Birds eating in the garden

[Guest]

I have just moved to my new house and for the first time my birds have access to soil in my garden i have been told it is good for them but they are devouring it to the point that my loft floor is black with the droppings i feed pick stone/black&red minerals clay block and greens at least once a week so what are they getting that iam not giving them and do you think it will do any harm?

[THE FIFER]

they can get all sorts of minerals from the soil. it shouldnt do them any harm, if they have not been used to the soil they will eas off after a few days,

[Guest]

Good point fifer they have been eating for over a week so i hope they ease up soon i thought it maybe because they are now feeding big y/bs but even too much of  a good thing can be too much

[rembrant2coo]

they might be able to fly that extra now frank 180 miles you said you were having difficulty with as young birds

[THE FIFER]

ARE THEY GETTING PLENTY GRIT. IN THE LOFT,

[Guest]

good point rem i might need to bum some good distance stuf from you lol

[Guest]

yes firer clean every day in the loft i also leave a big pot of grit outside the loft

[rembrant2coo]

another thing you might consider frank is feeding them a mixture beans maize &maples they cant eat dirt all the time

[Guest]

Why not!!! that is why i paid all the money for this house do you yhink i will get a refund?

[rembrant2coo]

you cant be that hard up that you cant buy them some grub surely i know top soil is quite cheap to buy but your taking this abit far

[Guest]

Wondered if it was a mature or a new plot you were on Frank? Have you had to bring in topsoil and is this what they are foraging in?

[rembrant2coo]

8) 8)fifer is not saying much is he got a hangover from sundays meeting or is he just of to bed he should have told you to feed them as well no in all fairness frank they will stop after feeding the y/birds thenyou willhave tobuy another load of top soil    8) 8)  

[rembrant2coo]

sorry frank a wee joke on you boy its not funny though hope you clean up in time  for saturday  and dont bring any top soil in to the hotel with you inyour pockets you owe stuarty apint and mines is a magniers   see you on saturday champ    ps ;mind and put your shovel away  8)

[Guest]

no bruno its an old house but the previous tenant had a fish pond and i filled it in with the soil that was heeped at the side

[THE FIFER]

8) 8)fifer is not saying much is he got a hangover from sundays meeting or is he just of to bed he should have told you to feed them as well no in all fairness frank they will stop after feeding the y/birds thenyou willhave tobuy another load of top soil    8) 8)  

 

 

yes quite agree make sure they have some food before letting them out.

 

 

[stevebelbin]

You may find you need to worm your birds more often, if they are picking about in the garden !!! I noticed mine doing the same the other day, they were pecking about, within about a metre of a pen where my cats are kept, so there must be something in the ground they want, if they are willing to get that close to my cats lol

[Roland]

When you filled it in Frank you disturbed the 'Minerals' which they are craving. Dpoubt you will stop them ... and why should you want to, they are getting better service than you.me  or anyone else can supply. Like I say, Only real peat when missis wants to Pot about, commercial chemials are a cert no go area, but they lot peat too. Was time. and think seriously of doing so again, when I fetch mole hills and spread out, left a few days and changed, likewise water from a spring, but means travelling 5 miles every day and back....

[Guest]

That was what i thaught Roland but it starts to worry you when they eat as much as they are my last garden was completly covered it fancy concrete so if they were doing this before i wasnt seeing it but i would rather they done it here than else where at least i know whats in there

[Guest]

I worm regurally because of my dogs Steve

[Roland]

Like them picking bricks, or between bricks to get the Lime. r how they know where a Lime trough is in which field, they soon are there. Used to get a 25k bag of Catle mineral and place before them regularly ... And they tell me that the ole Rock Salt that cattle lick is no good, and makes them thirsty ... Well let them drink more water then lol, for we won't stop them finding it.... and as Frank says, 'Better in your own garden'. Never ceases to amaze me the ringed pigeons you see throughout the year in the fields, and where do they come from! For every one says 'Mine don't go fielding'! I wished mine went more often, like in Autumn was the ripe time and you needn't have fed them. I don't mind mine eating that kind farmer's crops he so nicely laid out for us lol And as for ' Not knowing what tjhey have been spray with.... well rain soon washes tha away, must do or they purpose of spraying would have to be done one evry 10 years lol.

[Guest]

The birds always seem to be picking around at something. Had always assumed it was for grit of some sort. Have seen them picking at brick, and brick mortar joints too but can't say I was too happy at that. Surely balancing out an imbalance. but what? Acid / Alkili?

 

But think eating soil is a wee bit different tho, its a fair mixture of animal, vegetable and mineral, most of it microscopic. And it can range from from acidic to alkili. Only soil I've seen mine eating are worm casts. Don't know if I should be worried at that. It conditions the soil for growing plants, but not for eating it, I'd think.

 

Also raises point that birds do pick around. If this is how they pick up parasitic worms I would have expected they'd have some natural defences against picking them up too. Wonder what it is?

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Starting to settle down now i think all is rosey in the garden LOL

[jimmy white]

cant see it doing the birds any harm , especialy at a new house where pigeons havent been pooping all over the place , ive often dug a few mole hill earth ,put in a dish for them ,,,free minerals ;D