Cole's HM10 Hot Meats Bird Seed, 10-Pound

This is really great bird feed according to our birds! We can’t keep our feeder full! As promised no pesky squirrels eating the seeds. We buy this product all the time!

I have tried other products to deter the squirrels away from my feeder. I have always had more squirrels at my feeder than birds. At first I thought this was a waste of money as well. This bird seed sat in my feeder for 2 days and i did not see the first bird or squirrel. Finally, 2 squirrels showed up. Hehe, they were not happy when they did! They went away very quickly, and still have not come back. Unfortunately, I still did not see any birds. I gave this product a little over a week, and still no birds. I was becoming very sad, I finally found something to keep the squirrels away but the birds also disappeared. I finally decided I would clear this seed out and put the old seed back, but before I did a little Wren showed up! It wasn't long after that a pair of cardinals came and then another pair! I left it in there just to see if they would come back again. The next morning there was a large variety of bird species hanging around the feeder. Some of these birds, I had no idea were in my backyard! I have never seen them before at my feeder! It took the birds a while to figure out there was food in the feeder. I am thinking it is because I have always filled it with more colorful seeds. The Coles Hot Meats are not colorful at all. They are all the same color. The birds may have been more attracted to the color, and they didn't notice the new seed until it was discovered by one hungry little Wren. I very highly recommend this product. If your birds seem to disappear with the squirrels, give them some time. I have a much larger variety of species stopping to feed than I have ever had in the 10 years that I have had my feeder. I could not be more pleased with this product!

Our family has enjoyed a bird feeder outside the kitchen window for years. We have a squirrel 'resistant' bird feeder (Squirrel Buster Classic) that has held up for years. I say resistant because even though the squirrels can't chew their way into the seed tube and the spring loaded outer cage works great, they are quite resourceful none the less. They quickly learn to jump onto the cage of the feeder and bounce seed out onto the ground. I have tried all sorts of measures from live traps to paintball and many things in between ;^) Many a time I have come out blasting with a full auto paintball gun, stitching a stream of yellow splats all the way up the tree. Never seemed to hit one as they are little speed demons but they get the message. Of course they were back the next day. Really glad I found this stuff because my next deterrent was to line the tree around the feeder with an electric fence track that the birds couldn’t land on. But after mixing in this hot stuff in with the regular sunflower hearts at about a 1:3 ratio, it is no longer an issue of the cute little bushy tail tree rats emptying the feeder. The birds don't notice the capsaicin, but the squirrels and chipmunks sure do! Every few days a new furry little f(r)iend will be picking up seed on the ground below the feeder and you definitely know when they get a hot one. Takes a few moments but they shake their head and then realize there is somewhere else they need to be. Probably the closest watering hole. Storage and Handling - You have to be careful with this stuff. I never had the courage to pop a whole seed in my mouth, but I did touch a corner of the plastic bag with some of the dust to the tip of my tongue. No smell, just heat that lasted for well over an hour - just from the residue! Good Stuff! I store it and the regular sunflower hearts in 2 gal pales with lids plus a desiccant pack to keep everything fresh. Always wash hands after handling. I too have gotten a whiff of the dust and it does set your nose to run a bit. But that means that is works. Wouldn’t want to get it in my eyes, that’s for sure. The stuff isn't cheap, but it sure does work.

Deer and squirrels were raiding our bird feeder for years, despite having a “squirrel proof” feeder. Once I started using Cole’s hot bird seed, that stopped. Now only the birds eat the seed and the seed in the feeder last at least three times longer, making a more expensive seed, cost effective. Bluebirds, cardinals, and many other birds love the seed.

Living in the city, I wanted to feed the birds without feeding the rats, and this pepper-laced bird seed does the job. I only wish it weren't so expensive, as my ginormous flock of house sparrows devours a whole bag in a few days. I tried the cheaper blend by the same company, but as with all blended seeds, much of it went to waste. My eager clients eat every bit of this. Just downgrading one star because it's expensive.

Best deterrent foe squirrels raiding the bird feeder

I am very happy with the Cole's Hot Meats bird seed. I had been using safflower seeds. The birds really enjoyed the safflower seeds, but unfortunately the squirrels did as well. I switched to Cole's Hot Meats bird seed and have not had a single squirrel on the bird feeder. Cole's Hot Meats bird seed is significantly more expensive than is safflower seed, but it is lasting much longer in my feeders and the birds (primarily chickadees, titmice, finches, and sparrows) like it just as much. As a secondary benefit, the Cole's Hot Meats bird seed uses shelled sunflower seeds, so there is no longer piles of seed shells below the feeder.

The seeds keep the bears away.