so what's wrong with feeding wild bird Sunflower Seeds?

[BennieAnTheJets]

So my birds are too skinny at the moment and I have fed this wild bird seed mix before and made them too fat - it is millet and sunflower seeds from Costco

on the package it says "for wild birds only" and "wash hands after handling seeds" - and I am thinking huh? what is on these that you should wash your hands and why not feed them to our birds?

I may call the company some time but need to go to Costco and find the brand and their number

in general, do you feed wild bird seed to your birds (we have only Guineas, but I would think it would be about the same issue for chickens) - why or why not?

what could be wrong with them?

also, anybody ever found any affordable organic sunflower seeds for the birds for treats or supplementing feed? all I found were really expensive hulled, organic sunflower seeds for people to eat, nothing non-GMO for feed yet

I would like to feed some sunflower seeds again to get them to gain some weight

Thanks!

-Bennie

 

[Lazy Farmer]

It might be alternative wording for "not for human consumption".

Cracked corn is an excellent carbohydrate weight gainer for birds.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

So my birds are too skinny at the moment and I have fed this wild bird seed mix before and made them too fat - it is millet and sunflower seeds from Costco

on the package it says "for wild birds only" and "wash hands after handling seeds" - and I am thinking huh? what is on these that you should wash your hands and why not feed them to our birds?

I may call the company some time but need to go to Costco and find the brand and their number

in general, do you feed wild bird seed to your birds (we have only Guineas, but I would think it would be about the same issue for chickens) - why or why not?

what could be wrong with them?

also, anybody ever found any affordable organic sunflower seeds for the birds for treats or supplementing feed? all I found were really expensive hulled, organic sunflower seeds for people to eat, nothing non-GMO for feed yet

I would like to feed some sunflower seeds again to get them to gain some weight

Thanks!

-Bennie

Hopefully nothing is wrong with wild bird seed, because I bought a 20 lb. bag of black oil sunflower seeds from Walmart and have been giving them to my chickens!

 

[snow5164]

I too have used the wild bird seed as a treat ... no problems here

 

[rosemarythyme]

It might be alternative wording for "not for human consumption".

That's how I read it as well. I let my birds help themselves to a little BOSS after I refill the feeder, since some always manages to spill.

 

[Aerliss]

Wild bird seed doesn't have to be grown and packaged under same strict legal guidelines as human food. There'll be no traceability, and hygiene standards won't necessarily be so high. But mostly it's a legal thing. If they put warnings, and someone doesn't follow them and gets sick they can't be sued.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

That's how I read it as well. I let my birds help themselves to a little BOSS after I refill the feeder, since some always manages to spill.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would find myself wondering why my birds are skinny during the summer when there is a glut of natural foods available to them in addition to their balanced ration.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I would find myself wondering why my birds are skinny during the summer when there is a glut of natural foods available to them in addition to their balanced ration.

With respect from me to the OP, I have noticed their other threads subjects being of health issues. So I assume it is health related.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Thank you everyone!

ok, I guess the wild bird seeds are ok then

yeah - I would like to know, too, why they are skinny, but no luck so far, even at vet's and trying to see what parasite is bothering them - have been treating with several ideas - thought I would also attack the problem by providing optimal support, feed being one, but did not want to introduce something that can hurt them, especially now, so hence the question about the seeds under the feed topic