I was waiting to discuss this for long. I have started birdwatching and birdfeeding very recently. I won't complain that I had a hard time, because pretty soon I was able to attract many of them including cardinals, Blujays, Robins, chickadees, titmice, sparrows, red-head woodpecker, finches and many more whom I have not learnt up yet. After success with economic mix+ black-oil sunflower seeds, I found the robins aren't eating anything, just bathing in the trough and going off (but they are my regular visitors whether I had given any food or not in the past). So I started researching on 'what Robins eat?' I found they eat worms..mealworms. I was equally confused as to what mealworm to serve. Most posts said that dried are a waste of money, liveworms are the way to be. So I got liveworms from Petco- 35 ct/3.99, then 100ct/4.99. They were finished in a week's time. Robins ate them, mockingbirds and Phoebe's (atleast that's what I think they are :)) also liked them. So this wasn't a longterm thing I could do. If liveworms had to be bought every week for such high price, I would have to stop feeding worms. (But just in case you do, keep the container outside at room temperature to let the liveworms grow and move comfortably before you feed them, because they are almost dead when you buy them from the stores, being in fridge). I was skeptic about dried worms because I did not want to waste my money. But last week. I bought, a pack of dried mealworms the Pennington brand from walmart for a try. still very scared that no one would touch them. But these dried worms are amazing. The Robins are coming back to my yard and they are loving it so they take a mouthful at a time. I am having to give two servings per day, of these dried worms and I am really happy with the result. I am happy that the Robins are having enough food to eat now, which they did not have when I was giving out barely 6-10 worms in a day. So do not worry. Dried worms are really sustainable and budget friendly and sometimes, even look better than liveworms, so birds will eat them happily.
