Frequently Asked Questions

Our bird food is manufactured at our specialist facility in Lincolnshire (UK), adhering to strict quality control standards. Visit our contact page for full details.

Harvest Wildlife Products has been manufacturing high-quality bird food for over 25 years, with a strong reputation for excellence and more than 125 years’ expertise from the shareholders.

We proudly produce bird food under our own brands, including The Little Birdhouse, Suet Shop and RHS. We also manufacture for a number of other well-known brands.

Please visit the Careers page of our website for current job openings and application instructions. This includes the option to send a speculative application if a suitable vacancy doesn’t exist.

BRCGS (British Retail Consortium Global Standards) accreditation signifies that our manufacturing processes meet rigorous food safety and quality standards. This ensures that our bird food is produced to the highest possible standard, offering safe and nutritious products for wild birds.

At Harvest Wildlife Products, our priority is to source the highest quality ingredients for our bird food. We make every effort to source our ingredients from British farms, reflecting our commitment to supporting local agriculture and reducing food miles. However, due to seasonal availability and the specific requirements of certain bird diets, there are times when we must source ingredients from trusted suppliers outside of the UK to ensure a consistent and nutritious product for the wild birds in your garden. Importantly, the human-grade beef tallow used in our suet products is sourced exclusively from British farms, ensuring a high-quality, traceable fat source for the birds in your garden. Rest assured, all our ingredients, whether British or otherwise, undergo our rigorous cleaning process to maintain our high standards of quality.

Human-grade beef tallow is included in all our suet products. This premium ingredient provides a concentrated source of energy which is crucial for birds, especially during the colder months. Rich in essential vitamins and easily digestible, human-grade beef tallow ensures birds receive optimal nutrition. Human-grade beef tallow is sourced from British farms, guaranteeing full traceability and the highest quality. The consistent texture prevents smearing on feathers, ensuring birds maintain their ability to fly freely.

Yes, when properly rendered and processed, beef tallow is a safe and nutritious ingredient, providing essential fats for energy. We ensure our tallow is sourced from British farms and is of the highest quality.

Bakery grade flour acts as an excellent binder in many of our suet products. It also adds carbohydrates to the feed, making it extra tasty for garden birds. It features in many of our Suet Shop products.

At Harvest Wildlife Products, we employ a unique cleaning process in our bird food manufacturing to ensure the highest quality and nutritional value for your garden birds. This meticulous process goes beyond standard cleaning methods, removing dust, debris, and potential contaminants from the seeds and ingredients. By providing cleaner food, we aim to offer a more palatable and digestible product for wild birds, reducing waste and promoting their overall health and well-being. This commitment to thorough cleaning reflects our dedication to providing the very best for the birds that visit your garden.

At Harvest Wildlife Products, we are committed to sustainability and strive to make our wild bird food packaging as environmentally friendly as possible. The majority of our current packaging is recyclable, and we are continuously working to improve our materials and processes. We are actively exploring innovative and more sustainable packaging solutions for the future. Please check the specific packaging of your Harvest Wildlife Products bird food for the widely recycled symbol to confirm its recyclability in your local area.

Yes, we offer a range of seed mixes and straights. Please check the ingredients before purchasing, as any seed mix containing ‘Suet Pellets’ will have beef tallow in them.

While some of our seed mixes are naturally gluten-free, we cannot guarantee a completely gluten-free environment due to our manufacturing processes.

No Mess bird food is designed to minimise waste and sprouting. It typically consists of husked seeds and other ingredients that birds can eat entirely, reducing debris around feeders.

Black sunflower seeds have a higher oil content and thinner shells, making them a preferred food for many birds. Striped sunflower seeds have thicker shells and slightly lower oil content. Birds find it much easier to break open black sunflower seeds.

Sunflower seeds provide a rich source of energy and essential nutrients, attracting a wide variety of birds to your garden.

Yes, we offer private label manufacturing services. Find out more on our website, or email sales@harvestwildlife.com for more information.

Please contact our commercial sales team via the contact page on our website, or by emailing sales@harvestwildlife.com

For customers specifically seeking high-quality suet products, Suet Shop is the ideal choice. We specialise in a wide array of suet offerings, from classic fat balls to energy-packed blocks, all crafted with a commitment to quality and safety, evidenced by our BRCGS accreditation. Made in Britain using premium, human-grade beef tallow from British farms, our suet provides a reliable, high-energy source that nourishes wild birds year-round and prevents feather smearing. Stocking Suet Shop means offering your customers suet products they can trust to truly benefit the birds in their gardens.

Stocking the RHS range gives you a premium wild bird food collection created in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society, designed to attract a wide variety of garden birds. This gourmet selection includes specialist seed blends and high‑energy suet treats made with carefully selected, sustainably sourced ingredients and elegant packaging that appeals to discerning customers and wildlife enthusiasts alike. Offering products tailored to different seasons and species, from robins and tits to finches and songbirds, the RHS range helps increase customer choice and enhances your wild bird category with a trusted, high‑quality brand partner.

