In addition to our signature blends, we offer the following bulk seeds for the avid backyard birder. Various sizes are available at some of the best prices to be found anywhere in town! Fly on into our storeto bulk up!
Black Oil Sunflower
The best all around individual seed for wild bird feeding, black oil sunflower is high in energy and fat. The energy content is even more critical for winter feeding as the birds convert the calories into energy which keeps them warm in the cold weather. Its thin shells are easy to crack open, making it the preferred food item for the widest variety of songbirds such as finches, chickadees and nuthatches.
Feeding Directions: Please see below for general feeding directions.
Striped Sunflower
Striped sunflower is a larger and bulkier version of black oil sunflower seed. Stripes have a thicker shell, which is much harder for House Sparrows and blackbirds to crack open. So, if you’re inundated with these species that you’d rather not subsidize at your feeder, try switching to my Rocky Mountain High™ blend. Striped sunflower is especially favored by grosbeaks and other large-billed birds such as jays.
Not sold individually, but it is in 4 of my 5 custom mixes.
Sunflower Meats
Also called “chips” or “hearts,” sunflower meats are 100% edible yumminess! An alternative to my Bear Necessities™ blend, these offer the same benefits of being hull-less, so there is less waste in your yard or on your deck thus minimizing bear attractants. Although they are more expensive than either my custom mix or regular black oil sunflower, meats are a wonderful addition to any backyard feeding program. Hearts are accessible to weak-billed siskins and goldfinches who crack sunflower shells with varying success. Sunflower meats will not germinate in your garden!
Tip: Although meats are more expensive, remember you buy seed by the pound. It is estimated that at least 40% of black oil sunflower is hull. Therefore, you are actually getting more energy and seeds per pound by buying meats as you’re not paying for the weight of the hulls!
Feeding Directions: Feed only in suspend feeders, and keep seed dry in storage and in feeder as they quickly become waterlogged and unattractive. Please see below for general feeding directions.
Nyjer
This seed has a very high oil content, making it a very desirable seed and an excellent energy source for birds. Its size, however, limits the seed to specialty Nyjer feeders. The upshot is you get approximately 150,000 seeds per pound! Nyjer specifically attract the precious American and Lesser goldfinches and Pine siskin! Nyjer used to be called "thistle" seed, but Nyjer is not related to North American thistle plants. This imported seed has also been heat treated to prevent germination, and bears don't like it!
Tip: Avoid waste by only purchasing Nyjer in a quantity you'll use in a month or two, as the oil is what birds love. Nyjer is prone to drying out, especially in the dry Colorado climate, and when it does birds will turn their beaks to it.
Feeding Directions: Feed in a specialty Nyjer feeder, and ensure Nyjer seed is fresh. It should look oily; if it is extremely dry replace the seed. Feed all year long if Siskins and Goldfinches are present, or spring to fall to attract them in their summer plumage. Please see below for general feeding directions.
Safflower
Safflower is an excellent wild bird food due to its high oil, protein and fat content, which is equal to and can exceed black oil sunflower. Songbirds such as finches, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals and grosbeaks eat safflower, and to the contrary grackles, starlings and blackbirds and squirrels don’t prefer it! A large portion of the safflower is grown right here in Colorado, as it can grow in unirrigated fields.
Feeding Directions: Feed in any style feeder such as tube, hopper or tray, or simply spread on the ground. Please see below for general feeding directions.
Millet
Millet is an essential component of any backyard bird feeding menu. Second only to sunflower seeds in the variety of birds it will attract, it is the true favorite of the ground foraging birds such as juncos and towhees. It is also an essential offering because some songbirds lack the ability to crack sunflower shells reliably. That is why millet, both white and red, is the key ingredient in my Amber Waves of Grain™ ground feeder’s mix.
Millet is NOT Milo! Milo (a red BB sized round grain) is what is found in most cheap, commercial mixes. Primarily grown for feeding livestock, Milo has worked its way into the wild bird food markets because of its low costs and heavy weight, and since you buy seed by the pound… Milo is the least favorite of all the seeds used as bird food (pigeons love it). Most wild birds do not have the bill mechanism to even open the hull, and if they can the meat is of poor nutritional quality.
General Feeding Instructions: Store in a cool dry place. Feed all seed within one month of purchase. Provide fresh water and clean feeders regularly with a mild detergent.
Peanuts Blanched “Splits”
Peanuts are high in oil and fat and convert easily to body heat. It is more economical to feed shelled peanuts via wire mesh peanut feeders than it is to buy in-shell peanuts. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice, chickadees and many others love them. There are a variety of wildlife peanuts on the market today; raw shelled, in shell, roasted, and blanched to name the main categories. Of the peanuts, songbirds strongly prefer blanched. Blanched peanuts have been shelled and quickly heated to remove the thin skin. This keeps the nutrients intact while softening the peanuts.
Tip: Never feed salted peanuts to wildlife as large doses of salt can be fatal to songbirds. People peanuts are salted to our body size (and more), not to the small size of a chickadee.
Feeding Directions: Feed in a specialty wire mesh peanut feeder. Keep nuts dry in storage and in feeder. If you feed peanuts of any variety, providing fresh water is even more important. Please see below for general feeding directions.
Peanuts In-Shell
Isn’t it fun cracking open a big shelled peanut for the treasure inside? Birds love the challenge too. Jays and nutcrackers, some of the few birds known to cache food, will sure appreciate a few in-shells saved for a cold day. You might even see a titmouse or chickadee take a crack at the peanuts on the ground! And squirrels, in-shells are the find of the day for them.
Tip: Never feed salted peanuts to wildlife as large doses of salt can be fatal to songbirds. People peanuts are salted to our body size (and more), not to the size of a jay.
Feeding Directions: For the greatest entertainment, feed these from a specialty peanut feeder, squirrel or platform feeder. If you feed peanuts of any variety, providing fresh water is even more important. Feed heavy in the fall and watch these get cached away. Store in a cool dry place. Clean feeders regularly with a mild detergent.
Suet
Suet is a key dish to offer at your dining buffet during the fall and winter when birds need good sources of fat and calories to help them survive harsh, cold weather. Bird suet is specifically formulated for insect-eating birds for when their crawly food source become scarce. Click here for more info on suet!
For ALL SEED Products:
Allergen Warning: All products have been stored, mixed around peanuts or contain peanuts and other tree nuts.
For wildlife only, not for human consumption.
Note: Unlike our specialty hand mixed blends which we guarantee, Songbird Supplies, LLC, operates solely as a reseller of the above individual seed commodities. The guaranteed analysis of these individual commodities is guaranteed by the respective packager.