Cole's HM05 Hot Meats Bird Seed, 5-Pound

Finally! No squirrels! This is my go-to for bird feeder refills. It attracts a large variety of birds and keeps the squirrels down. I feel that the quality of this bird food is worth the price.

WORKS!! I have 7 various types of feeders, four are tube feeders. Not unusual to look out and see five or six squirrels in my back yard. Always one or two on the feeders eating away. My feeders were empty yesterday so I filled them with Coles. WOW! Squirrels would get up on the feeders and then get off. They definitely do not like that seed! Nice to look out and see the birds eating and not the squirrels. Kind of expensive but worth it. Seed now goes to the birds plus no more damaged feeders by the squirrels! Just bought another bag. Really works, for me at least!

Amazing! I bought only the small bag because I didn't think there was much real chance the "hot" element could actually deter the legions of squirrels I have for at least nine years been inadvertently and unwillingly feeding with a couple of fine quality bird-attracting seed mixes. But in the now six or seven days I've been using Hot Meats in my two feeders I have seen only one squirrel come near - yesterday. After cautiously inspecting the seeds which had fallen to the ground it finally gently picked one up in its mouth - then immediately leaped up onto the nearby (and, happily, freshly filled) bird bath to take the longest drink of water I've ever seen a squirrel take. It then walked away and hasn't returned. Nor have I seen any others of the many who always voraciously and enthusiastically devoured much (most?) of what they clearly deemed to be "their" food. Although I missed the very first hour or two of the Hot Meats stuff being in the feeders I have to believe, given the present complete dearth of squirrels anywhere near the feeders, that during those first several hours after the Hot Meats mix was put into the feeders all the others had experiences similar to the one I later witnessed. The seed doesn't disagree with the birds at all, however. In fact, it even seemed to attract more and more varied birds. For example, I got my first blue jay in five or six years, and a small flock of migrating White-Crowned Sparrows - a type of bird which has never deemed my feeders worth visiting - gorged themselves for several days. And there is still a bit more seed in the bag! Which reminds me, no squirrels means, at least in my yard, filling the feeders far less often while still providing the same amount of sustenance for the birds. I have have just ordered the much more ecomomical 20-lb bag. Yes, pricey. But since I was using a a great deal of less expensive (though not cheap) regular Cole mixes - most of which was being gobbled up by the squirrels - I fully expect to come out ahead money-wise by feeding only the Hot Mix seed. I'll also not have to fill the feeders nearly as often But since some reviewers have said this doesn't work well for their birds, you might want to try a 5-lb bag before springing for the largest one.

I put a lot of thought into this purchase before buying it because I worried that it might hurt the birds. After finding out that they cannot taste it because the birds have no salivary glands, I felt more assured. The cost was very high for a 5 pound bag, yet I decided to take a chance anyway. Our squirrels, although cute with their antics, would empty our bird feeder every day - sometimes within a few hours. We ended up with only squirrels on feeder and no birds. So I placed the order and I received it in a timely manner. The very first day I saw a squirrel jump to the feeder. It looked like he got a seed, but in literally a second, the squirrel jumped away from the feeder and he didn’t return. I didn’t see another squirrel for weeks and when he showed up, the squirrel left immediately as well. Now the bird feeder is filled with birds eating each day with no squirrels to bother them! It did take a few days in the beginning for the birds to return, so I would advise being patient and having a source of water for them nearby. The location of our bird feeder is on curved pole attached to our deck. There are tree branches very nearby, so the birds can easily retreat if they feel threatened. We can actually watch them feed while we sit on the deck. The bird food last so much longer since the squirrels are not there anymore. I ordered a 10 pound bag for the next go around because it is a little less expensive per pound. I did not try any cheaper seed because this seed definitely worked for me. We have cardinals, finches and chickadees coming to our feeder again as well as an occasional dove. We have no problems with grackles any more either. I believe that the hot peppers have actually intensified the red crown on both the male cardinals and the male finches from this food, which is another plus. I am quite satisfied with this purchase.

Birds love this and the Squirrels hate it. They smell the seed and leave the feeder alone. I do feed the Squirrels though, they have their own critter blend.

Expensive and effective in the wrong way. Squirrels dont seem to mind the heat, but the birds hate the treated seed. Cannot recommend

I have definitely not seen a single squirrel since I filled my feeders with this product. However, the birds don't seem to find it all that great! I see chickadees and sparrows and an occasional cardinal, but not nearly as many as came to my feeders when they were filled with "regular" bird food. I'm happy with the dearth of squirrels but not so much with the lack of bird customers.

Clean seed that the little birds like. So far, the squirrels ignore it, so that makes the extra expense worth it. Super fast shipping!! Will order another bag.