Table of Contents 1. 2. Salty or highly processed foods3. Foods that can cause illness or digestive problems4. Foods that create safety hazards5.

It is that time of year again. The time when many of us are overindulging in food we wouldn’t otherwise eat, at just the same time as garden birds are finding it increasingly difficult to find food. But despite all of the scraps we are producing, there are a number of types of food we shouldn’t feed to the birds, despite the leftovers we will undoubtedly have. A few handfuls of the right food can help them through cold snaps and help support them at a time when the supply of natural food is dwindling.

Here are three types of food you should never feed to wild birds—and why.

Salty or highly processed foods

Birds’ bodies aren’t designed to handle high levels of salt. Foods like salted peanuts, crisps, bacon scraps, and other processed nibbles can be dangerous, leading to dehydration or even salt poisoning. Therefore, avoid feeding:

• Salted nuts

• Crisps or chips

• Processed meats (bacon, ham, etc.)

• Any human snack foods seasoned with salt

Better alternatives include unsalted peanuts in a cage feeder, sunflower hearts, suet pellets, and seed mixes specially formulated for garden birds.

Foods that can cause illness or digestive problems

The digestive systems of many birds are specially adapted to allow them to eat specific foods, so our more omnivorous diets are indigestible by birds. In some cases, these can be outright dangerous. For example, milk can upset their digestive system, while desiccated coconut can swell up and cause an obstruction in a bird’s digestive tract. The same can be said of bread, which will be readily eaten but will fill the birds with food that has poor nutritional value.

Better alternatives include fresh fruit pieces (with the pips removed), live or dried mealworms, or soaked raisins (not if you have pets).

Foods that create safety hazards

Some “harmless-looking” foods become dangerous because of how they’re presented. For instance, fat balls or nuts sold in plastic or mesh bags (not something you will find in the Vine House Farm Shop) can trap birds’ beaks, claws, or tongues, causing injury or entanglement. Peanuts should also be offered in mesh feeders, not loose on bird tables, to avoid potential choking. Hazards can also affect a bird’s plumage, so avoid feeding soft fats like those found in the bottom of the roasting tin. Feathers coated with it will cause the bird problems, and it will probably be unable to survive.

So don’t forget the birds as the festive season approaches. After all, feeding wild birds is a wonderful way to support local wildlife—but a little care goes a long way. As always, keep feeders clean and use safe feeding equipment. Oh, and don’t forget the water!