Another mixed seed question: millet

Thank you for your patience with this newbie! I'd really like to hear your views on the millet contained in mixes; is it really to be avoided like the plague?

I'd like to feed a fruit & nut mix as an alternative to suet to attract those birds that don't eat sunflower. However, all but one of these mixes contain millet to some degree, and the one that doesn't is very expensive and not always in stock.

What are your thoughts on millet? I really appreciate your wisdom and experience. :)

I'd try to stay away from it. Check the Nut n Berry mix's. Most I've seen don't contain millet.

Pelletory, you're the best! You're always the first to answer my posts and help out. Thank you so much!

No problem, Hope you can find the right mix.

Millet is a fill seed, inexpensive, and for the most part wasted in seed mixes... not many birds, at least in my experience, like it... it's the one kicked out of the feeder onto the ground.
It's like corn in dog food... serves no purpose other than to bulk up the bag. Stay away from it if you can... it's a waste. That's why the bag of seed that's about $2 is full of the stuff!

Yes and a real draw for European House Sparrows,grr, although they'll eat other things too.

That's kinda what I thought, but I wanted to ask being that so many bird foods contain millet. I guess it's like you said, Judy, that millet is like the corn in pet foods. And look at just how many pet foods contain corn! It's just as hard to find a high quality pet food as it is a quality bird food.

Thanks again for your replies, everyone. Much appreciated!

Isn't just better to buy straight sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, safflower seed and peanuts and put them in seperate feeders?

I think thats just up to the individual. You have to try different things to see what works best. Everyones situation is different.

In the winter when the juncos return they really go for the millet, as do mourning doves. I like to scatter it on the ground around the evergreens. Incidently, mourning doves eat black oil sunflower seeds, shells and all. They don't crack them open like say, cardinals. Also the white millet is eaten much more readily than the red millet and yes the house sparrows can be a problem with millet in the feeders. They're very messy with it.
Jimbo

I didn't know that mourning doves ate the shells! Bleh! Learned something new again.

Hi Jimbo, Wecome to Daves and the Bird Watching forum!

Yes, in the winter I like to spread a little of the cheap seed which contains a lot of millet on the garden blocks to get some close shots of Junco's and White throated Sparrows.

Hi guys,
Supposedly, white millet is the preferred seed for Painted Buntings, too.
Deb

Hi Deb, You are right,they love the stuff. We have several pair; here's a pic of one. As you can see, I buy millet just for the PB's.

Aww, he's a beauty. I haven't seen any since spring for some reason.
Deb

Wow, Very nice pic ardesia!!!

Yes I think there are a number of birds that eat millet. I saw it on a list somewhere.

My Painted Bunting go straight to the finch blends that contain tiny millet. One mix has red and white; one mix has white only. They occasionally investigate the safflower but I've never seen one actually get out a seed. The Cardinals eat a lot from the feeders that have mostly millet but no sunflower or chips (to discourage squirrels).

Are the larger, red, round seeds milot?

The less costly blend I get for the one big feeder (squirrel proof) that the squirrels can get to and regularly rob, has lots of millet and some of the bigger red round seeds. I, also, scatter that over the edge of the deck, along with peanuts in the shell, sunflower, and corn to keep the squirrels somewhat busy. Feeds the bunnies in evenings and rats at night too. Lots of Mourning Doves down there all the time too. Squirrels will eat or try to get to any of the millet anywhere it is.

One feeder, a tube with wire cage around it, used by the chickadees, titmouses, and PBs and house finches some, attracts the Cardinals a lot but they can't get through the caging (although I've had young squirrels manage to do so). It's mostly millet with niger, striped Sunflower and BOSS, and various chips. The Cardinals really want to get in there but just can't manage.

My mourning doves occasionally eat from the feeders with mostly millet but spend most of their time at safflower feeders.

gg=alice

The larger red seed that you get in cheaper bird seed mixes is milo which is basically a "filler" seed added for the extra weight. Red millet is smaller and looks just like the white millet but orange in color and to my experience, not preferred as much as the white. Another filler seed is oat groats. I usually buy separate seed and what I get is: black oil sunflower, cracked corn (and here it pays to get a better, more expensive, finely cracked, brand as some of the cheaper cracked corn has very much chaff and hull in it and eventually you'll get little worms that turn into moths) some white millet, some safflower and that's about it. Of course the finch feeders get the niger. And another tip that I learned many years ago from experience--don't store your birdseed in the house, especially if your turnover rate isn't real fast. You'll have moths flying all over the place for months. Hope this helps.
Jimbo

I used to raise fields of milo. One of the big problems was birds eating the crop. Sometimes the heads would be half eaten. As I was harvesting, the fields would be crawling with birds.

I don't know what the birds eat in Mississippi but here in Wisconsin, in the winter, which is when I feed, the milo never gets eaten. Now maybe that's because all the grackles, redwinged blackbirds, and cowbirds are gone and I'm suspecting that that's what your fields were full of.

No, acturally it was the medium and smaller birds. The milo was ready for harvest in August. We don't get a lot of Grackles or Cowbirds in August. We do get a few red wings but they stay pretty close to water in the summer.

We would get flocks of mourning doves but they would not eat the milo until after harvest when the stalks were cut. Then we would have so many that everyone wanted to hunt the fields on the opening day of season which was usually around the first of September.

Now growers plant bird resistant variaties to cut down on the lose from birds.

