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Is Kaytee wild bird food worth it?

Should you get Kaytee wild bird seed?

As the first commercial wild bird food supplier in the United States, Kaytee is a respected and popular brand for feeding feathered friends in the backyard. Kaytee produces a wide variety of wild bird food suitable for many different species. Whether you have a single bird feeder or a garden paradise, Kaytee wild bird food is a trustworthy choice to attract wild birds.

Kaytee wild bird food ingredients

High-energy ingredients

Since wild birds spend so much of their time looking for food, it's important to supply them with nutritious, high-energy food. In particular, seeds with high oil content appeal to birds because they contain lots of nutrients and fat for energy.

A good all-around ingredient to look for in Kaytee bird food is black oil sunflower seeds. These seeds have thinner shells, making them easier for smaller birds to crack into, and they contain a higher oil content along with nutrients such as vitamins A, B and E, protein and fat.

Bird-specific formulas

Kaytee makes wild bird food specially blended for particular species such as cardinals, finches, songbirds and woodpeckers. These can include shelled or unshelled peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit or even mealworms. If you live in an area that frequently hosts a particular species, or if you’re trying to attract a specific type of bird, you may find it worthwhile to put out a Kaytee wild bird food designed just for them.

Kaytee seed blends

If your birdwatching goals include seeing as many different wild birds as possible, a diverse seed blend will be the best choice. Cardinals, chickadees and grosbeaks love sunflower seeds, while robins enjoy mealworms and fruit. Safflower is popular with many bird species and a common ingredient in birdseed blends. Its bitter taste can also help deter squirrels.

Using Kaytee bird food in your bird feeder

Types of bird feeders

Some types of bird food work better in certain kinds of feeders.

  • Hopper and tube bird feeders can accommodate just about any kind of birdseed, although small seeds can fall out of tube feeders with mesh siding.
  • Platform feeders can hold an even wider variety of bird food, like sunflower seeds or mealworms, but since the food is more exposed, it can go bad faster. Platform feeders are also easily accessed by squirrels.

What kind of bird feeder do you need for Kaytee bird food?

Kaytee wild bird food is available as loose seed mix and in seed cakes. Loose seed mix can be used in hopper, tube or platform feeders, while seed cakes slip into specialized cake or suet holders. Woodpeckers in particular love pecking at seed cakes, which are made with a variety of seeds bound together with honey.

Regardless of what type of bird feeder you use, be sure to discard old food regularly and clean out the feeder to prevent mold or bacteria from sickening visiting birds.

Mess-free wild bird food

Don't want a mess under your bird feeder? Some Kaytee wild bird food varieties are formulated to be mess-free and waste-free. These varieties contain hulled seeds that are 100% edible. They also won't sprout if they spill onto your yard or into garden beds. Mess-free birdseed blends tend to be more expensive than standard bird food, but since they help save you from having to clean up after the birds, you may find them worthwhile.

What you need to buy for Kaytee bird food

Kaytee bird food mixes

Kaytee Black Oil Sunflower Wild Bird Food

Birds love these seeds for their high oil content and thin hulls, and you can distribute them from any type of bird feeder. Black oil sunflower is particularly popular with cardinals, woodpeckers, grosbeaks and chickadees. Sold by Chewy and Amazon

Kaytee Nut and Fruit Wild Bird Blend

If you want to spoil your birds, try this high-energy mix. It includes sunflower, safflower and pumpkin seeds for birds like cardinals, grosbeaks and nuthatches as well as raisins and dried cherries for bluebirds, woodpeckers and robins. Sold by Chewy and Amazon

Kaytee Seed and Mealworm Cake

This low-mess seed cake bird food can help attract insect-eating birds like bluebirds. It’s made with hulled sunflower seeds, black oil sunflower, safflower and mealworms. Sold by Amazon

Kaytee Waste-Free Blend Wild Bird Food

This wild bird blend contains hulled sunflower seeds so you won’t have to worry about cleaning up shells. Neither they nor the other ingredients will sprout. Sold by Chewy and Amazon

Bird feeders for Kaytee bird food

Woodlink Going Green Platform Bird Feeder

Serve up your Kaytee birdseed in this eco-friendly platform feeder. It's made from up to 90% post-consumer recycled plastic and has a powder-coated metal screen floor for drainage. Sold by Amazon

C & S EZ Fill Suet Basket

Pop seed or suet cakes into the side of this vinyl-coated basket and hang it up for birds to snack on. The vinyl coating keeps the basket comfortable for birds to land on in all weather conditions. Sold by Chewy and Amazon


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Laura Duerr writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
 

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