It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:56 am

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Hummingbird food
PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2003 10:39 am 
Offline

Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2003 10:35 am
Posts: 1
Can someone please give me the formula for the food that goes in Hummingbird feeders?


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2003 12:37 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2003 6:37 am
Posts: 37
Location: Central Texas
I boil the water first and let it cool. I add 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups of water. You can add red food coloring if you choose although the hummers will surely come and feed without it. :wink: Keep your feeders clean and refill often because in the hot summers the water mixture can sour.



Dancey
Zone 8b


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 10:29 am 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:18 pm
Posts: 1093
Location: McKinney,TEXAS
Please, please do not use red dye. Hummingbirds are attracted to red but the feeder should be colored, not the water. This is a waste of money and possibly harmful to the birds. I have gathered a lot of knowledge about hummers by visiting sites where, literally, thousands of them congregate and breed.
I have had 5 feeders working at my house in Coppell with sightings every few minutes. Both the black-chinned and the ruby throated are regular visitors and breeders. The formula is 4 parts water, 1 part sugar. Mix in warm or hot water until the sugar is dissolved. Let stand until cooled. Put excess in fridge so you don't have to make it every time. It will last a week or two. The mixture in the feeder should be placed in the shade and replaced every 2-3 days. Clean the feeder every time with hot soapy water. The cold mixture out of the fridge is fine. Please understand why I'm being so directive. These are extremely small birds that weigh less than 5 grams. The sugar to water ratio I suggest nearly replicates that of nectar from flowers. Too much or too little sugar is bad.
Help us attract and support these beautiful creatures by spending just a little extra time.
Thank-you for listening,
Tony M


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: hummingbird food
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 6:13 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 5:48 pm
Posts: 806
Location: Weatherford,TX
Does anybody have info. or opinions as to hummingbird food that has vitamins, etc. added to the mix? The reason I'm asking is that birds in captivity need vitamins, etc. There is a hummingbird food sold at commercial outlets that has a (supposedly) complete vitamin & supplement make-up.

_________________
The "soap" you use is normally chemicals, etc. Use real SOAP !!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 9:56 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:18 pm
Posts: 1093
Location: McKinney,TEXAS
khwoz-
The hummingbird food that is normally fed to captive birds is NektarPlus. You might have to do a search to find some. Arnette Heidcamp has wintered dozens of healthy and injured birds at her home in New York. This is what she uses. She wrote a wonderful book called, "hummingirds, my winter guests". I think she wrote "A hummingbird in my house" also.
I saw your comment after your name about soap. Do you make your own? My neighbor has some goats milk soap to sell.
Tony M


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: thanks & soap
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 11:41 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 5:48 pm
Posts: 806
Location: Weatherford,TX
Thanks for the hummer food info. Yes, my wife & I make hand-made soap and sell it in this area at various stores. We currently have 12 types of which 2 are made with goat milk.

_________________
The "soap" you use is normally chemicals, etc. Use real SOAP !!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: thanks & soap
PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 5:41 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 10:59 am
Posts: 277
KHWOZ wrote:
Yes, my wife & I make hand-made soap and sell it in this area at various stores. We currently have 12 types of which 2 are made with goat milk.


I'm curious about what brand/type of scale you like. I use a 2 kilo electronic for making soap, but I can see that 2 kilos might not be big enough for commercial batches. I've been thinking of suggesting that we open a soapmaking section on the forum, if enough people are interested. The last batch I made in August is about finished, so I'm thinking of putting up another one. I think this time I might try KOH in it. I can see how much easier it is to make it for self-use than to satisfy the consumer. I know my mother's hot process soap that I helped her make many years ago wouldn't pay for the water if we tried to sell it now, but it worked then and I have fond memories of helping make it (watching her do it, that is).

_________________
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: soap
PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2003 12:42 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 5:48 pm
Posts: 806
Location: Weatherford,TX
We may be getting off the subject of this forum, but here goes. We currently make small 5# batches with 4 to 6 different vegtable oils in each one. This lets us use a small electronic scale (My Weigh - 500 gram). If you get much larger than 5# batches, you need large, expensive commercial equipment. We do cold process because it looks better and is consistant although it takes longer to cure. Question; why do you use KOH instead of NAOH? The reason I'm asking is that KOH is usually used in Europe & Canada. Seems like it would be hard to find here.

