Wild Bird Seed - live food
Mealworms - Mealworms are the best selling live bird food. Mealworms are the larvae of the flour beetle, a harmless beetle which consumes flour, meal, grain and other related crops and is found naturally in the wild in the UK. Their smooth, shiny wormlike bodies are made up of over 48% crude protein and 40% fat and have a high moisture content making them an excellent, proven food for insect eating garden birds. The mealworm diet is vegetarian which means they are safe to feed to birds and chicks without passing on diseases which may be present in meat fed larvae such as maggots.
When should I put live food out?
In summer the ground can be hard if it hasn't rained for some time, and worms can be deep undeground
In winter, the ground can freeze, and birds need extra energy to stay warm, while needing energy to dig for worms and insects.
In the breeding season, when there are beaks to feed, live food is the best source of protein for growing chicks, and also provides moisture which dried foods don't.
Some suppliers of live wild bird foods
http://www.greengardener.co.uk/bird.htm
http://wildbirdfood.uk.com/acatalog/Live_Bird_Food.html
http://www.vermisell.co.uk/shop/33/32/index.htm
http://www.globallivefood.com/shop/home.php?cat=259
Your local pet shop will almost certainly sell these, both live and dried, support your local small shops and buy from them in preferance to large chains. The prices aren't higher and you get personal service.
