I enjoy watching the birds feed and have a feeder hanging from the pergola as the sparrows like to hide in the jasmine and pop out and feed. Last week I bought a huge box of feed and the birds seem to love it but "throw it around", they are going through a feeder a day but the ground is littered with it.
All 4 of my terriers are constantly grazing on the discarded food, they are bringing it in on their beards and in between their pads so the kitchen floor gets covered too. Their poos are decidedly "grainy" normally they are lovely and firm due to raw feeding. Does anyone know if the seed is harmful to them, the old boy keeps coughing so he has obviously overindulged.

It will be a shame if I have to relocate the feeder as I won't be able to watch the visitors but obvioulsy the dogs come first.

I'd drastically cut down amount of food you put out so the messy devils pick up what they have thrown on ground!
I wouldn't be keen on dogs eating bird feed particulary if been on ground a few days as if damp can go mouldy which is bad news for both birds and dogs . also you will shortly have rats if feed lieing on ground like that regardless of haveing terriers and again you don't want the dogs eating things rats have been on.

My Golden was really, really ill after eating bird seed. She had so much abdominal pain that she couldn't walk & I had to carry her into the vets. We didn't know the cause at the time and although I mentioned that she may have eaten some fallen seed from the bird table, the vet dismissed this. Several months later, whilst visiting a friend, she ate some bird seed and spent the next day with a lot of tummy pain, three times sick and then pooed some museli-type stuff which is when I realised what she had done. Now my garden has yet another fenced off section so the dogs can't get under the feeder. Have to say that the 13 year old also ate quite a bit and had no reaction to it. I think it is highly dangerous and was told of one dog who died from eating bird seed. It's a bit like grapes I quess: some react violently and may die; others react not at all. Better safe than sorry.

Perhaps the seed she ate was mouldy? Mycotoxins can be very dangerous.

Thanks for the reply, like you G.Rets I have a section that the dogs can't access and have moved the feeder to this part, just means I can't stand at the sink and watch the birds, but hardly a big price to pay for knowing my dogs are safe!!

My youngest has a cast iron tummy and he has been loose and a bit pongy for a few days so it could be the seed affecting him. I was also concerned about encouraging rats, next door have aviaries so we know they occasionally have a visitor.

Am just longing for warmer weather when we can sit in the garden with a glass of wine and watch the birds :)

>the birds seem to love it but "throw it around", they are going through a feeder a day but the ground is littered with it.

The answer is often to buy better quality bird food.  Cheaper bird seed mixes contain a lot of corn (wheat) which the small birds don't like and tend to chuck on the floor.  Ground feeders like doves and pigeons will take this if undisturbed by dogs and cats but they also make a bit of a mess scrabbling round in the grass.  This is often the stuff that also encourages mice and rats.

If you have a look at CJ Wildbird Foods, or the RSPB site and others most can supply different mixes for different birds or situations.  My MIL for instance won't buy sunflower seeds in the black shells because she doesn't like the mess!

You might find a different style of feeder will help too - get one with a tray.  It won't stop it all but it certainly helps, I also hang one of my feeders over an area the dogs cannot access, so the ground feeders (including a moorhen) can eat undisturbed.

I totally agree with this. I got sick to death of seed of the lawn and only this Saturday upgraded my usual mix to a "no grain" one for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch . RESULT.....................no seed on the lawn, a totally different mix of birds and very unhappy scavenging bird seed dogs!

Have you tried offering Suet? Its less messy...

My dogs eat some bird food that falls from the bird cage...

This has now cost me a fortune!!! I now have a feeder with a tray and a seed reccomended by the wildlife expert at the garden centre. The trouble started when I bought a mixed seed on offer in bulk, according to the expert yes it states that the seed is ok for the birds I am attracting but they can't eat all of it hence them sorting it messily.

So I am looking forward to no mess and happy birds; the dogs aren't too pleased as they have gone to under the feeder and no snacks for them :(

I have the ideal solution I have my birdfeeders in the front garden and the dogs have no access to it ;) I do get better quality feed too as I was fed up with corn growing in my lawn so I now get crushed feed and mix with mealworms and suet as well as crushed peanuts. I always used to worry about Mummy bird shoving whole peanuts into small baby bird mouths and the crushed peanuts seemed like a safer idea. I do get a huge variety of birds now and some unusuall ones to. I have a green and a spotted woodpecker who visit often (They love the warm days when the ants venture out from between the pavers...yum yum a feast indead) as well as a lot of long tailed tits. I have a pair of collered doves who nest in a tree out the front every year too.
Lovely to sit in the office (like now) and look out to watch the birds.
Aileen

The birds in my garden won't touch peanuts or seed, they much prefer the black sunflower seeds. One of my dogs has scavenged the fat balls still with the mesh on, she must have a cast iron stomach. I've also got one of the feeders that stick to the window and can clearly see the outline of wings and feathers of a bird next to it, maybe they're not such a good idea?  Any waste is cleared up by pigeons who have young already judging by the broken white eggshells I've seen.