Aniseed advice
- Thread starter Stalker62
- Start date
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Well I have just returned from my first adventure with the Great Aniseed Experiment of 2020.
I have no idea whether or not it will help the birds stay local or increase the bag numbers (at this moment in time a purely hypothetical scenario).
What I can confirm is that I, my clothes and my truck, now smell like a 1950s Public School Tuck Shop.
Last edited:
I used to find maize was more useful than aniseed. Hand feeding cut maize onto rides didn't necessarily stop them wandering, but it meant they always came back for it. Mixing maize into feed however, i found that they just pulled out the wheat to get the maize!
If you do carry on using aniseed, dilute it with cheap vegetable oil before you mix it, it helps get a better coverage, and its another attractant. Realistically you don't need very much aniseed at all.
Another thing you can use instead of aniseed is curry powder. Works similarly to aniseed, but you smell like the local takeaway instead.
If you don't try, you won't know!
Good Luck!
TT
If you do carry on using aniseed, dilute it with cheap vegetable oil before you mix it, it helps get a better coverage, and its another attractant. Realistically you don't need very much aniseed at all.
Another thing you can use instead of aniseed is curry powder. Works similarly to aniseed, but you smell like the local takeaway instead.
If you don't try, you won't know!
Good Luck!
TT
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
I'd do similar to wot i done, if u have 2 hoppers close together put aniseed in 1 and not the other.
See if birds prefer 1 or the other by wot gets ate quickest.
By rights u really should swap the hopper positions as some hoppers will always be favourites despite being close to others.
Really fairly worthless comparing previous seasons as so many other variables that will likely have far more influence ( disease, weather at release time, weather in general, predators,) even how well it guns shoot big difference in a 30 bird day where u fired100s of shots or 1 where u fired straight and only 40 or 50 shots
So bag or returns alone does not tell the full story.
See if birds prefer 1 or the other by wot gets ate quickest.
By rights u really should swap the hopper positions as some hoppers will always be favourites despite being close to others.
Really fairly worthless comparing previous seasons as so many other variables that will likely have far more influence ( disease, weather at release time, weather in general, predators,) even how well it guns shoot big difference in a 30 bird day where u fired100s of shots or 1 where u fired straight and only 40 or 50 shots
So bag or returns alone does not tell the full story.
Good point, feed cut maize not whole maize which they fill up on too fast and bugger off.
Also the tree rats like to grab the whole maize and make off with it.
WB
I've found that year with the all the acorns and maize cobs, the birds aren't too interested in the feeders.. With plenty of other options.
However, 1 bucket of split maize to 4 bags of wheat in the spinner with a glug of aniseed and apple cider vinegar has kept hold of them.
I definitely think it has its merits and helps keep them tight
However, 1 bucket of split maize to 4 bags of wheat in the spinner with a glug of aniseed and apple cider vinegar has kept hold of them.
I definitely think it has its merits and helps keep them tight
Bowderdale
Well-Known Member
It will definitely help but be careful not to add too much this will reduce palatability best mix it with veg oil, 100ml aniseed to 10 litres of oil add 50ml per 25kg bag.
A dog and plenty of walking works better than any aniseed or special spice
Suffolk_Shot
Well-Known Member
We used to mix the concentrated aniseed oil with vegetable, then run the wheat and oil through a cement mixer,
This brings all the dross and bits of straw to the front of the mixer, we used to tip that into separate bags to use as hand feed, this leaves you with nice clean wheat to put into feeders and you do get blocked springs !!
As to whether it works or not it’s debatable but we used to enjoy the process and it gave confidence it was doing the job.
There was one occasion when we had a feeder that had been half full of plain wheat for a fair while, I put some of the aniseed/veg oil on a rag and rubbed it all round the spring and underside of the feeder, within 5 days it was empty so it must do some good.
This brings all the dross and bits of straw to the front of the mixer, we used to tip that into separate bags to use as hand feed, this leaves you with nice clean wheat to put into feeders and you do get blocked springs !!
As to whether it works or not it’s debatable but we used to enjoy the process and it gave confidence it was doing the job.
There was one occasion when we had a feeder that had been half full of plain wheat for a fair while, I put some of the aniseed/veg oil on a rag and rubbed it all round the spring and underside of the feeder, within 5 days it was empty so it must do some good.
Similar threads