This message was edited Aug 7, 2007 6:04 PM

This message was edited Aug 7, 2007 6:07 PM

Wild Mallards used to destroy fields of Milo right after WWii. There were enormous flocks that could eat 60 to 70 tons a night. We used to stand outside in the evening and watch the flocks fly for an hour or more. Swamp draining in the breeding grounds up North caused a severe reduction by about 1960.
Milo is the Inca Doves favorite food. I have about 30 or 40 Incas that eat only milo from the feeder. Mourning doves will eat it, but prefer wheat.

Should we be putting wheat out for the M Doves? What kind of wheat?

Thanks,
gg=alice

You might try some. It is hard to find around here. I used to bring back a couple of bags from Oklahoma when I went there. In some cases they have never seen wheat and are slow to start, as we had in Houston, but once started we had droves of them. I don't think the type matters, as long as it is just raw seed wheat. Be sure it is not treated with poison to prevent critters from eating it.

You might be able to find it in some "organic" type stores or stores that have bread making supplies. There are people who like to grind their own. Heck I still have vacuum packed containers we purchased for Y2K. But I really don't want to break the seal........just in case........

Why would wheat, meant for consumption, be treated with poison? Is that really done? Or would it be for "kill" bait?

gg=alice

These seeds are for planting only, not for consumption. To prevent rats and such from destroying the seeds.

Well, big duh, Alice.

DH is making his weekly trip to Whole Foods and Central Market tomorrow when he is in Dallas. He should be able to find whole kernel wheat at one of those places. I'll report back. Did I mention that I saw bulk wheat for sale at an online bird supply store? I wondered then what bird likes wheat.

gg=alice

Lots of luck. May the doves flock to your feeder.

I certainly have no absence of M Doves at the Safflower feeders and below and around the edges of deck. I'm hoping to maybe attract some other doves and birds. When the Incas are here they eat from the "ground" only.

I used to scatter seed/corn/nut/berry mixes on the deck in one area near the "wildest" corner. Early 06 "ratter", Hilda Rottie, de-tailed two squirrels giving us "Stubby" and "Nada", so I stopped putting feed there. I'm thinking of blocking that area off with some wire panels from dog X-pens to help protect the squirrels but still able to see the ground feeders. Maybe my Incas will come back.

It's going to take away from the wild effect there but I think I'll paint the X-pen's chrome wire to match the color of thin, horizontal, metal deck rails that blend in with woods beyond the deck. Or, if I painted it to match the Painted Buntings it would probably disappear. ; )

Ho-hum, yet another chore.

gg=alice

I frequently have as many as 8 Incas crowding onto my feeder dish.
At first they ate from the ground but now come daily to the feeder.

Lucky you. They are one of my favorites. Are they as "flighty" as the M Doves? I don't remember.

gg=alice

Most are reluctant to move, then not far.

trois

DH picked up whole kernel wheat (used for bread making, etc.), yesterday, at Whole Foods, for $0.59/lb; no chaff or other stuff; really pretty stuff. Hard winter wheat was all they had.

I spread some on the deck and I'll watch for who goes for it. Yesterday I spread some mixed millet on deck. Cardinals and Painted Buntings really going for it. More PBs came in a one time than when I just have millet in numerous feeders.

gg=alice

The hard winter wheat is best. The other is for pasta and not as preferred. If they are slow starting to eat it, migrating doves will teach them in about 6 weeks or so.

trois

Jimbo said, > And another tip that I learned many years ago from experience--don't store your birdseed in the house, especially if your turnover rate isn't real fast. You'll have moths flying all over the place for months. <

Well my turnover rate is way fast for most feeds AND I'll still get moths if some seeds have been on the store shelf long enough. Several times I've purchased "sale" seeds at Home Depot and Walmart. One time I didn't get some into the plastic jugs fast enough, that I keep in the cabinet by the back door. We had a nice crop of moths.

A friend of mine has some domestic birds. A couple of years ago they had to empty the whole room, closets, and to do a thorough cleaning and washing or dry cleaning all fabrics because of the "invasion" of moths in every nook and cranny from seeds that they store in the room.

When I was buying seeds in bulk, a couple of hundred lbs at a time, I stored all in heated/cooled, converted garage, i.e., doggie room/workshop/storage, in metal trash cans. At the time it was to mostly to keep mice and rats from getting it but it did pay off keeping moths down in the house.

Now, I still keep the newly purchased bags in garage until ready to be used. If the seed bag isn't used up when I fill or top-up the feeders. I transfer it to various sized zip lock bags, the giant ones for large seed bags, or plastic jugs and carry them outside before opening.

I do keep a big bag of the "Critter/Squirrel" food unsealed in the cabinet but it goes pretty fast. It doesn't contain anything but sunflower, corn, and peanuts in shells.

I'm trying to figure how much seed we go through a week, including the "critter food", squirrel (and crow) corn logs, and suet. It's probably at least 50 lbs.

I, also, don't buy "sale" seeds any more and check carefully for evidence of bugs.

gg=alice

We have had a moth problem in the past. We store everything in airtight containers, and have had no moths for years.

Thanks for the info. I wondered about the Millet. Nobody seems to want it and I wondered why it was included.

I just bought fresh thistle seed with black oiled sunflower seed hearts mixed in. I'm hoping to see massive excitement over this!

At my feeder the millet is a draw for house sparrows. They are feeder hogs and so I'm not buying that mix anymore. They crowd out any other more interesting birds that may be around. I don't mind feeding them a bit - but I'd love to see the more interesting ones. Sybil are there no house sparrows in MN?

We have a few in MS and they are interesting to photograph. All wildlife seem to have their own personalities. There are a lot of other kinds of sparrows that are more interesting.