# Wild Bird Seed and Dust



## ValencianFigs (Jul 10, 2010)

Hello,


I usually buy wild bird seed for the out door birds and sometimes I use it to cut down protein of the bird feed. But my main problem is that I don't use much of it so I have it stored in two air tight containers that are meant to store 40 pounds of seed. And within 3 months I get dust powder in there and see little bugs and holes within the milo. I am thinking that it comes with the wild bird seed because it doesn't happen toany of the other seeds which I keep stored. And I also noticed that there are theese little tiny black seed like things within every batch that I get. THey are like half the size of a flax seed. Could those be bug eggs?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Think I might buy a different seed, as they are coming in the seed. That or try freezing it for a week or so and see if you can kill anything in the seed. I have done that.


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## ValencianFigs (Jul 10, 2010)

Yeah I am probably going to buy a different brand. I just buy the normal brand at walmart so it probably isn't stored correctly.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well if the bugs are in it, then they were probably in it when they packaged it. Also, it is probably on the shelves at Walmart for a long time.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

I face the same problem for few months in summers. So,when I buy feed I wash and drain it, then dry and sterile it in open sun. I usually buy 20 kilograms in one go because I have a 20 kilogram container. Washing and draining helps to get rid of live bugs(as they're already there in packed grains in summers) and larvae and some eggs. When u wash live bugs will die in matter of mins and their bodies float to the surface and get drained away. After that drying and keeping it moisture free really helps. Here sun is very harsh, so in summers grains dry within a day. I dry them on marble floor. Marble floor gets heated up which in turn helps the feed to dry faster. Its just like drying the feed on a heated metal. Any bugs/larvae(eggs) die at this stage. I know it sound like lot of work but I do it anyway because I love my bird so dearly so I nvr could feed them unhealthy feed Infact,my love for pigeons give me energy to do all that stuff happily To control bugs from mutiplying I use a drug made locally.
I always take out a tin(about a kg) full of grains from that container and wash them again to wash out that drug and feed it for few days and so on. Its added work in summers when temperature is favourable for bugs to thrive...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well I would change who I buy it from, as if you do have lots of bugs, then they have eaten out the seeds in the shells.


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

I quit buying wild bird seed altogether as I was always having grain moths fly out of the bag when I opened it. I was buying it from: Canadian Tire. I began buying 40 lb. bags which were MUCH CHEAPER than store bought seed, with better grains, like red wheat, barley, corn, peas, oats, etc. I live in Canada where grain is easily gotten and the stuff I buy comes from a farm feed supply store and is much cleaner, as farmers also buy it to feed their chickens. I used to pay: $25/for 20 lbs (Stores) and now pay: $11.80/40lbs! Quite a difference.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Wow! Good deal! Our mix goes up more and more all the time.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> Well I would change who I buy it from, as if you do have lots of bugs, then they have eaten out the seeds in the shells.


I've tried different shops to buy from but there are still some of bugs present in it already which multiply rapidly. So I always wash it out to get rid of bugs,moths and unwanted impurities.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have frozen seed to kill things.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Spiritflys said:


> I used to pay: $25/for 20 lbs (Stores) and now pay: $11.80/40lbs! Quite a difference.





Jay3 said:


> Wow! Good deal! Our mix goes up more and more all the time.


Oh wow! mine is an agricultural local. Its 20US dollars for 16 kilograms. Hehe


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## ValencianFigs (Jul 10, 2010)

I wish I was closer to grain mills. :/ Is it ok for me to discard the seeds outside or would it be bad for the animals to eat it?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

No, you can just toss it out to the wild birds. They can pick through it. Much of the seeds will have been eaten by the bugs, but they will pick them out.


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

Yes, grain may be cheaper up here in Canada, but I buy 7 bags of grain a month and it costs me $83-87/mo. I am feeding 2 flocks. One gets 2 925gs in a Folger's coffee can, the other, bigger flock gets 2 925g cans as well. I am very dedicated to them. I even clean up the sidewalk 2ce a week of poops and wash it down so that no one can complain about a pigeon poop mess. Well fed, with a clean place to live under the bridge. lol


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