How to recognize a good bird seed mix.

In this slow economy, I have noticed that the bird seed mixes being offered by many of our competitors are changing composition to increase the amount of cheaper, lower quality and less desirable ingredients. Has the consumer noticed? I don't know but I am sure their backyard birds have. How do you compare one bird seed mix against another? Here are the things to consider:

Ingredients: I recently looked at a grocery store competitor's mix. It was over 50% corn, and over 20% wheat, and over 15% milo seed, leaving about 15% of the mix comprised of white millet and a sprinkling of sunflower. Of this mix, the majority of birds will happily eat the sunflower and white millet seed, but less birds are interested in the corn, wheat and particularly the milo seeds and even for these birds, those seeds are not their favorite food source.


I compared this mix to our Mother Nature's Songbird mix with 55% sunflower seed, 20% canarygrass seed, 10% canola seed, 10% cracked corn and 5% red and white millet. Our seed mix is overflowing with desirable ingredients for backyard birds. The Mother Nature's Songbird mix may not be quite as low priced as the grocery store mixture but if you consider that much of the grocery store mixture will end up on the ground or wasted in the feeder, you would find that our mix is considerably cheaper on a $/lb of product consumed.

When you are looking at an all purpose bird seed mix, visually look at the mix and see how much sunflower is actually in the mix. Also take a look at the ingredient list on the package. Desirable premium ingredients include sunflower seed, millet (not milo), canary seed, flax and canola seed, nyjer seed, and peanuts or tree nuts.

Remember that all bird seed mixes are not the same and that price is not the only differentiating factor. Remember also that if you want to attract specific birds to your yard that it is better to buy a mix that is specifically designed to attract that type of bird. For example Mother Nature's Finch mix for wild finches, Mother Nature's Jay mix for jays or woodpeckers, Mother Nature's Chickadee mix for chickadees and nuthatches and so on.