You have probably seen your local pigeons pecking away at all sorts of human food on the streets, from chips to pizza to bread – but what do pigeons actually eat when they're not scavenging in our urban environments? This blog will explore what pigeons like to eat and what we as humans can feed pigeons to give them a little healthy helping hand.
September is nearly upon us and there is definitely an autumnal chill in the air! You may have noticed just how laden the hedgerows are with fruit, berries and nuts this year – an incredible crop of nature's bounty. It's true that gardens become quiet as our feathered friends head off to make the most of these natural resources; however, we still recommend putting out some additional food to keep the birds in your area, and to ensure that their diet is 'topped up'.
Check out our Birdie Basics bird seed range, which includes a wheat-free seed mix. Just like our premium feeds, these more affordable mixes are packed with home-grown ingredients from our UK farm. And with prices starting from just 70p per kg (including free delivery!) they're a great choice to keep those feeders ticking over.
Order Your Birdie Basics Here!
August Seed of The Month
SAVE 15% (offer ends 31st August)
Homegrown is always best and this delicious, nutritious Original Farm Gold™ bird seed mix lets the harvest sunshine spill out of it.
September and October are often glorious 'golden' months as the mornings become just slightly colder. Original Farm Gold™ is a perfect autumn bird feed, and a fantastic premium choice for your garden birds at this time of year. Offer ends 31st August so don't miss out!
Order Before September & SAVE 15%
Enjoy your birds!
With best wishes,
Lesley
Our High Energy Fledgling Mix™ has done its work for the season...but garden birds are still hungry, so don't miss this opportunity to stock up one last time!
Be sure to order your High Energy Fledgling Mix™ before 25th August 2025. After that, this mix won't be available again until next year! Buy now >>
This family says 'thank you!'
Order Your Fledgling Mix™ Here >>
15% off this month!
Home grown and delicious, our Original Farm Gold™ bird seed mix is a great choice for autumn feeding!
But you don't have to take our word for it...
"We have more garden birds than ever since we started feeding with Original Farm Gold™.
"Blackbirds, robins, blue tits, etc.
"But the pheasants love it as well!"
– Karen, Holmfirth
Order This Month to Save 15% >>
This year looks like it's going to be a bumper one for nature's bounty. Our hedgerows and bushes are festooned with nuts and berries. We have been out and about picking blackberries for crumbles and pies...and perhaps a few bottles of blackberry tipple to see us through the winter months!
The hazelnut bushes in our garden are laden with nuts; the main problem we have is how to harvest them before the squirrels pinch them all. It's proving quite a challenge!
Many of our customers worry at this time of year that their garden birds will desert them. This is normal; they need time to moult, and then they will head off into the hedges to enjoy nature's food. But please don't worry – they will return. And while your feeders are quiet, it's a good opportunity for repair work and cleaning.
With very best wishes to all our customers,
Lesley
P.S. Don't forget to make the most of our special offers!
If you're looking for the perfect, protein-rich treat for your garden birds, look no further than live mealworms!
Mealworms are the larvae of the flour beetle, a native British insect that eats flour, meal, grain and other similar crops. They are made up of approximately 50% protein and 50% water, making them an excellent source of nutrition and hydration for wild birds.
As summer draws to a close and autumnal weather starts to take over, you may be wondering what this means for your garden birds.
Autumn is actually a critical time for many wild birds as they either prepare for migration or gear up for a long and cold winter at home. By offering the right foods in your feeders, you can support your feathered friends during this tricky transitional season – and enjoy some great birdwatching in the process!
Wood Pigeon Nestlings (September 2012). Original photo by nottsexminer. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
If you find a baby pigeon (also known as a squab) that seems to be in need of help, there are a few different steps you need to take…
In 1996, a rumour began to gain traction after being published in a bird-feeding advice column: Wild birds cannot eat uncooked rice because when ingested, it swells and causes their stomach to extend.
We now know that this rumour isn’t true – cooked and uncooked rice pose no risk to wild birds – however, that did not stop the rumour becoming so widespread and it pretty much stopped the tradition of throwing rice at weddings for fear of killing the local wildlife.
In this blog, we will explore the facts behind the assumptions and discuss the safest ways to feed rice to your local bird population. Let’s get started!
There are a couple of reasons why the rice rumour doesn’t make logical sense:
Although rice is safe for birds, it’s not necessarily a great nutritional source. It can provide a quick energy source in the form of carbohydrates, however, rice lacks many of the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that wild birds need for their balanced diet.
Brown rice is healthier for humans and thus is also more beneficial for wild birds too. It contains more of the energy, proteins and fibre needed for a healthy avian diet.
If you choose to feed your local birds rice, make sure it is only offered in moderation and as a supplement to a balanced diet. You also must ensure that you never feed fried, seasoned or salted rice to your garden birds – you may also want to rinse plain rice to remove some of the extra starch before putting it out.
So, if you have a wedding coming up and you want to follow the throwing rice tradition, know that you can without harming the local bird population; however, throwing a traditional seed mix or white millet will probably be more popular with your feathered friends and you won’t have to worry about the clean up!
The premium Tidy Garden™ seed mix is always our number-one seller, but never more so than during the summer months when people are out in their gardens and don't want to be looking at messy sprouting seeds and untidy feeding areas.
Of course, this year's drought has made it more difficult for left-over seeds to germinate – but it's still great to know that everything is eaten up and your garden will remain mess-free!
We've taken 15% OFF all Tidy Garden Mix™ pack sizes for the month of July. Prices start from just £9.31 for 2kg of bird food. This is a really good opportunity to try a fantastic feed at a great price!
And don't forget: you can save a further 15% if you CLICK & COLLECT from the farm!
We have taken on more land this year, which will enable us to keep up with the demand for all our bird seed crops. Unfortunately the new acquisition has some quite large patches of wild oats growing, which need to be removed before harvest. If they are allowed to remain, they will profusely shed their seeds and create an even bigger problem next year, and the only way to do it is to get out there are pull them up by hand!
Luckily, we have fantastic staff members (and a daughter home from uni) who have been willing to get onto the land and give us some help. We are very grateful to them all. We have a great team working for us; everyone willing to muck in.
Left: a handful of wild oats. Right: another glorious day and a 7am start to beat the heat!
As I write this, the harvest has just started. Richard is off to start combining our oilseed rape. The first day of harvest is always an exciting day, usually filled with trepidation and the big question: 'will the combine be trouble-free?!'
There is a huge amount of work undertaken in the weeks running up to harvest time. The combine is thoroughly serviced and checked for any parts which need replacing (and there are invariably some significant repairs and replacements needed). This year it was the water pump – always an expensive item to replace – and the poor design of this particular combine meant that accessing it was extremely tricky; a real headache for our mechanics. All the trailers and grain moving equipment are given a 5* clean, as are the grain stores which will be housing our newly-harvested crops. Shiny and spotless!
Lots more news to tell you in my next newsletter, but until then.... stay out of the heat and enjoy your garden birds!
With very best wishes,
Lesley
P.S. I may need a physio after this!
