Feeding Hummingbirds

[Teebag]

All recipes I have seen for hummingbird feeders ask for white sugar dissolved in water. I don't want to hurt the little guys with something I myself avoid. I read from one person who was concerned about causing them liver damage from using white sugar. I've read that honey and brown sugar are bad for them. Does anyone have a raw recipe for hummingbirds? Thanks in advance.

[Veganforlife]

I too avoid white sugar like the plague but for my hummers I do make a solution out of it for them. It'll be interesting if someone DOES have a Raw recipe though.

This is interesting:

http://www.nectarartprints.com/hb_nectar.htm

[streetsurfer]

just a hunch...how about using raw agave nectar instead?

[Veganforlife]

I tried that last year and they didn't come to my feeder. I'm thinking it was too weak...

[Teebag]

Thanks for the excellent link on feeding hummingbirds. A very informative site. Much appreciated!

[sprouts2go]

Check out this site. No feeding tips but awesome pictures of woman hand feeding the hummingbirds. yes it is real . snoopes agrees.

I also found this info
Honey has sometimes been recommended as a substitute for sugar in a syrup recipe. Honey is not a natural food for hummingbirds. It spoils much faster than sugar water. But most importantly honey contains bacteria that causes a fungal disease on the tongue of the Hummingbird and is always fatal!
Other things to avoid are artificial sweeteners, protein supplements and red food colouring. There is no energy in artificial sweeteners. Protein supplements are not necessary as the birds will satisfy this need by eating bugs. The safety of red food colouring for human consumption has been in question for many years. So it is likely not healthy for little Hummingbirds either.

Flower nectar is a sucrose sugar like white sugar. The mixture recommended (1 part sugar to 4 parts water) most closely matches the strength found in flower nectar. There has been no evidence that sugar water causes any harm to Hummingbirds. Only if it has been mixed with too much sugar in the Hummingbird food recipe, has there been evidence of some liver damage.

[spicyfull]

Great information Vegan. As you might know.........I don't have to Feed MY Humming Birds any sugar.....They are RAW, they dine on RAW Flowers and Blossoms all day.

[pixie_333]

oooohhhhhh how about just planting more flower plants they like? even if in just pots will do. i have a bunch of them this year from just 2 new plants i have this year.
i too don't like feeding them sugar and i haven't put out the brand new one i bought last year, but i don't need to now to attract them just because of those 2 new plant species i have here now. ;)

[streetsurfer]

If you plant for them, include some mullein. They like mullien's soft and fuzzy leaves for their nests

[coco]

i agree, plant more flowers that they like. mixing up anything other than white sugar can be quickly fatal to hummingbirds. they can't process minerals like we can, the iron in natural sugars (brown, raw etc) kills them.

[pixie_333]

they LOVE lantana plant flowers. i just have them in a pot.. cost me 4-6 for a medium pot size. they grow/spread out pretty fast. i have the red, orange, yellow ones... so beautiful. they comes in all kinds of colors.

i'm unceratain of the name of the other ones they are going for. but we have at least 2 species coming here. i don't know how many kinds are in the area.

[ViolinCyndee]

They also LOVE cardinal flowers, trumpet vines and butterfly bushes!

[Veganforlife]

Bee balm (monarda)

Any flower that has an opening they can suck nectar from...