The two seeds my wife and I feature at the Johnson Homestead bird feeding stations are black oil sunflower seed and white millet.  Although I have often touted the virtues of back oil sunflower seeds, I have not spent as much time praising white millet.

       White millet seeds are round and yellowish white. While we most often either scatter it on the ground or place it on bird tables, we also feed it in hopper feeders. Since birds such as chipping sparrows and cardinals are not reluctant to feed from elevated feeders, some ground feeding birds such song, fox, and white-throated sparrows, eastern towhees, mourning doves, and  dark-eyed juncos seem to prefer to eat on the ground.

       One thing we love about this seed is that it does not produce piles of seed hulls that accumulate below sunflower seed feeders.  Birds that feed on white millet leave behind a miniscule amount of hulls.

       While significant amounts of white millet seeds are a major ingredient in premium birdseed mixes, we prefer to buy bags of white millet. We buy white millet in 50-pound bags and store it in a metal garbage can.  Purchasing the seed in bulk is far more economical than buying in smaller bags.

       Finding white millet can sometimes be a problem.  It is rarely available at big box stores. However, you can locate it in stores that specialize in bird supplies.  We have also found that, while many stores deal in livestock feed may not have it in stock; they are often willing to order it for you.

       I hope you will try feeding white millet. It cuts down on the amount of wasted seed that often accumulates beneath feeders stocked with mixed seed.  In addition, you will find it attracts a surprising variety of birds.