Birds Will Be Flocking To Your Feeder After Adding This Kitchen Staple

No one likes to waste food, and sometimes when you have leftover dry goods — like instant or rolled oats — that are about to expire, the best thing you can do is try to repurpose and recycle them in your yard or garden. While we don't recommend using oats as a DIY plant fertilizer because it has some downsides, one beneficial way you can repurpose this kitchen staple in your yard is by using it as bird food. This is a great idea because it not only prevents waste, but may even help to attract more birds to your feeders if you mix it into your regular bird seed. Mixing in oats with your birdseed is especially beneficial in winter when birds need those extra calories alongside their normal diet.

However, one important thing to remember is that birds can only eat dry uncooked oats and should never be given cooked or wet oats. The reason for this is that cooked oats can be sticky and may even harden on the outside of a bird's beak, sealing it closed. Furthermore, birds should never be given oats from packets that contain other ingredients like flavorings or sweeteners. Birds can eat any type of plain oats (the more unprocessed the better) including rolled oats, steel cut oats, jumbo oats, pinhead oats, and porridge oats.

However, before you mix oats into your birdseed or simply throw a few handfuls outside, it is important to know that not all birds will eat and enjoy oats. In fact, the birds that are most likely to be attracted by oats include robins and house sparrows (the latter of which are one of those birds that are little helpers in the garden), along with pigeons and blackbirds (which are often considered birds you don't want anywhere near your feeders). In order to keep the "unwanted" birds away from your feeders, you can consider putting out your leftover oats on a feeder that is separate from your regular bird feeders and seed.

It's also a good idea to avoid simply spreading oats out on the ground for birds to pick at. Even though ducks might appreciate this gesture, oats are also a food beloved by mice and rats, so you risk attracting more of these vermin to your yard by allowing the oats to be easily accessible. Instead, to keep the oats for the birds, it's a good idea to put them up high in a feeder, on a hanging tray, or on a bird table.