I also buy the Wilkos ones for the same reason. There is a pet food stall in the market near to where I live and they also sell soft pellets. I will check the manufacturer next time I'm there and let you know. It might be a few days though...
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
Hello RB and a warm welcome from me up in the far north of Scotland, in Caithness. I use the suet pieces and to be honest have never noticed if they were soft or hard. They disappear! I feed the fat balls, rolls and cakes also. Have you tried making the famous pastry that the birds love. Buy the cheapest flour and lard. Mix 500g flour and 250g fat (halved or doubled depending on quantity you want to make) and add a splash of water to mix. You can use this on its own or add bird seed, suet, chopped fruit, grated cheese or nuts (chopped small). Keep it overnight in the fridge. It's good to work with, not sticky. You can fill mesh feeders or put it in dishes or squeeze small amount on the bushes. Sit back and wait!! Hope you enjoy being on here.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Hi RB from me in E Kent! I usually buy the mealworn suet pellets from Twootz as I find their prices very good & they often have special offers. These pellets are quite large, firm but soft at the same time! For a change this time I purchased the berry flavour, at £21.99 for 12.55 kg on free delivery this works out at £1.75 per kilo &, although smaller pieces than the mealie ones, they are very soft & the birds love them ... they also would work well mixed in the pastry recipe as given by CL! Twootz sunflower hearts are good too & much cheaper alternative to other suppliers but beware the kibbled ones, I tried some of these as they are much cheaper for a large quantity but not well received by my birds here, not even the Starling mob!!
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Hi RB, welcome to the forum from Cornwall. I get through at least 1/2 kilo of pellets per day (more during winter/ breeding season). I buy Suet To Go pellets which are very good quality(the Sparrows will not eat anything else)! I pay £38 on ebay for 20kg with free delivery which works out at £1.90 a kilo- I also buy these ocassionally from Beaks on ebay,the Sparrows prefer the other ones but all the other birds like them www.ebay.co.uk/.../271316296877 at £14.90 for 10kg & free delivery might be worth you giving them a try! When you select an option you'll see "mini pellets" I tried those, and they tended to be dry and the birds were not so fussed on them,but the normal pellets are very soft and went down well. Hope this is helpful
Jayne
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Many thanks for all your kind hi messages! I have had suet pellets from Twootz before in berry, mealworm and I think nutty. They were certainly harder than the Wilko's ones but after a few days the birds did start to eat them but no way in the same quantity. I have also tried the Beaks pellets a while back and the pellets were a lot smaller and so hard! The birds didn't take them at all, I ended up taking them to my local country park and feeding them to the ducks! Not tried the Suet To Go pellets, might see if I can get a small pack to try.Just wish I could get some more info on the Wilko's ones manufacturer. Anyone know someone who works there who may be able to find out on the quiet??!
I have a window feeder (RSPB of course) and I was just wondering if I can add a mixture of suet pellets and seed, to try and vary the number of species visiting.
Suet pellets can be very popular with certain species (tits, sparrows for example) so no reason why you shouldn't try them. Also sunflower hearts are popular with most species including finches. It all depends what's around in your area.
Another stick on window feeder you could try is this "Basket" fat ball holder which is fairly cheap and cheerful. Tits in particular like to cling on to feed.
It can take a while for birds to find new food sources especially in your unusual location. So don't buy too much stuff until you find what works
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Tony
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Hi RB have only just seen this thread. Like you I also buy the Wilko pellets - insect ones go best here - and try as I might I haven't found anything that the birds prefer to them.
I tend to buy the £7 boxes as they provide slightly better value for money - but at the rate they disappear they certainly ain't cheep!!
Hello Peter, there are different things that you could try, premium bird seed, sunflower hearts, Niger or thistle seed, suet pieces. As TJ has said maybe try different things at a time and see who visits. Good Luck.