Seed Mixes

Feeding Seed Separately

Are there any benefits from feeding seed separately, compared to a single mix in a dish?

Richard Miller answers

We have always offered our birds a seed mix rather than feeding different seeds separately. We control the mix to ensure it is consistent by buying our seeds individually as “straights” and then creating our own blend of the various seeds using a cement mixer. One less obvious benefit of buying straights is that they do not attract VAT, currently at 20%.

Our view would be that if seeds are offered separately then there is a greater risk of the birds “picking” the seed they prefer as opposed to eating a mix that is designed to provide them with a balanced diet. Most birds would probably gorge themselves on millet first before looking to eat seeds from other dishes.