Which food should I choose?
We aim to help you make the right choice for you and your garden birds. Different species like different foods so, as a rule of thumb, the more varieties of food you put out the greater the number of species you will attract. Did you know, for example, that Robins love mealworms, Goldfinches adore Nyjer Seed and Blue Tits have a passion for Sunflower Hearts? View our food preference chart here.
Generally, birds will go for the food that offers them the best source of energy, so the higher the calories the better as far as birds are concerned - this is why we clearly mark all of our foods with the calorie content.
CJ Wildlife Bird Feeding Products:
These are available from selected retailers nationwide or via www.birdfood.co.uk
Hi-Energy No Mess - 580 cals / 100g
With all the black sunflower husks removed the birds can access the tasty energy-rirightch hearts immediately, making this the highest calorie seed mix we produce. As an added bonus, removing the black husks also eliminates the mess that they can leave in the garden. In short, less waste and less mess!
Ingredients: chopped peanuts, sunflower hearts, kibbled maize, pinhead oatmeal and yellow millet.
Please Note: as the oil rich seeds have no husks they can get sticky in damp weather so we recommend that you give feeders a tap to loosen food and feed daily as required.
Sunflower Hearts - 640 cals / 100g
This seed is hugely successful and we have recorded an astonishing variety of species feasting on these. Even 'non-seed eating' birds such as thrushes, Robins and Blackbirds, who would normally have difficulty opening the hard outer husks, have been seen happily tucking in.
Relished in the summer, Sunflower Hearts can be a life-saver in the spring when parents need to save all protein rich worms and insects for their growing young. By offering Sunflower Hearts, time spent cracking open the husk is eliminated, enabling adult birds to save valuable hunting time and feed more efficiently.
Please Note: as the oil rich seeds have no husks they can get sticky in damp weather so we recommend that you give feeders a tap to loosen food and feed daily as required.
Original Feeder Seed 540 cals / 100g
Formulated specifically for clinging bird species, feeder seed is primarily for use in tubular seed feeders and is free-flowing in nature to prevent clogging.
Ingredients: black sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, chopped peanuts, millet and pinhead oatmeal.
Original Table Seed 450 cals / 100g
With added calcium grit to aid egg production, Original Table Seed is a good entry-level mix for all-year-round feeding. Suitable for feeding from a bird table or from the ground. Not recommended for use in feeders.
Ingredients: chopped peanuts, black sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, wheat, kibbled maize, flaked maize, pinhead oatmeal, yellow millet and oystershell grit.
Peanuts - 540 cals / 100g
Peanuts are a traditional food and, being high in essential protein, are popular with a wide variety of species. They can, however, vary greatly in type, size, variety, oil content and quality.
CJs Peanuts are of the highest quality available on the market. We purchase our peanuts from human food stocks to ensure that there are nil detectable signs of aflatoxin (a toxin produced by a mould that can develop on peanuts grown, harvested, transported or stored in hot and humid conditions).
IMPORTANT: Care needs to be taken when feeding peanuts. Do not feed them whole unless they are contained within a wire mesh feeder as chicks can choke if fed whole peanuts or large pieces. Don't be tempted by cheap net bags of peanuts, these can be dangerous for birds as their feet and tongues can become entangled in the netting.
Peanut Cakes - 620-720 cals / 100g (depending on variety)
Our Peanut Cakes are the highest calorie foods that we produce and are a phenomenal success with garden birds.
Formulated from animal and vegetable fats and bound with peanut flour they have proved irresistible to a wide range of species. As well as the Original variety, the range includes added seeds, insects or fruits.
The cakes are popular with tits, finches, woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Goldcrests and Robins and we also have a variety specifically devoted to the declining Starling.
These can be fed either from a peanut cake feeder or chopped up on a table. They can also be chopped into small pieces (approx. 1cm cubes) and scattered around the edge of your feeding area to give smaller and more timid species (such as Dunnocks, Wrens and Blackbirds) a chance to enjoy them.
Dried Mealworms
Garden birds relish mealworms, particularly in the breeding season when they are a valuable source of protein for their chicks.
Dried mealworms are a convenient method of providing essential protein without the wriggle of live foods!