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Are these the same fat balls? Also should I clean my garden path grate.

Paul I
07/03/2023 00:29

Fat balls

I have always bought my bird food from CJ Wildlife.

However I noticed Wilkos ultimate fat balls looked to be identical to CJ's Box of 50 ultimate fat balls

Composition: Cereals, Peanuts (25%), Seeds (25% Sunflower), Oils and Fats. Analytical constituents: Crude Protein: 14.5 %, Crude Fibre: 9.0%, Crude Fat: 39.5%, Crude Ash: 2.0%

www.wilko.com/.../0520120

https://www.birdfood.co.uk/box-of-50-ultimate-fat-balls

I asked CJ if they supplied any food to Wilkos. They said they do not. 

Works out quite a bit cheaper.

 

Garden path grate.

I noticed many birds, song birds to blacks drinking and washing in my garden path grate.

The grate has two circle pods/holes which the song birds wash in. Black birds the best they can as well.

Point is I wash the feeders and bird bath every 2 weeks.

Should the grate be washed? Seems silly really. What about birds in a city center grate washing or drinking or another area which birds might use on the streets.

I started bird feeding around a last summer and really enjoy it. I stick to sunflower hearts, peanuts kibbled, pellets and fat balls.

 

  • +1 23/03/2023 15:19
    I use Wilko fatballs. I have done for nearly 10 years. The birds, especially the House Sparrows, love them. Excellent value for money and if you buy the tub of 50, you get a nice sealable container for your bird seed once it is empty.

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • 0 29/03/2023 00:38

    Thank you to both.

    I realise quality is very important with bird food. However the price difference is enormous with some of the wilko products. Their kibbled peanuts are £20 for12.5kg. CJ Wildlife is £29.99 for10kg. Pellets £19 for 12.5kg. CJ £30+.

    I feel you have to draw a line somewhere. I will stick with the sunflower hearts at CJ but that's all.

    I already have several of those sealable containers from CJ national trust fat balls and use for seed storage ect. I will buy some of the wilko ones ideally in the box. Thank you for your feed back monkeychesse. reviews look good on the site as well. It says they are produced in Demark for wilkco from what I can see.

    You lost me there ItisaRobbo apart from the palm oil point. Identical from a looks point of view as well. I will buy and investigate the fat ball. On paper it looks good with a high fat content.  The macros are the same. I would guess the quality/freshness isn't as good. Always a reason why you pay cheap. finding the balance with cost and quality. CJ and arkwidlife ect as good as they are I think I might be over paying.

  • 0 01/04/2023 02:00
    Thank you for getting back to me ItisaRobbo. A thought provoking reply. When all is said and done I will stick with CJ and arkwildlife. I intent on cutting down in the summer and autumn to just sunflower hearts and the odd fat ball to save some money on this. Then back to more in the winter and spring.

    Do you mind me asking why don't you feed the birds anymore? Why just niger seeds?
  • 0 01/04/2023 23:16

    A very interesting post and thank you for putting the time into that reply. Well that makes sense with regard to the sparrow and house martin's situation. I wouldn't know if the sparrows would out complete them though. I also have many sparrows with plenty of tits, finches, black caps and more.

    I sometimes have a sparrowhawk make a visit as well, which I understand is a good thing, or at least nothing to be concerned about. I'm curious with most species in decline not benefiting from feeding. From what you are suggesting the ones which need the feed lose out to the well fed birds.

  • 0 03/04/2023 00:10

    My own intuitive thinking was feeding the birds was blown out of proportion at least by the companies selling the food, But that is understandable. Inventing a problem which doesn't exist or at least overestimating the issue then having a solution ready at hand isn't anything new.

    We observed this on a global scale with the pharmaceutical cartel recently. However from what I understand independent organisations (if they are independent) such as the national trust, inform us to feed all year round as many birds need help over the year. You certainly raise some compelling points against this. Other factors such as location or something else I am unaware of as well may balance out each side to the debate.

    It might appear to the birds like a divine hand offered in the garden with endless food but with potential problems with disease, a level playing field for other birds and so on. The sheer amount of additional calories many birds must get, certainly the gold/greenfinches appear to get, constantly eating the sunflower hearts.

    Perhaps its finding the balance with the benefits and not to actually making things worse. I always clean my feeders and bird bath every 2 weeks and intend on scaling back in the summer and autumn to just sunflower heats only. Then adding more - fat balls/pellets/ kibbled nuts, in the winter/spring. Its an interesting subject with pros and cons.