Any ideas for curtailing seeds sprouting in grass from bird feeder spillage?

Question

We have several feeders at various locations in our yard- some directly above the lawn, other hanging from our gazebo on patio surface. We have various crops sprouting around from the seed. We have quit feeding safflower for the time being because it was sprouting so much, and have gone to some blended (ie Wagner's Midwest Blend) feeds- which the birds seem to really like, but we are still having a sprout problem. Wondering if we should change the type of feeder we have- ours have area around the outside of the feeder where the birds can stand and feed- any suggestions are much appreciated. We don't want to stop feeding the birds- as has been suggested by some family members of mine- just want to cut down on the crops we're growing. Thanks!

Answer 1

Put a bird bath underneath ....................

Nothing else really works.............

Answer 2

Nothing works. I know. I have read that if you put the

birdseed spread out on a cookie tray and bake them at a low temp for 15 minutes they won't sprout. But holy cow I would be doing that all day and night in the winter time with the amount of bird seed I put out. I actually had thought about putting a old vinyl tablecloth beneath it to see if that worked but haven't done so yet.

Answer 3

When the kids were little, and no grandchildren, yet.    a nice bird feeder that didn't drop seeds to germinate in the lawn .... get some large milk-bone dog biscuits, drill a hole through an end, dip it in peanut butter and cover with birdseed.  The kids enjoyed doing it and we all enjoyed watching the birds come to eat.