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Thread: Meal Worms

  1. #1

    Meal Worms

    Anyone feed Meal Worms to their birds?

    Years back, I tried it when a shop nearby got some in. Actually, you can grow your own quite easily. I had a house in a neighborhood in NC. I had no Blue Birds, but the other birds would gobble them up.
    Meal worms tend to crawl away, so you have to adjust for that.
    I got a feeder that had a bird size hole on each end with clear sides. The smaller birds could fit through the hole and eat. It was a success! It was also too much trouble and $$ to do often. Live meal worms keep well in the fridge if your wife does not notice them.

    Here in SC on the lake, I have Blue Birds. My bird houses raise about 20 a year. In my 11 years here, (raised maybe 200) have yet to lure one to a feeder. I have tried the freeze dried ones but birds don't seem to like those here. Lately I have a Wren eating some.

    With all bird food, the birds pick and choose as to what is available. Like us humans, eat the best until it is gone, then go to second best.
    Where I live, the forest is hard to compete with. So is my yard, as when I buy a plant, I tend to choose "bird friendly". Some birds like seed, some berries, and all like insects.

    Back to meal worms --> I am going to expand my freeze dried offering this Winter to see if I can build on the Wren. Wrens only eat my suet which is also an "insect source" type food birds love, especially in Winter when insects are few. Meal Worms have to compete with an abundance of "natural things" things in my garden.

    Before Spring, hope to have my own meal worm factory operating to lure some Blue Birds near my porch chair. Back yard birds are a hobby for me. It is one that keeps my attention year after year as nothing else ever has.

    In my part of the country, the hobby of competing with Mother Nature to attract birds is harder than you folks living in harsh climates deal with. On the plus side, in Winter, my yard is packed with birds who come South for the better climate and food sources.

    As Mary Poppins says, "Feed the birds".


  2. #2
    Registered Users TOAD's Avatar
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    Count the birds! Count the birds!..... It's actually actually free today!

    http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count



  3. #3
    Registered Users TOAD's Avatar
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    Mary Poppins has the right idea about feeding the birds.

    But on days like today, when it is cold outside don't forget to water the birds also.

    I know AO probably has his bird baths electrically heated. But if you are like me this is not the case.

    Most mornings it is enough to go out and break/ remove the ice and refill with warm water after the temperature gets just above freezing.

    Today, it will not get above that mark. and my watering stations are freezing solid.

    So, I have made several trips with buckets of warm water .

    I am attracting more activity around the water than at the feeders.

    Any comments AO?
    You are my expert, and I surely would not wish to do anything to harm the birds.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by TOAD View Post
    Count the birds! Count the birds!..... It's actually actually free today!

    http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count


    Good fun Toad.
    These have been going on for many years. I often do one here from the porch for fun (keep a log of results). Some results are here on YC or my blog.
    I count species not numbers.
    I question as to what is achieved by these counts other than fun.

    They can be a fun reason for friends and strangers(soon to be friends) to gather, share a drink of WTF and have a good day.
    In these parts, they have a few on Table Rock.
    http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/ta...roduction.aspx
    Maybe for the next gathering you, I, and others in the area could go. It is a shame I live so close and have never found time to go there. I'll pay for the rooms if we agree to pack ten to a room which adds to the fun.
    Several YC members live close.
    I am the only guy in a tie

  5. #5
    Heated water is mostly not needed in SC. I did throw an aquarium heater into my porch bird bath last night.
    My fish pond did not freeze but my Branch froze solid.

    People in colder regions should invest in a heater and there are many bird bath types to choose from.

    Toad is right. Like people, birds can survive much longer w/o food than w/o water. I post often that my water features draw in birds numbers to equal my feeders, and I live on a lake!
    I am the only guy in a tie

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by TOAD View Post


    I am attracting more activity around the water than at the feeders.

    .
    A couple years back K got me a hanging tube style feeder for water.
    It looked great, but seemed to be a bird-brained idea to me.
    It was nice looking yard art.
    Name:  5184WK4ZhzL.jpg
Views: 850
Size:  49.4 KB

    I was wrong as the tiny birds are in it all the time to grab a drink.

    http://www.amazon.com/Perky-Pet-389-...d+water+feeder
    I am the only guy in a tie

  7. #7
    Old thread. I have kept out freeze dried worms and grubs for years now.
    The verdict is they are crap as to bird food.
    I will keep them out, but not a big deal to the birds in my yard.

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