Was feeding the birds at 5am for 6 months before I noticed I was using old millet

Ngl I thought the finches were just picky but they kept ignoring my feeder. Turns out the bag I bought from the co-op in March had gone musty. Cracking open a fresh bag of white millet brought 9 goldfinches back in 2 days. Has anyone else had stale seed issues or am I the only one?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaih361d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on this one. @pat_fisher24, I get what you're saying about birds not being too picky, but I've had a different experience with mine. I left a bag of nyjer seed in the shed for maybe 4 months last summer and the goldfinches completely stopped coming around. A fresh bag of the same brand brought them back within a week. I think the heat and humidity in the garage or shed can do it, even if you can't smell or see mold.

casey6821d agoOG Member

Haven't you stored the seed in a cool dry place before? My garage gets way too hot in the summer and anything left there for months is basically toast. The smell test isn't always reliable either, sometimes the nutrients just degrade without any obvious mold.

pat_fisher241d ago

Are you sure the millet was actually bad or could it be something else like a predator in the area or the weather changing? I've left bags of seed in my garage for almost a year and the birds still tore through it like crazy. Honestly, I think people overthink this stuff half the time, birds aren't that picky unless it's literally moldy or wet.