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Index of Subjects that fits with what I have found over the years. Old seed does loose its goodness, same as the seeds we buy to eat. Birds aren't stupid, unlike a lot of people. They need to get energy and know where to find it. Moulds I worry about. I try to ensure we are buying fresh well dried seed, ie grown in the year served up, and that seems to work. I used to grow my own sunflowers and save the heads to hang out but then critters found them and we had a terrible, terrible mess. I got this year's supply of sunflower seed (black oil) at Co-op, when Shur Gain had completely run out, it still had bits of green mixed in with the seeds, and I can't keep my feeders full. We poured the 2 x 50 lb bags into a big garbage can for storage and, unusually, we didn't keep the bags so I don't know where they came from. We will run the supply right out and then get more. I find starter plants (also millets) all over the property in the summer months so the seed is viable and not too old. Between the Bluejays and the chipmunks (and squirrels).......some I let come along and most get mowed. I wonder about all this genetically altered stuff, does it even produce a viable seed? if yes, is the seed of any use to the creatures would try to live on it (beside us) ? Marg Millard, White Point, Queens http://margmillard.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: <iamclar@dal.ca> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 12:15 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Sunflower seeds > All: > > I hesitate to add to this discussion given the lack of any controlled > experiment > on the issue, but I did note last year that my black sunflower seeds that > had > been kept over from a previous year, and possibly two, were not much used > by > visitng birds until I replaced then with fresh stock. I don't know why > they > were rejected - no evident mould, e.g. - but maybe they had lost volatile > lipids or become a little rancid. > > I wonder if suppliers/dealers sometimes market old stock. I don't like the > wide > over-application of pesticdes, but everything I have read suggests that > Roubndup and the like are unlikely to be detected by or hazardous to > seed-eating birds. > > Cheers, Ian McLaren >
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