bird seed for food plots

[Mint Hill Mule]

An old-timer said he uses birdseed and has had great results. Anyone tried it, results? If not what do you use that is reasonable?

[moose eye levi]

He planted bird seed?

[chopx2]

sounds suspicious. I believe most bird seed is styrilized so it will not germinate.

[sweeney3]

Yeah, sounds odd.  Most bird seed is some hybrid development that is sterile anyway and won't germinate.  Wouldn't you LOVE to be the guy who could develop and pattent hard red winter wheat that would germinate on its own?  That would make farmers lives grand.  

But yeah, I'd be surprised.  Might be some unique mix he found somewhere that was viable seed I guess.

[Ray Hammond]

No way

The seeds are not going to grow as stated above

Think about it-  when was the last time you went to your granny's house and saw a jungle sprouting up under her bird feeder?

[yamapup]

Well, I gotta tell ya that we use bird seed in feeders and chicken scratch feed to feed deer in our front yard and a whole lot of the seed germinates after a little rain.Pup

[Bobby Urban]

Anytime you deal with large numbers there will be some deviation of the expected and a bag of bird seed is certainly LARGE numbers.  That said, even if they run it all through some sort of radiology type machine or whatever to sterilize it there is going to be a few seeds that can germinate.  If it all could there would be jungles growing under every feeder and tree around the feeder.  

That said, deer love them some bird seed, or any seed for that matter.  We had a 1/2 bag of grass seed in the garage at camp and it got damp so we poured it out in the snow.  The place was nuked with deer tracks  the next morning and they had cleaned it all up.  

Bird seed is not cheap and I would stick to more sure thing seeds for planting a plot.  JMO

[SELFBOW19953]

All you would have to do to see if bird seed will germinate is sprinkle a handful onto a damp paper towel and put it in a jar or plastic bag placed where the temps are in the 80's.  Germination should occur within a week or so.

[buckeye_hunter]

I should go take a picture of whats growing under my bird feeder. Out of control.

Nor argueing, but my bird feeder has all sorts of interesting things growing under it!

[Lowrider]

Funny this should come up. For the last week I have a doe and later a 4 point in velvet eating at the base of my bird feeder 50 feet from my back patio. Yesterday the buck was out there at 4:55 PM. After he left the doe came in about 6:00PM. Things are so dry and hot here I am seeing them a lot in my yard..they are looking for something to eat anywhere they can get it.

[ksbowman]

We feed the birds in the winter in our yard and the only plants I've seen emerge are milo. Even at that for the amount of seed that hits the ground the germiation isn't very high.

[Tim Finley]

It will grow it may not produce seeds as well as the hybrid varities, such as the sunflowers and corn. Wheat can be planted over and over for havesting Ive used it myself from my own crops. The corn is cracked in most bird feeds and the germ may be damaged but corn replanted would have very small ears if any at all and the sunflowers would have multiple very small heads producing really nothing for deer food. But it will still grow.

[Bob Palmer]

I have found Bird seed to not be sterile. It could be stored poorly thereby reducing germination rates...but it's not sterile. Birdseed if planted in a well prepared bed grows fine...it's usually a mix of sunflowers, millet, sourghum and milo...sometimes corn and/or thistle. Try it and see what happens!

[Izzy]

Some birdseed will grow into palatable forage. I dont know what I have growing but the bunnies love it. Dont get a lot of deer in my hood but Im sure theyd eat what the bunnies are eating. I get a lot of sunflowers sprouting all over my property that grow from seeds the chipmunks and squirrels have planted.

[Bill Carlsen]

I've got some 7' sunflowers that has got me thinking about buying a bag and experimenting next spring. And like Buckeye....lots of stuff growing under my feeders....especially this year's turkey hatch.

[White Falcon]

Rye grass!!! Cheap Deer eat it

[karrow]

Originally posted by chopx2:
sounds suspicious. I believe most bird seed is styrilized so it will not germinate.

i agree

[KevO]

A lot of bird seed blends have various millet varieties in them.  If you broadcast it on bare ground, it will grow & probably produce seed.  Shell corn will sprout, but it's unlikely to produce.  Sunflowers may sprout but not amount to much.