_________________
The "soap" you use is normally chemicals, etc. Use real SOAP !!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2003 10:54 am 
Offline

Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:10 am
Posts: 52
Location: Salado
I've never used a feeder before, and I was wondering what anyone else thought. We get about 4 hummingbirds on my lot right now. I have always felt so funny about feeding hummingbirds sugar water. I know they have incredible enegy requirements; they have to visit between 2000-5000 flowers a day. I just can't justify feeding them something that provides no real nutrition. We grow lots of plants for hummingbirds, but sometimes I wonder if it is enough. Would we be doing them a favor or a disservice to provide them with a feeder too? :?


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: hummers
PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2003 5:55 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 5:48 pm
Posts: 806
Location: Weatherford,TX
From what I've read, sugar water does help them. My original post asked if vitamin fortified food would help the birds. Home Depot and other stores sell a brand in a (what looks like) a 1/2 gallon red bottle that has a lot of vitamins, etc. I would appreciate more info. from anyone that has hummers. :?

Thanks, KZ

_________________
The "soap" you use is normally chemicals, etc. Use real SOAP !!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2003 8:54 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:18 pm
Posts: 1093
Location: McKinney,TEXAS
amodekraft-
The sugar water that you are feeding them is very close to the nutrition of the nectar they feed on. You are facilitating the number of trips they have to make and the exposure they face from cats and other predators. Mother nature figured out this recipe, not us. They also need protein which they get from eating insects. Given their active lifestyle, a simple carbohydrate like sugar water is essential. Our birds go back and forth between the native flowers and the feeder.
Tony M


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Sugar water for feeder.
PostPosted: Mon Jul 21, 2003 3:20 pm 
Offline

Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2003 2:43 pm
Posts: 15
Location: Princeton, TX
I have a 1 cup feeder.
I put 1/4 cup of sugar in a microwaveable measuring cup.
Add water to fill to 1 cup.
Put it in the microwave for 45 seconds.
Remove and stir. It's not too hot but will dissolve the sugar.
Fill my feeder. Set it in the sink to cool.
Put cup in dishwasher, nothing to store.
Hang up feeder when cool.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: hummers
PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2003 7:24 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2003 3:54 pm
Posts: 9
Location: Dallas, Texas
KHWOZ wrote:
From what I've read, sugar water does help them. My original post asked if vitamin fortified food would help the birds. Home Depot and other stores sell a brand in a (what looks like) a 1/2 gallon red bottle that has a lot of vitamins, etc. I would appreciate more info. from anyone that has hummers. :?

Thanks, KZ


KZ,

The prevailing opinion among hummer experts is that you should NOT add any vitamins to homemade nectar. It's way too difficult to know the proper amount to add and you could do much more harm than good. Hummingbirds get all the vitamins they need from the small insects they eat. If you want to provide more insects, attract fruit flies by placing old fruit in the nook of a tree or shrub. Of course, if you garden organically you should have plenty of small insects in your garden for the hummingbirds to feed on. Also, avoid adding red dye to your homemade nectar -- it's completely unnecessary.

have fun,

Howard Williams
Dallas, Texas


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: hummers
PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2003 12:47 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 5:48 pm
Posts: 806
Location: Weatherford,TX
hwilliams, thanks for answering my question on the vitamins. If one bought the pre-mixed vitamin formula at a store, it should be OK ??
Currently I use uncolored sugar water.

_________________
The "soap" you use is normally chemicals, etc. Use real SOAP !!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: hummers
PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 7:04 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2003 3:54 pm
Posts: 9
Location: Dallas, Texas
KHWOZ wrote:
hwilliams, thanks for answering my question on the vitamins. If one bought the pre-mixed vitamin formula at a store, it should be OK ??
Currently I use uncolored sugar water.


Actually, there really is no need to add vitamins to hummingbird food -- none at all. By the way, a few years ago the Hummingbird Aviary at the Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona lost a significant number of hummingbirds because of tainted nectar that contained too much iron. Most bird vitamins are for captive birds that are significantly larger than hummingbirds. How do you know the hummingbirds in your yard are vitamin deficient? Why take the risk 'prescribing' to them? Again, an organic wildlife garden will provide all the nutrients -- through nectar and insects -- that hummingbirds need.

Sometimes the less we meddle the better.

Howard Williams
Dallas, Texas


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by eWeblife