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Hummingbirds Visiting The Chicken Ranch

Spring Chicken
Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Must be time for the little boogers to head south because they sure have taken a like'n to my back yard. Could be I finally came up with a food mixture they like. Take a look...

SixHummingbirds.jpg

SevenHummingbirds.jpg

FourHummingbirds.jpg

BirdsandtheBee.jpg

They may be small but there were between 10 and 14 attacking the feeder all day. Ate a whole load of food by 5:00 PM and are working on the second batch. Got another feeder around the corner and they are working on it too.

In one photo two birds are eating out of the same hole and another photo there's a bird and a bee eating out of the same hole. I guess that's a new slant on the Birds & Bees story.

They are facinating to watch but hard to count.

Spring "Friend To Fine Feathered Mini Friends" Chicken
Spring Texas USA
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Comments

  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    Would you share you elixir recepie? :huh:
  • The proper recipe is 4 cups water to 1 cup sugar. Nothing else. Definitely no food coloring. The most that recipe ever got me was 2 birds.

    I figured they needed to load up on some carbs for the flight to Mexico in the next couple of weeks so I changed the recipe to 3½ cups water to 1 cup sugar. Within minutes after putting it out they increased in numbers.

    They also seem to prefer the type feeder you see in the photo. We have others but they ignore them.

    I can actually get up close (within a foot or two of them) while they are eating. Sometimes they try to attack me thinking I'm after their food.

    They will be gone soon and we will miss them.

    Spring "A Bunch Of Birds Short Of A Flock" Chicken
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I've been using a 50/50 mix.Maybe it's too strong.Plus the neighbors have 3 feeders out.We keep about 3 or 4 birds most of the time.We had no close neighbors at our old house and the would swarm the feeder this time of year.
  • Those photos are remarkable. I love watching the hummers, and have a feeder behind my house that looks just like yours. I use 4 to 1 water/sugar as well.

    I never get multiple hummingbirds, they always fight like crazy. Typically, one'll chase the next one off while another swoops down and starts drinking. First one returns, and the process keeps repeating.

    It is very cool that you have them lined up peaceably like that.


    Must be the way I pour the water in the feeder or something. I seem to attract nothing but Mike Tyson's offspring. Mean little suckers.
  • Wow Leroy what did you put in there? Labomba. :laugh: We have one that chasses all the others away. :evil:
  • Mainegg
    Mainegg Posts: 7,787
    LOL that sounds like our feeder too Scott! we have 3 or 4 birds and there is one that is bound and determined that it is ALL HIS FOOD!! we watch him every morning and evening when we are in the spa, he about wears him self out guarding "his" food. the feeders hang right out side the screens on the porch as the mosquitoes are easy to confuse with the hummers around here in the summer. but they are all gone now. feeders scrubbed and put away till next spring.
  • Beli
    Beli Posts: 10,751
    Leroy.................what are you feeding them with???????......looks like I could fly if you feed me ...... :laugh:
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    It,s not just you.Ours do the same thing! :evil: They only share about the last week that they're here. :unsure: :ermm:
  • You know, I just thought of something else that could be affecting it.

    It stays hot here year round, and really hot in the summer (which seems to last about 13 months each year). I don't know what kind of bolt I used to mount my feeder in the palm tree.

    Do you think I could've used a zinc-plated bolt, or a galvanized one? The fumes could be killing all the nice birds and only the tough ones survive. Horrors, I won't be able to sleep because of what I learned today on this forum.
  • BobS
    BobS Posts: 2,485
    I have never seen that many around a feeder before. We get lots of them, but rarely over two at a time.
  • Very cool Leroy! We usually see just one hummingbird in the fall and one in the spring. You got a plethora! Scott
  • hummers are very interesting to watch. Supposedly, we have the largest species right here in Tucson. Come bird watch with us.

    The Filly
  •  
    Great post Leroy, I guess it is time for me to find a couple feeders and start feeding. I have suspected for many years that they winter here. There is a park a few miles from here where I could see them all winter, the last time in there all the trees had been cut down, go figure.

    Thanks,

    Gator
  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    That is sooo damn cool.

    Reminds me of a bunch of Monarchs that dropped out of the sky into my yard. They landed all over the place. I think they just needed a break on a long flight.
    Hundreds of them.
  • ewillie
    ewillie Posts: 155
    I think they were at my feeder in Ohio a few weeks ago...

    Getting cool up here, time for them to move South I suppose. Great pictures, thanks, Erik
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Howdy Leroy!

    You said "Could be I finally came up with a food mixture they like."

    Guess it has sugar in it?? What else?

    Dang, never seen that many in one place. And not seen one around here for a couple weeks. I guess they're headed your way.

    Cheers
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I think he secretly adds Pineapple Head! :laugh:
  • "Peaceably!!!" No way. They fight rough, even bumping into birds in their way. Maybe tomorrow I'll take my Flip video camera and get some proof of just how aggressive they can be.

    Spring "Relatively High In The Pecking Order" Chicken
  • 3½ cups water (boiled) to 1 cup of sugar. Let cool to room temperature and pour into clean bird feeder.

    No magic potion or anything.

    Spring "Hummer Mixologist" Chicken
  • 3½ cups water (boiled) to 1 cup of sugar. Let cool to room temperature and pour into clean bird feeder.

    I suppose that sipp'n some sugar-water could make you fly if you put it with some Rum LOL...

    Spring "Low Fly'n NASA Trainee In Waiting" Chicken
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    There's a tiny 'ghost' town called Tin Cup in CO. A ton of hummer's most the season and the chippies run amuck as well.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • I had a guy come by today and he got interested in watching them. At one point he said there must be 20 of them. Could be true because there was a lot of them, all flying 100 miles per hour out then back and out again.

    They will likely be there tomorrow. Maybe I can get some video.

    Spring "Count'n Hummingbirds Is Like .........." Chicken
  • I doubt the bolt fumes are harming the birds. But you might check on line for advice if you are that worried.

    I'm betting they get more toxic stuff from just flying through Houston's air. I know I do.

    Spring "Take A Deep Breath Then Puke" Chicken
  • I had to look up that word just to make sure it was what I thought it was. It wasn't... But it works well in this situation.

    Spring "In A Big Bunch All By Myself" Chicken
  • We would love to come see, but then I would be the biggest bird there LOL...

    Spring "Real Birds Like Gravy" Chicken
  • Don't you just hate it when human "progress" undoes what it took nature millions of years to perfect.

    Almost bought a lot on Sanibel Island when they could be had for $35k. But I didn't have $35k then either.

    Spring "Some Money Just Ain't Worth The Paper I Printed It On" Chicken
  • I can understand how birds fly thousands of miles but butterflies don't fly in straight lines. And they only have one year to learn how. That's a real WOW for mother nature.

    Spring "Small Brains Can Fly Too" Chicken
  • Could be... Was your feeder near your Egg? Because they seem to like hanging close to the Coop LOL

    Spring "Little Bird Big Egg" Chicken
  • I wanted to put some Dizzy Pig in it but I decided to keep it all for myself. Little Boogers might never leave if I souped 'em up on some Pineapple Head LOL...

    Spring "Souped Down For Safety's Sake" Chicken
  • Nuhh auhh...!!! But I could be guilty of putting a wee bit 'o rum in it, but so far I'm still innocent.

    Spring "High Test Hummingbird Food" Chicken