Birds.

[Tarot]

Dont forget them in this weather. Put scraps out, old bread, bacon rinds,cheese bits,museili, if you have no bird seed

or nuts.

[Tarot]

An old neighbour just bought peanuts, in the North cross road pet shop and they have put the price up to two

pound.

Is this the going rate for a bag of peanuts,or is the shop hypeing the price up?.

[Dickensman]

I bought some robin food from there and it was several pounds cheaper in the supermarket,

but if you don't have a car and cannot be bothered with a bus ride you have to bite the bullet

and throw out a slice of bread.

[PeckhamRose]

Last year I bought a tub of fifty fatballs which contains lots of seeds. Got it from PetsRSmartRUsRSomething next to Wickes in Blackheath. The blue tits are basically being kept alive with them I think! They queue up on the trees to fly over and get their breakfast every morning. A big tub worked out much cheaper and they will get through them if I have to stuff them myself. Won't put any in the turkey though.

[Tarot]

Is that the only pet shop in the area.?

I told him about the bread, and his wife said she needs it to make her bread pudding,he winked at me and said he,d

throw that out instead.

[PeckhamRose]

There is a pet shop in North Cross Road, and vets have some stuff too, but I tend to go to PetsRHardSmartAtHome near Wickes because often stuff just tends to be cheaper. But not always. You can not buy massive bags of peanuts in the supermarkets, and I think PetsAtHomeRus also do them loose, so you can scoop as many as you need. When ever I go through Kent I will try and go to garden centres as they often have big pet sections with such items in.

[Tarot]

Thanks P.R. I will check that out, and that garden centre near Sainsburys.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

pet shop in indoor market, Rye Lane (the one near Argos). Not to be confused with the Agora indoor market which doesn't have a very good line in togas.

[Tarot]

Thanks P.G. What togas do you mean the roman type thingies?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

that's them - it was a poor joke.

[Dickensman]

The fatball tubs are available for around ?7 in B&Q

[Tarot]

Is there any other B&Q in the area other than the Old Kent road one. Maybe Bromley or Catford, Downham.?

[Sue]

I get all my bird food online.

Fat balls, peanuts and seed in bulk.

Delivered to the door. Only downside is having to store it in mouseproof containers under my kitchen table, as nowhere else to put it

[siousxiesue]

Pound shops all seem to do the fat balls etc, Lewisham my closest

[Dickensman]

B&Q in Tulse Hill Tarot.

[Tarot]

Thats probably why my neighbours have got mice,she stores that dried dog food in sacks,as well as bird seed.

She gave some to our neighbour old Ted, so he wont have to go to North cross road, pet shop.

[Applespider]

I didn't think you were supposed to give birds bread since it swelled up in their stomachs and could cause problems. I think I read that if it was all that was available, you should soak it something first (ideally something fatty).

My sis had some of those coconut shell feeders a few years back and now she makes her own 'birdfood' and refills the shells or makes 'balls'. She buys a few tubs of birdseed, mealworms (very popular with the tits apparently) and some Asda value lard at 19p, mixes it all together. Works out cheaper than buying the actual fatball things yourself (although not sure she's been to the pound shop lately!)

It's also worth bearing in mind that different birds prefer feeding off different things - some are happy with a flat surface like a bird table, others prefer something they can hang from (i.e. the peanut feeders or filled shells hanging off a fence)

[The Minkey]

I didn't think you were supposed to give cheese to birds either.

I make my own fat cakes, very easy and very cheap. Melt lard/suet & mix in ground peanuts and birdseed. I buy my bird seed in bulk, it gets delivered to the door, and is excellent quality - see Vinehousefarm.co.uk or Streetendfeeds.co.uk

Low quality peanuts may contain aflatoxin which is, as the name suggests, toxic to birds, so I buy human grade from any number of shops in Peckham at ?3.49 or thereabouts for 1.5kgs which seems to be cheaper than a lot of peanuts sold specifically for feeding birds. DKH Sainsburys were selling largish bags of peanuts, 1kg maybe, at a good price last time I was there but that was several years ago.

[PeckhamRose]

Peckham Rye Park, half an hour ago, stood still for about five minutes somewhere near the entrance by where the fitness thingies are. And a man at the fitness thingies sat still and witnessed two robins eat peanuts from my black gloved hand.

Nature. Birds. Fabulous. In an SE15 postcode.

[Keef]

Lidl are good for bird seed.

[Sue]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

And a man at

> the fitness thingies sat still and witnessed two

> robins eat peanuts from my black gloved hand.

xxxxxx

Brilliant!

I'm sure you know this PR, but in case anybody else doesn't, you shouldn't let birds have access to whole peanuts at any time when they may be feeding their young, as young birds can choke on them.

In a wire feeder is fine as they can only get a bit out at a time.