Attracting a diverse array of birds to your garden can transform it into a vibrant hub of wildlife activity, and Harvest Wildlife Products bird food is specifically formulated to appeal to a wide range of species commonly found in UK gardens. Our carefully selected blends are known to attract a wide variety of birds, including robins, blackbirds, tits, finches, sparrows, woodpeckers, nuthatches, dunnocks and many more.

While you can enjoy the rewarding experience of feeding birds in your garden throughout the year, there are key periods when your support can be particularly beneficial. Autumn and winter are crucial times to begin or continue feeding, as natural food sources like insects, berries, and seeds become increasingly scarce due to colder temperatures and shorter days. Providing a reliable source of high-energy food during these months helps birds maintain their body heat and build vital fat reserves to survive the harsh conditions. Spring also marks a significant time in a bird’s life cycle as it heralds the start of the nesting season. During this period, parent birds require a consistent and nutritious food supply to sustain their energy levels while building nests, finding mates, and eventually feeding their young. Offering protein-rich foods like mealworms and high-energy seeds can significantly aid their efforts in raising healthy fledglings. Therefore, while year-round feeding can create a welcoming habitat, focusing on autumn, winter, and spring ensures you are providing essential support during the times when birds need it most to survive and successfully reproduce.

To keep your Harvest Wildlife Products bird food fresh and appealing to garden birds, store it in a cool, dry location and always use airtight containers. This simple practice prevents spoilage from moisture and deters pests like rodents and insects, ensuring the food remains nutritious and safe for your feathered visitors. Regularly check the stored food for any signs of deterioration and discard it if necessary. For more detailed storage tips, refer to The Ultimate Guide to Storing Bird Food.

Yes, bird food can expire. Look for signs of mould, unpleasant odours, or insect infestations. Check the best before date on the packaging and for more detailed storage tips, refer to The Ultimate Guide to Storing Bird Food.

Yes, spilled bird food can attract rats. Use feeders that minimise spillage, clean up fallen food regularly, and store bird food in secure containers. For more advice on safe storage, refer to The Ultimate Guide to Storing Bird Food.

Birds may take time to discover new feeders. Ensure feeders are visible, offer a variety of food, and clean feeders regularly. Place the feeder in a safe location, near trees or shrubbery, and make sure to use feeders suited to a range of wild birds. Bird feeding habits can also change with the seasons, so you can expect to see peaks and troughs throughout the year.

Yes, some kitchen scraps are safe, such as cooked rice, fruit pieces, and unsalted cooked vegetables. Avoid salty, spicy, or processed foods. Food which is particularly unsafe includes milk, dried coconut, excessive bread, cooking fat, raw meat and some raw vegetables.

Choosing the right bird feeder for your garden involves considering the types of birds you want to attract and the space you have available. Different feeder designs cater to different feeding styles and seed preferences. For example, tube feeders with small perches are great for smaller birds like finches and tits, while platform feeders can accommodate a wider variety of species, including robins and blackbirds. Hopper feeders offer a larger capacity for seeds, requiring less frequent refills. Consider your garden’s layout; hanging feeders are versatile, while window feeders offer close-up views. For a visual guide on different feeder types and how they work, check out this helpful video. Ultimately, selecting a feeder that matches your target birds and your garden set-up will provide the best results. Find out more about Choosing the Perfect Bird Feeder for Your Garden.

To create an inviting and safe feeding station for garden birds, carefully consider the placement of your feeder. Opt for a sheltered location that offers respite from strong winds, heavy rain, and intense sun, perhaps under the cover of tree branches or the eaves of your house. Crucially, position the feeder away from potential predators, especially cats, by avoiding areas they can easily hide or ambush from, such as low walls or dense shrubs. Ensure birds have clear and easy access to the feeder, with open space for approach and departure, and ideally, nearby perches like branches. Providing a water source close by, such as a bird bath, will cater to their drinking and bathing needs, making your garden an even more attractive and supportive environment for a diverse range of feathered visitors.

Regularly cleaning your bird feeders is vital for preventing the spread of disease among garden birds. Wash feeders thoroughly with hot, soapy water, scrubbing all surfaces to remove debris and droppings, and rinse well with clean water. For a deeper clean, use a bird-safe disinfectant solution, such as a diluted bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water), ensuring a thorough rinse afterwards and allowing the feeder to air dry completely. Avoid using dishwashers for cleaning bird feeders due to hygiene, potential contamination and damage. For more comprehensive cleaning advice, please refer to How to protect garden birds during the Avian Flu outbreak.

