Pictured above are the end-contents of a large bag of birdseed. In addition to the mixture of seeds there is a handful of hard gritty material. When I was adding to the feeder from the top of the bag, the inorganic stuff wasn't evident, but as I reach the bottom, it's quite obvious.
The birdseed was a low-cost, generic mixture sold as the store's brand (Farm and Fleet). I can see where grit might be a logical offering to make to birds, but my family members with Audubon affiliations consider it doubtful that it was intentionally added. OTOH, I'm not sure how it could accidentally become a contaminant in the seed harvest, mixing, or distribution process.
I'm curious if anyone else has encountered a similar situation.
I have not encountered that, but I wish I had, my Australorp chickens need grit just like every bird (?) and I have to buy it separately.
ReplyDeleteIt was formerly (50 years ago) believed that all captive birds need their diet explicitly supplemented with grit. But today this is no longer believed. I know many bird fanciers and nearly all feed pelleted diets. It just seems like a very elementary aspect of avian physiology to have been completely mistaken about...?
ReplyDeleteyou probably have to mix the contents of the bag before using it to distribute the grit evenly?
ReplyDeletep.s. how big was your 'large bag of birdseed'?
I-)
Is your "grit" just dirt and sand, or does it include seed dust and seed debris?
ReplyDeleteIt's gone now, but as I remember it, it had the feel of finely ground rock (but not smooth like seashore sand). And it was certainly heavier (or at least denser) and had sunk to the bottom of the bag.
DeleteI expect the grit is simply a by-product of how and where birdseed is bagged. It's probably piled on the ground, and mixed with a back hoe, and scooped into a hopper for bagging. The birds don't care if there's sand or grit in it--they're used to eating what's around them, plus, they have something called a crop--have you ever butchered chickens?
ReplyDelete