As someone who only uses force-free methods I use a lot of treats. That got me thinking how treats work with the wildlife in my garden. No doubt they deserve a treat too! Today I put some sultanas on the bird table to add to their seasonal diet of berries, insects and worms. Raisins and sultanas are great occasional treats for birds that provide them with additional nutrients. As a natural source of sugar they add vitamins, minerals and energy to their diet and are a particular favourite of ground feeding birds. I put them on the bird table because we have a lot of wood pigeons in the garden who hover up all the food left out for ground feeding birds but do struggle a bit to get onto the covered bird table!
However, unlike birds, dogs cannot eat raisins and sultanas. They are in fact toxic to them. So we need to be careful when putting them out for the birds and closely monitor dogs when they are out in the garden. Another reason to put them up on the bird table rather than on a ground feeder. I hope the small amount of sultanas will be picked up by the birds fairly quickly! Find out more about what to feed garden birds here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/birds/feeding.
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