Comments on Julie Zickefoose: Crack is a Better Name for It

I'll "moderate" for you and delete my comments. I'...

2008-06-25T13:22:00.000-05:00

I'll "moderate" for you and delete my comments. I'm sorry I ruffled your feathers.
Happy birding.

Very interesting. For some strange reason my Blue...

2008-06-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

Very interesting. For some strange reason my Blue Birds haven't got hooked on Zick dough. I think it's in part due to the fact that I feed it to the birds on a very infrequent basis.

Hi everyone. I'm writing from Hog Island. Today we...

2008-06-19T04:58:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I'm writing from Hog Island. Today we go out on an all-day boat trip after puffins. I'm scrambling to clothe my kids, who are having the time of their lives.
Thanks for all the comments and support. I don't think commercial suet cakes have quite the fast-food allure that suet dough possesses. But a good rule might be to watch and see if any one bird or species of bird seems to be "hooked" on a food to the exclusion of anything else. As we now know, it happens! And they can wreck their health by indulging.
Summer feeding...maybe the coons that rip every feeder down each night are trying to tell us something?
My guys are getting a small scoop of mixed black oil and sunflower hearts, and a single peanut feeder with roasted cocktail peanuts. That's it.The bluebirds eat the sunflower hearts, even when there are crickets and caterpillars everywhere. Hmm.

Well, I can stop feeling guilty about the huge jar...

2008-06-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I can stop feeling guilty about the huge jar of prepared dough, in my fridge instead of out in the bird dish.

But seriously... I think that the success of the "Zick Dough" (even if it turned out to be aves heroin) is in part due to how much people think of you. This is NOT to make you feel bad, but instead I think it shows the passion we all have for birds and how we want the best for them, even if it turns out that it isn't.
It's not good for birds in large quantities. Or for Type A bluebirds. Now we know. And I hope you aren't losing sleep because of it.

Hmmm.Such helpful info for us AND the birds. And,...

2008-06-18T21:46:00.000-05:00

Hmmm.
Such helpful info for us AND the birds. And, here I was feeling guilty for letting my feeders run dry until I get back on top of my crazy life!
When I learn things like this, I remind myself to "keep balance" in all things.
It seems the bad things happen when we swing too far either way, in this case, with diet.

RE: Tim's comment, you are powerful. Wow, Dr. Zi...

2008-06-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

RE: Tim's comment, you are powerful. Wow, Dr. Zick.

Dr. Zick, I presume? Your diligence in finding the...

2008-06-18T20:16:00.000-05:00

Dr. Zick, I presume? Your diligence in finding the cause/solution to the bluebird foot swelling is awe inspiring. And from it a timely and important post that all should read.

Before I got here on my regular round of reading -- I was actually informed of this post as a "must read" through the Oklahoma Bird list server earlier today. Another Okie had already passed through here and is spreading the word. The power of the blogosphere continues to amaze.

I was putting out a sprinkle of meal worms in thre...

2008-06-18T17:43:00.000-05:00

I was putting out a sprinkle of meal worms in three different feeders in the back yard once or twice a week. Until I noticed Mama Robin following me from dish to dish stuffing her mouth. She still hops and peeps at me whenever I go out back!

Hi,I don't feed the Zick Dough recipe, but I start...

2008-06-18T16:17:00.000-05:00

Hi,

I don't feed the Zick Dough recipe, but I started feeding a peanut butter/suet/cornmeal mix this past year. And yes, various species really LOVE it.

But then, this summer, the Blue Jays (along with the more appreciated red-bellied woodpeckers, other woodpeckers and some sparrows)found and equally loved it. Believing that jays would negatively influence the nesting success of other birds in our small woods (part of a fragmented woodland habitat), I, too, discontinued serving this delight.

I appreciate your sharing, Julie, of the negatives of addicting our wild birds to bird lovers' "candy". I only recently began feeding birds during the breeding season (we used to feed only during the colder months). I had hoped that birds understood their own nutritive needs, though I suspect that you have insight when you compare it to candy.

Helen Ostermiller
Medina County, OH

Hi,I don't feed the Zick Dough recipe, but I start...

2008-06-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

I just can't get enough of your bird photos, Julie...

2008-06-18T14:21:00.000-05:00

I just can't get enough of your bird photos, Julie. Love these. Interestingly, I have blues post at my blog today as well. Annie

Thanks for the lesson; neat that you were able to ...

2008-06-18T14:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the lesson; neat that you were able to make astute observations and quickly link them to diet (I sense a great article for BirdWatcher's Digest in the making here!! ;-)

Purines...ooohh....yuck! Two bouts of graduate sc...

2008-06-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Purines...ooohh....yuck! Two bouts of graduate school stress for my husband has caused me to be acutely aware of gout.

What an interesting story arc. Thanks, Julie.

Oh, it's so good to see those little healthy birdy...

2008-06-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

Oh, it's so good to see those little healthy birdy feets.

