Seeds And Pictures

Not showing this year, TONY EDWARDS re-examines his dietary regime and creates a calendar for his bird club!

- Tony Edwards

FOR several years I have driven regularly to the north of Birmingham, a distance of about 30 miles, to purchase the seed for my Bengalese finches.

However, since my illness a few months ago, I have not attempted to drive any significant distance, so I needed to source an alternative supplier. I am a member of Amazon Prime, so I investigated what seeds were available in 20kg bags.

I found seed originating from two major suppliers at reasonable prices with free and quick delivery, but the number of options was restricted. For many years the staple diet for my birds has been a mixture of 20kg bags of white millet, budgie 50/50 (mix of yellow or white millet with canary seed) and various tropical/foreign finch mixes. Based on availability, I have now settled on bags of budgie 70/30 (white millet and canary seed), utility budgie (white/yellow millet, red millet, canary seed and vegetable oil) and foreign finch (canary seed, Japanese millet, niger seed, panicum millet, red millet, white millet and soya bean oil).

I take care to avoid linseed in any mix and rapeseed too, as neither is often eaten by my Bengalese and, once damp, linseed (putty in another form) sticks to surfaces like glue.