Can you put Sunflower seeds in a bird feeder

With sold as wild bird black oil sunflower seeds appears larger than other seeds, it wouldn't make sense if you couldn't put this wild birds favorite seed in a feeder.

Absolutely can you put Sunflower seeds in a bird feeder, with a regular tube feeder fully compatible. In fact, sunflower seeds make up a part of cheaper seed mixes, thus the seed has always been dispensed in seed feeders. Better than that, you can buy a sunflower seed feeder that has an attached seed spill tray.

Certainly no shortage of common backyard birds who eat what is a super seed for wild birds, thus its vital to make sunflower seeds available.

Sunflower seeds are a favorite at the seed feeder as its a seed wild birds will actually take out of a sunflower where they grow in the wild. They are highly nutritious seeds with its fatty contents making up many common backyard birds diet on a daily basis.

Do go ahead and put sunflower seeds in a regular tube feeder if you wish, while you can also top off other seed mixes with sunflower seeds.

You can feed birds sunflower seeds out of feeders if you wish although a seed feeder can help to keep off pests or pets.

With that I would put sunflower seeds over the lawn, place them on elevated surfaces around the yard - and of course put them in the tube seed feeder.

You can think about purchasing a sunflower seed feeder that is designed to only store this kind of seed. Sure, a tube sunflower seed feeder can appear like any old seed bird feeder... with a wire mesh style sunflower seed feeder being the best option.

What will be the best sunflower seed feeder includes a seed spill tray as a way to open up what can be a restricting bird feeder, with now a way to feed large or small birds - and in particularly less able bird feeder birds.

Currently part of tube seed feeder

What you might not of realized by now is in fact sunflower seeds make up a small portion of regular bird seed mixes.

You know the kind, its the cheaper, generic seed mixes you can buy at the supermarket in bulk - which is essentially a cheaper way of filling up multiple seed feeders at a time.

Absolutely then can you put sunflower seeds in bird feeders, of which you can expect sunflower seeds to dispense just fine in a normal clear plastic tube feeder. Only issue is, wild birds who eat sunflower seeds tend to struggle on this type of seed feeder.

While your Nuthatches, Titmouse, of course Finches, Woodpeckers, Sparrows and Chickadees do just fine - Cardinals, Doves, Junco's to Grosbeaks don't have the dexterity to cling on small compact tube seed feeders.

With sunflower seeds making up a small portion - and I will stress a small portion due to additional expense in harvesting sunflower seeds - you can expect millet, cracked corn and possibly crushed peanut making up the rest of generic seed mixes.

You can add additional sunflower seeds to a small seed mix to dispense out of this regular tube seed feeder if you like, though its worth putting sunflower seeds in their own specialty seed feeder.

Sunflower seed feeders exist

With sunflower seed feeders readily available on the market today, you can expect to find two types of seed feeders made specifically for backyard birds needs.

Of course you can put sunflower seeds in their own tube seed feeder, though I will admit you can just make do with a classic tube seed feeder in that case - rather than going through the trouble of finding a sunflower seed 'promoted' bird feeder.

On the other hand, I do prefer what is essentially a wire mesh sunflower seed feeder that allows sunflower seed-eating birds to perch or cling precariously on the outer wire.

While your Chickadees or Woodpeckers will cling to the wire, in order to pull sunflower seeds out between the wire, you can be sure Northern Cardinals or Blue Jays can make the most of the seed spill tray to perch.

Sunflower seed bird feeders will appear black in color as the abundance of seeds fill the cage in its deep black color; the top or bottom of the sunflower seed feeder will be made in a color of your choosing.

With many wild birds still struggling to feed on this kind of seed feeder, I would prioritize a spill tray as the only way to feed sunflower seeds to birds in a way none of them go without.

Spill tray to feed all birds

With sunflower seeds going in a clear plastic tube or what I hope is a wire mesh seed feeder, I will recommend you buy this type of seed feeder that comes with a spill tray.

In fact most sunflower seed feeders of this type will come with a seed catcher tray.

Why that is, is because its vitally important larger or less able birds can perch on this tray, in a way that its wide open and easily accessible.

Seed spill trays double up as perch placement while the sunflower seeds will be open to the elements as they sit inside the tray.

Many common backyard birds really do like sunflower seeds thus its vital you make them accessible at all times.

And while many birds can access this wire mesh sunflower seed feeder with ease, others will appreciate the seeds made available out in the open.

Summarize

What you might not have realized is in fact sunflower seeds do make up a small portion of the seed mixes you can buy that includes millet or cracked corn.

Sunflower seeds can be recognized in this mix as the large black seed, while the small rounded seeds will be the millet - which is essentially seeds of weeds and grasses.

So absolutely can you put sunflower seeds in a bird feeder, providing its a clear tube made to dispense seeds.

Go ahead and fill a peanut bird feeder with sunflower seeds and just watch as the seeds spill to the ground.

With sunflower seeds compatible with most seed bird feeders - excluding thistle seed feeders that is - just put the sunflower seeds in with the current seed mix.

Better yet its possible to buy on the market a seed feeder marketed as a sunflower seed feeder.

Tubular seed feeders of all types exist with my favorite sunflower seed feeder being a metal wire mesh-like seed feeder.

It will allow Chickadees or Finches to cling on the outer wire with usually an attached spill seed tray can be used for Woodpeckers or Cardinals to perch.

Do prioritize a seed spill tray because then more wild birds can pull out seeds through the wire gaps, while the seeds in the tray will be made available to all - as sunflower seeds sit out in the open ready to be picked off one by one.

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