What your using is prob mostly wheat which realy only attracts pigeons and dove's, I use nyger seed and sunflower heart's, the energy mix out of lidl peanut's and fatballs and I get all sorts off birds.
Your brother sound's like the perfect candidate to be used to hold drugs or money for drug dealer's, either them fellas are shit thick and got the wrong bloke or you're brother is not telling the truth.
What would cause it to have feet like that,I've noticed pied wagtails seem to have bad feet I get a lot of them and they seem to have shite feet,different birds I know, just something I've noticed.
My brother has an American bulldog x old English bulldog he's a fine healthy dog,great guard,protection dog deff wouldn't touch my brother with him around he would do some damage.