Just curious, how much bird seed do you buy?

We have to by 50 pounds of seed every month. The birds rely on the food source once you start providing it (especially in winter and when they are raising chicks). Thus, it would be harmful to stop feeding them. We feed them just the black oil sunflower seeds. We find that the other seed is not well liked by the birds, and they just discard it, so it is cheaper to just get the one seed the birds like. That way they don't go through it as fast.

We don't feed the birds in summer/early fall. There is plenty of food that they can forage for and you don't want them to rely on feeders. We also live about a 1/2 mile from a 65 acre Audubon sanctuary so we would go broke and be overwhelmed. We do provide small bird houses which are always full. In the winter months we fill our bird feeders every few weeks. We also let them stay empty for a week or two between filings so they don't become dependent. It's wonderful to have birds in your yard but you have to think about how you effect them.

50 pounds of sunflower seeds and three or four pounds of thistle seed and 75 lbs of wild bird seed, we have a bird sanctuary! Plus a few squirrles help out every now and then, aslo about 12 assorted suet cakes for the wood peckers and mocking birds and nut hatches etc.

That's funny. Me and my mother go through the same thing occasionally. We suggest filling your feeders 1/2 full every 2 days or so. No don't starve them but try other solutions like making homemade bird food. I substitute bread and fruits on occasion. They will love that http://www.birdsandblooms.com/dycon.asp?parent=347...

I purchase 40lb bags of deer corn every month to feed the ducks that have adopted me. They are only $5 a bag at walmart.

1 small bag @ family dollar