Creating a bird-friendly garden in the UK involves providing the essentials: food, water, shelter, and nesting sites. Offer a variety of food sources by planting berry-bearing shrubs and seed-producing flowers, and consider using supplementary feeders with different types of bird food. A source of fresh water, such as a bird bath or a shallow dish, is crucial for drinking and bathing. Provide shelter from predators and harsh weather by planting trees, hedges, and dense shrubs. Encourage nesting by leaving some undisturbed areas, putting up bird boxes of various sizes suitable for different species, and avoiding the use of pesticides that can harm the insects that birds rely on. By incorporating these elements, you can transform your garden into a welcoming haven for local birdlife. Read up on Why we should all start feeding wild birds…

Keeping squirrels away from bird feeders can be a challenge, but there are several effective methods. Consider using squirrel-proof feeders, which feature weight-activated mechanisms or cages that allow smaller birds to access the food while preventing squirrels from reaching it. Baffles, dome or cone-shaped devices placed above or below the feeder, can also deter squirrels from climbing or jumping. Positioning feeders strategically, at least 2 meters off the ground and away from trees or other structures, makes it harder for squirrels to access them. You might also want to try offering bird foods that squirrels dislike, such as nyjer seed.

Introducing a bird table into your garden offers a multitude of benefits for both you and the local bird population. Primarily, bird tables serve as an elevated feeding platform, which significantly reduces the risk of ground-based predation from animals like cats. This raised height also helps in keeping the bird food dry, protecting it from dampness caused by rain or moisture on the ground, thus ensuring a more appealing and hygienic food source. Bird tables are particularly perfect for bird species that naturally prefer to feed on a flat surface. This includes robins, song thrushes, blackbirds, and doves, all of whom may feel more comfortable and secure feeding from a table rather than a hanging feeder or directly from the ground.

To attract robins to your garden, provide a varied habitat with open areas for foraging and dense cover for shelter and nesting. Robins are ground feeders, so offer mealworms (live or dried) scattered on the lawn or a low feeding table. They also enjoy soft fruit like berries and chopped apples. Ensure a source of fresh water, such as a bird bath, and avoid using pesticides to encourage natural food sources like insects and worms.

Attracting blackbirds to your garden involves offering a mix of open ground for foraging and thick shrubs or hedges for cover and nesting. Blackbirds have a sweet tooth, so provide soft fruits like berries, apples, and pears on the ground or a low platform. They also eat worms and insects, so avoid pesticides. A bird bath for drinking and bathing will also be appreciated.

To attract these delightful tits to your garden, provide a variety of small seeds like sunflower hearts, peanuts, and fat balls or suet blocks. Hang feeders in sheltered spots. They also appreciate insects, especially during breeding season, so avoid pesticides. Offer nesting boxes with small entrance holes (around 28mm for blue and coal tits, 32mm for great tits) in suitable locations.

Attracting woodpeckers to your garden requires offering their preferred foods and suitable habitat. Suet blocks, especially those with nuts and insects, are a favourite. You can also try peanut butter (unsalted) smeared into bark crevices, or special woodpecker feeders. Mature trees, both living and dead, can provide natural foraging opportunities and potential nesting sites.

To attract these colourful finches to your garden, provide millet, nyjer seeds, sunflower hearts, and a mix of smaller seeds. Nyjer feeders with small holes are particularly attractive to goldfinches. Plant seed-bearing plants like teasels and sunflowers in your garden. A source of fresh water is also important.

Attracting house sparrows to your garden is relatively easy. They are social birds and prefer to feed in groups. Offer a mix of seeds, including sunflower hearts, millet, and peanuts, in various feeders or scattered on the ground. They also appreciate insects. Providing dense shrubs or hedges and communal nesting boxes can encourage them to take up residence.

To attract dunnocks to your garden, provide dense, low-growing shrubs and hedges for cover and nesting. They are ground feeders, so offer small seeds, mealworms, and suet pellets on the ground or a low platform. Avoid overly tidy gardens, as they prefer some leaf litter for foraging insects.

Attracting collared doves to your garden is usually straightforward as they are common visitors. Offer a variety of seeds on bird tables or the ground. They are less fussy eaters and will often consume larger seeds and grains. Ensure a source of fresh water for drinking.

To attract nuthatches to your garden, offer their favourite foods like peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet blocks in hanging feeders or tree crevices. They are agile climbers and often cling to bark while feeding. Mature trees with crevices can also provide natural foraging spots and potential nesting sites.

During nesting season in the UK, adult birds require high-protein foods to feed their growing nestlings and fledglings. Live or dried mealworms are an excellent source of protein and are readily accepted by many species. Small, soft insects are also beneficial. For supplementary feeding, suet pellets or insect-based seed mixes can provide essential nutrients. Avoid offering large or hard foods that young birds might struggle to swallow or digest. It’s also crucial to ensure a clean water source is available for the parent birds to hydrate themselves and their young.