laura10801's Full Review: "KAYTEE"100033706 Sunflower Heart & Chips Bird See...
When I first put up birdfeeders I did a little research to find out what kind of seed the birds in my area (north eastern USA) eat. Well there are a lot of different things that different birds eat, but the one thing every bird seems to love is sunflower seeds. However, not every bird is equipped to crack open the shells of said seeds. The best solution to this is to get shelled sunflower seed.
I didn't start out with shelled seed. I originally fed my birds with regular old seed and let them deal with the shells. This was a mistake, not because the birds have a problem with the shells (although I later found out some birds aren't able to deal with them), but because it left a HUGE mess behind. I am not kidding, the area was covered with shells! This was not ok, especially since black oil sunflower seed shells have an enzyme that kills most grass (I guess that helps sunflowers propagate, to kill the competitive grasses). And so I switched to shelled seeds and also "waste free" mixes, which are more expensive, but when you consider that the cheaper mixes are weighed down with inedible, messy shells, I think the shell free seeds are more of a bargain.
Kaytee is a very respected brand, but I seriously doubt their seeds are much better than other brands of of single grain seeds. They get very fancy by not just selling shelled sunflower seed, they sell the "heart and chips" of the sunflower seed. In other words, they're selling shelled sunflower seeds and the pieces that break when they are shelled. They charge more than other brands do for pretty much the same thing
Sunflower seeds are to birds what chocolate is to humans, almost every bird goes batty over them. They cannot eat enough of them and the fact that I have kindly eliminated the chore of removing the shelling process for them makes them love it even more! And so my birds are happy, and I'm happy to not have shells all over the place.
I don't really care what brand of seeds I buy when I am buying a single grain, as opposed to a blend of seeds. I am not entirely sure what kind of sunflower seed I'm buying here. I know black oil sunflowers are the seed of choice for birds partially because they are easiest to shell, although striped sunflower seed is very popular too. With that said, I don't know if it makes a difference what kind of seed you give them as long the birds can easily eat them. Kaytee does not specify what kind of sunflower they are using in this product. Here is the general information about Kaytee Sunflower Hearts & Chips, from Kaytee.com:
Kaytee Sunflower Hearts & Chips
Kaytee Sunflower Hearts & Chips is a magnet in attracting a variety of birds. Its high oil content offers a highly nutritious food that leaves no seed hulls under the feeder.
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Kaytee Sunflower Heart & Chips Bird Seed 8 Lbs Allows Birders To Feed Birds Without The Seed Hull Wasted Beneath The Feeder Excellent For Attracting G...More at Amazon Marketplace
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