When my dear sweet cat, Butterball, was nearing the end earlier this year, he stopped eating. I was desperate and tried any cat food. He then started really chowing down on a certain cheaper cat food loaded with artificial colors and flavors. When I told my vet, he laughed and said at this stage it really didn't matter as long as he kept eating, and in the vet world they call that particular brand--kitty crack!

Thank you!I had been feeling somewhat guilty for n...

2008-06-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you!

I had been feeling somewhat guilty for not getting around to making the Zick dough, which I had intended to do months ago. And with our extended cold spring and non-summer this year (It froze here two nights ago!), I felt that the birds needed a boost.

So now my habit of procrastination has turned out for the better. For once.

I have been throwing out a handful of assorted seed once a day, especially on really miserable days. Otherwise, clean water and lots of groundcover and shrubby bird hiding spaces is all I provide in warm weather. there are still a few sunflower seeds available in the chickadee feeder, but theyre not the addictive type, and come only for an occasional treat this time of year.

Great advice, Julie. The birds really do know how ...

2008-06-18T10:47:00.000-05:00

Great advice, Julie. The birds really do know how to find food when we're not around. It's probably best to encourage them to seek those natural sources. It keeps them safe from the backyard hawks who prowl the feeders looking for their easy meal too.

Well done!I have a bird feeder that sits empty alm...

2008-06-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well done!
I have a bird feeder that sits empty almost all the time since our acreage is wild and loaded with natural food sources.

It means I may have to actually walk to find my bird photos,instead of sitting on the porch, but that doesn't seem like such a bad trade.

Thank you for sharing your observations and resear...

2008-06-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Thank you for sharing your observations and research. I'm amazed. I had read somewhere about not feeding as much suet in the summer so I had finished up a batch I'd made and didn't intend to make more. My local birds love the suet dough but also keep eating the seeds I put out and come in waves so I know they are eating other foods as well. Still, no point in making it too easy for them -- nothing good comes from that.

Thanks for the info, I usually just drop back to p...

2008-06-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the info, I usually just drop back to peanuts in the shell and fresh water in the several birdbaths around the yard. Peanuts in shell are popular with downy, hairy, blue jay, chickadee, nuthatch. They don't seem to mind the extra work, shells discourage the starlings and grackles from pigging out.
Agree with Katdoc on the fresh water, it gets pretty hot and dry in western South Dakota come July and August, I have many patrons of assorted bird baths.
Caroline in SD

By the way, your photos are stunning, especially t...

2008-06-18T09:08:00.000-05:00

By the way, your photos are stunning, especially the one of the juvenile with its eye on a flying insect.

I can either hold my hand over my eyes and drop th...

2008-06-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

I can either hold my hand over my eyes and drop the leftover Zick dough in the can or serve the rest in tiny portions. Sigh... We all know the birds don't need us as much as we need them :o) So I'll rely on some seeds and my pond to attract them. I'm not feeding them much now anyway.

I noticed that bluebirds have OCD when I served mealworms on campus. It didn't take long for them to realize I was the worm lady and actually stalked me. The Mockers do the same.

How about those commercial suet cakes? They don't gulp that suet down as quickly.

For you and the rest of us Zick Dough lovers, I'm sad. But we'll all be OK.

Gout: the Disease of King(lets).Happy to hear it w...

2008-06-18T08:53:00.000-05:00

Gout: the Disease of King(lets).

Happy to hear it was a curable mistake. I thought there were actual missing digits in addition to swollen feet and couldn't see a good end.

We just keep disturbing natures balance even when ...

2008-06-18T08:04:00.001-05:00

We just keep disturbing natures balance even when we are trying to be good.

I can sympathize with the birds as I am plagued with kidney stones.
Both the stones and gout are caused by uric acid.

We put out small amounts of suet in the warmer weather to bring the red heads in. A bit of black oil sunflower for the nuthatches, jays, grosbeaks, woodpeckers and goldfinches. Nectar in the spring for hummingbirds and orioles, the Downey woodpeckers like nectar as well.
Niger for the ground feeders including raccoons, opossum, chipmunks and squirrels.

It's a big person who can admit a mistake, even wh...

2008-06-18T08:04:00.000-05:00

It's a big person who can admit a mistake, even when it hurts. Thanks for sharing, Julie. We know (and the bluebirds do, too) that no harm was intended. By this educational post, you have prevented all of us conceited bird feeders out there from doing the same thing.

I haven't fed my bluebirds since spring, and although I miss seeing their funny faces, I know they are better off without my "help."

Actually, I employ bluebirds and swallows to keep down the bug population around here, so by not feeding them, I am encouraging them to do their job!

For those of us who can't live without seeing our wild birds up close and personal, offering a fresh water source is a healthier (and cheaper) way of keeping them around.

Blue Skies to you and yours,

~Kathi

At one time in human history, gout was known as a ...

2008-06-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

At one time in human history, gout was known as a rich man's (or person's) disease. Too much protein its usual cause.
Well, your most recent post underscores--gout is a rich bird's disease.
Most interesting.
You have made me feel better about not feeding my (oops--there I go) birds seeds in the summer.