through the tough months of autumn and winter. That’s when available food is scarce, and wild birds need all the help they can get. Studies show that consistent bird feeding produces significantly earlier egg laying dates, larger clutches of eggs, and higher chick weights across a wide range of bird species. Feeding birds is not only good for the birds, it makes bird lovers happy. Here’s how I create homemade birdseed ornaments for my bird friends—and for my people friends, … [Read more...] about Feed Birds with Homemade Birdseed Ornaments
