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Original poster

Don't bin your leftovers...

31 replies

FestiveFug · 27/12/2023 15:38

Well, don't bin all your leftovers.

Please consider giving them to your garden birds. The days are very short for them at this time of year and they would appreciate lots of the things we don't always eat; like Christmas cake.

I usually have a bowl full of leftovers which I collect in the fridge and then zap in the food processor once a week and put a portion into the bird house each morning. It's free entertainment for me, it helps them to survive and is much better than chucking it into landfill.

Our leftovers include things like pasta, rice, potatoes, cheese, cake, pastry and even scrambled egg.

Oh, and before someone mentions that we should be feeding them 'proper' bird food (which you have to pay for), things like sunflower seed, suet, mealworms, etc then yes, I already do that!

I really enjoy watching the birds and hope to inspire one or two of you to take up this as a new hobby in 2024.

OP posts:
Haruka · 27/12/2023 16:59

I used to do all that. I still have a bird feeder in the garden, but since I had an exterminator around (for a different kind of pest) who told me rats and mice love even just the normal bird food in there, let alone leftovers, and I had to replace part of my roof because birds were nesting in there - likely because of the nearby food source - I am a tad more reluctant.

Helenahandkart · 27/12/2023 17:00

Is on-the-turn clotted cream a suitable bird food?

SilverBranchGoldenPears · 27/12/2023 17:00

I love this! Do you also record the bird calls on the Merlin app @FestiveFug This for me is almost meditation!

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HalfasleepChrisintheMorning · 27/12/2023 17:01

My parents got rats so had to stop feeding the birds. They live very rurally too

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 27/12/2023 17:03

HalfasleepChrisintheMorning · 27/12/2023 17:01

My parents got rats so had to stop feeding the birds. They live very rurally too

Rats come into my parents garden (and mice) after feeding birds, like seed. So parents give fat balls now.

KateyCuckoo · 27/12/2023 17:03

Yes was going to say we can't do that here, it attracts rats.

Mirrormeback · 27/12/2023 17:04

Definitely can't do that here either

Rats 🐀

WhateverMate · 27/12/2023 17:08

Nope, don't want rats here either and putting a bird feeder in the tree, just made it 'game on' for nextdoor's cat unfortunately.

RendeersDancingTowardsChristmas · 27/12/2023 17:10

🐀 🐁 🐀 🐦‍⬛🪰

sweatband · 27/12/2023 17:11

No thanks, rats and foxes would soon turn up

Topseyt123 · 27/12/2023 17:12

We tried doing all of that but it definitely attracted rats and we had to get a pest controller in. So we do much less of it now and are more choosy about what we put out.

I do often chuck ripped up crusts of bread across the lawn for the birds but they do swoop down and take those fairly quickly. Sometimes I put them on the bird table too.

TiredOfSayingItAgain · 27/12/2023 17:12

I do all that, too, and the fox that visits is also glad of SOME leftovers (I feed him chicken, cheese and eggs too)

Chewbecca · 27/12/2023 17:12

Are people really binning leftover pasta, rice, potatoes, cheese, cake, pastry, scrambled egg and CHRISTMAS CAKE?!

Topseyt123 · 27/12/2023 17:14

Chewbecca · 27/12/2023 17:12

Are people really binning leftover pasta, rice, potatoes, cheese, cake, pastry, scrambled egg and CHRISTMAS CAKE?!

I put ours in the kitchen caddy provided by our council, which is collected weekly and taken away to make compost.

Georgyporky · 27/12/2023 17:42

Food waste should not go to landfill.
My Council collects it separately, & it is turned into bio-fuel & fertiliser.

PickAChew · 27/12/2023 17:46

Well our council doesn't collect food waste so we have no choice but to put it in landfill.

We have a local rat problem, too. They cottoned on that people were feeding the local hedgehogs.

Siha345 · 27/12/2023 17:46

My parents got mice from doing this and I have cats and rats (I assume the rats are vicious otherwise the cats would get them!) but I put all my non-meat food waste into the compost bin to use in spring and summer. The cats love to sit on it when it warms up in the sun ☺️ and I get slow worms in there

PuffyShirt · 27/12/2023 17:48

That would be heaven for the rats in our garden!

Timeforabiscuit · 27/12/2023 17:48

We had a fantastic 20 mins as a family watching a grey squirrel "mission impossible" to get at the fat ball feeder.

Little guy had earned it imo.

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 27/12/2023 18:04

I opened this thread hoping for a good leftover soup recipe.

🐀🤢

RestingCatsArseFace · 27/12/2023 18:18

Don't forget that some leftovers can be toxic to animals, cats and dried fruit, chocolate, some spices (from cake/dried fruit) etc. Rats will clear it all up for you though and if you don't have them now you soon will.

Tallyellow · 27/12/2023 18:46

Recipe for rats, don't do this!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 27/12/2023 18:51

We eat our leftovers!

festivepains · 27/12/2023 18:51

Nah the rats will get it

Chewbecca · 27/12/2023 18:54

Today we had turkey curry also with leftover cooked cauliflower and the rest of the leftover cream. Bubble and squeak with bacon tomorrow. Christmas cake will still be going in February. Yum.