Can you give salted peanuts to birds? Thanks,Lisa

-- Lisa (magpie@fsi.net), June 16, 2001

Answers

Salt is deadly to new hatched waterfowl, the rest I don,t know.

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), June 16, 2001.

That's too much salt for something as small as a bird, it will likely kill them. I had a niece who killed her pet chipmunk by feeding him salted sunflower seeds. You may try soaking and rinsing the salt off. That should be enough to make them edible for birds.

-- April (atobias@yahoo.com), June 16, 2001.

You can buy unsalted peanuts for birds and squirrels. Be sure they are roasted, not raw. Peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and raw ones are harmful. Black Oil sunflower seed is much healthier for just about anything you are feeding. Birds, deer, squirrels, raccoons, bear,just about every body loves them and they are healthy. :-)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), June 17, 2001.

Why are raw peanuts harmful? I've never had a problem eating them raw.

-- April (atobias@yahoo.com), June 18, 2001.

Too much salt will kill any bird. I know of Cockatoos and Macaws who snacked on salted nuts while the owner's held a party. The birds died.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), June 18, 2001.

It may be that the advice against raw peanuts is due to possible aflotoxin contamination (which can also be on corn), however, I have been feeding raw peanuts to the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds for at least 5 years without noticing a dip in any of their numbers, and some of them I recognize quite well (Bob, my half-tailed chipmunk, for example, who is back for the second year). None of mine will eat a roasted peanut,but you can try yours if you like. Just do make sure they are unsalted, for all of the reasons given.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), June 18, 2001.

I personally like peanuts salted in the shell. We also set out those salted in the shell peanuts for the birds every morning. Bluejays love them, grackles and blackbirds take them in season. We have the highest concentration of all of the above anywhere on earth. For those species, at least, no problem with the salt. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), June 23, 2001.