Peanut Free Bird Seed?

I have not either. I called a local bird society here and they told me they would get ahold of the national bird group and never did get back to me. We just use cracked corn right now.

I did pretty extensive research on this about 2 years ago. I could not find a safe brand anywhere. I spoke w/ one company and they told me that "animal feed" products are not subject to the same rules as people food regarding labeling, cross-contamination and storage. Basically, he said that a bin used to hold a seed w/ peanuts in it can be emptied and filled with something like plain cracked corn or sunflower seeds without cleaning it out. So, it would all be cross-contaminated.

We throw Cheerios to the birds and my son's preschool made bird feeders out of mini-bagels tied onto a string, coated with a mixture of flour and water and David's sunflower seeds and Cheerios stuck on them. It worked great.

If anyone knows of a safe brand please post here.

Take care,

LJ

Another option (instead of peanut butter on pinecones or bagels) is cornmeal mixed with Crisco. My DS did that in preschool years ago (long before we had to deal with PA), and it worked great.

I'm hoping to find a source for bags of bird seed to fill bird feeders, but I haven't found anything yet.

Anne

We have had good luck going to a feed store and choosing bags of a single seed rather than buying pre-mixed bird feed. The birds love the sunflower and thistle seeds. I am sure there could still be cross contamination issues but so far so good.

Originally Posted By: lj Basically, he said that a bin used to hold a seed w/ peanuts in it can be emptied and filled with something like plain cracked corn or sunflower seeds without cleaning it out. So, it would all be cross-contaminated.

Oh I never thought of that! We grow our own corn so all of the cracked corn is safe but never thought about recommending to others and having it not be safe.

I have some cereal and crackers that are outdated. I thought about putting those out but if it rains it would be mush.

I have also been searching for peanut free seed. My father is an avid bird watcher and the seed is ALL OVER the yard and his workshop. My son ADORES his grandfather and follows him everywhere when we visit (regularly). Since he is PA, it terrifies us that the crosscontamination will make him seriously sick (he needs to injest the peanut product).
I just ordered some seed from "just green" (I originally found them on amazon). They advertise a peanut free seed. Unfortunately, the company is based/ships from the UK. I will let you know about the quality of the product and the final price with the shipping when we receive it. I think most parents of a PA child would agree that it is worth a try. Of course, since there are not strict regulations about crosscontamination like for food, we will still be careful...but at least there isn't actually peanuts or traces/coatings of the product! Hopefully we can feel some relief. Sarah.