Sunflower chips: How are they made?

Sunflower chips are one of the most popular seeds sought by backyard bird lovers. They have three major advantages: 

• Most birds love to eat them. They are high in protein, dietary minerals and fats.
• The chips are combined with other seed mixes.
• They leave no mess underneath feeding stations. (What the birds don't consume at the feeder are quickly gobbled up by ground-feeding birds such as Mourning Doves and sparrows).

But where do the sunflower chips come from? I mean, how do the sunflower seeds shed their hulls so they become tasty, shell-free morsels?

The Bird House uses premium sunflower chips

We got an explanation from one of our vendors, Lizzie Mae Bird Seed & Dry Goods, an Amish-run company based in Ohio.

Raw sunflower seeds are fed into dehuller machines. The shell is shattered off the seed by air that forces it against the inside of the bin. Screens then scalp off the shell while each sunflower seed goes through an electric eye. The shell-less seeds then are graded into separate sizes.

The best seeds are used for humans consumption. Kernels that don't pass inspection are sent to Lizzie Mae for use as bird seed.

In our store, we use premium sunflower chips—the coarsest types of kernels—in our bags of straight sunflower chips.

Coarse and medium chips are used in our shell-free medley, which includes split peanuts and hulled white millet. 

The finest-sized chips are mixed with Nyjer seed to create a finch mix that is popular with goldfinches and chickadees. Powdery seed is discarded.

Coarse chips also become the main ingredient in bags of #2 Chips, which are less expensive than straight sunflower chips. The #2 Chips include 70 percent sunflower kernels and 30 percent seed in the shell, primarily striped sunflower seed.

Sunflower chips also are used in several varieties of other blends, in varying proportions, depending on the types of birds you wish to attract.

Which kinds of backyard birds eat sunflower chips? Cardinals, chickadees, goldfinches, House Finches, Purple Finches, nuthatches, wrens, Tufted Titmice, Pine Siskins, woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, grosbeaks, juncos and House Sparrows are among the biggest consumers. 

And, of course, sunflower chips are coveted by squirrels. To keep squirrels at bay, consider using a squirrel-resistant feeder such as the Squirrel Buster Plus or a caged feeder that lets smaller birds in but keeps squirrels (and starlings) out. Another option is adding a squirrel baffle to an existing shepherd's hook or hanging feeder. We can advise you on the best option for your situation.

Finally where are sunflowers grown? The biggest producers in the United States are the Plains states: Kansas, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas. California also is a major grower. 

According to the National Sunflower Association, major international growers include Russia, Ukraine, the European Union nations, Argentina, China, India, Turkey and South Africa.

Consumers increasingly are turning to sunflower oil as a lighter, healthier oil in cooking, according to the Wild Bird Feeding Industry. WBFI says this has pushed up the price for bird feeding.

Source: Lizzie Mae Bird Seed & Dry Goods