I bought this ball bird feeder awhile ago, and have no regrets at all about it. It supplies the Black-capped Chickadees with seeds for many days at a time. The American Goldfinches also enjoy the feeder.

It does, however, suffer from the same engineering problem that many bird feeders suffer from. There are some seeds that become impossible for the birds to reach. So as this ball feeder empties, it gets to a certain point, maybe when it’s 1/4 full or less, where it becomes increasingly difficult for the birds to get the seeds out of it. I think it might be because all of the smaller seeds, which more easily fit through the holes, have been eaten, and what remains are the larger seeds, which the birds have to crack open, because they can not fit the whole seed through the holes in the wire mesh.

Anyway, if I don’t tend to it, the birdfeeder ball will sit for many days with a small amount of seeds remaining in it.  Usually a week later, when I finally go to refill it, I have to dump out those remaining seeds that the birds weren’t able to get.

Invariably, some of the sunflower seeds have sprouted!!!

So, this ball bird feeder might be the perfect tool for making sprouted seeds!  If you’ve read up much on seed germination, you know that it’s part magic… (Well, living in rainy Washington probably does help — seeds do need a moist environment to sprout.)

This is not really a bad thing.  Ever buy sprouted rice or alfalfa sprouts or other sprouted foods at the grocery store?  Sprouted foods have more nutritional value and are kind of a health fad.  So, I pour those sprouted seeds into my platform feeder, and it seems that they do get eaten.

So, because I love science and birds and sprouting stuff, I just thought you’d maybe find this interesting.  Maybe you could buy a ball feeder and a platform feeder and give it a try too?  BTW, if you’re in the market for a bird feeder, I highly recommend any that are made out of metal.  They can be cleaned easily and seem to last the longest.