Keeping Your Bird Feeders Free of Decay

You eat like a bird - compliment, or put down? It can really be either. Birds seem to eat non-stop, so ouch that hurts. On the other hand, they eat slowly, methodically, and are rarely overweight - that feels better.

Watching the birds in your yard, you will see this phenomenon in action. They are in constant motion searching out and enjoying their favorite pastime. Once they find a food source, they savor the feast, one seed at a time.

If you provide a consistent, reliable food source, your feathered friends will return and bring their friends with them. In harsher weather conditions of the winter months, the birds will depend more on you as a source of supply, since many of their other sources are not as reliable. Damp weather can produce mold and contaminate their food, so it will pay to think ahead and take some precautions to ensure the safety and protection of your flock.

At the top of the list, make sure your feeder has proper drainage. Moisture buildup creates an environment where mold thrives, and that can be toxic for the birds.

Access to the food source must be through a very small narrow opening. This seems to be counter intuitive, but it is very important. The intent here is not to limit the amount of food that the bird gets, but rather to ensure that the birds don’t stand on the food source. This prevents them from defecating on the source, and spreading disease to all who feed there.

A small perch located a slight distance away from the food source helps keep the contamination in check as well.

Cleaning the feeder is a must as well. A solution of bleach will do the trick, and sanitize the feeder. This can fade a wood though. For the environmentally friendly, a vinegar water solution will work nicely. It is usually recommended to clean once a month, but the amount of traffic your feeder gets will usually determine how often it has to be cleaned.

Seeds that fall from the feeder can become contaminated on the ground below. Therefore, placing the feeder atop a concrete base or on a patio makes it easy to eliminate that risk. Alternatively, wood chips placed at the base of the feeder also eliminate this risk.

In summary, these are just a few ideas to help you provide a safe and risk free environment for your backyard visitors. Enjoy them.

Decorative Birdhouses and Bird Feeders
Offering painted decorative birdhouses and bird feeders as a unique gift or to enhance garden decor.