JAG

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

lupin wrote (see)

I live in the country and have never seen a dead bird unless having been run over by traffic. Has anyone else seen many ?   A good soaking with warm water and using a stiff brush will shift any dirt in seed containers I find.

Lupin, exactly my thoughts! Bleach is too harsh, even for cleaning cat trays(totally different matter, sorry). Hot water. Dettol maybe a little. Bleach and washing liquids and god knows what else  - too dangerous

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

Holedigger - how on earth do the seeds sprout?! i have never heard of that before... if you put away the tables over the summer months when they are not needed, thus closing them off from sunlight ... crikey, why don't you just pull out the sprouting seeds when it happens?!

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

Ms Bradbury - fair point. But you'd be surprised how well they cope. And it does not necessarily mean, that all the birds that come to your table, actually live in the close surroundings. Animals adapt, and birds are extremely clever. Living in close surroundings hasn't harmed them for decades yet.

Of course, I see the point that some of the larger birds get at the food that was destined for the smaller ones, but who is to say that the larger ones are well fed anyway? Maybe they are just as hungry as the small ones?? I cannot say. As with the cleaning, do they actually poop all over the feeder? I cannot believe that. Cleaning detergents are unnatural, and definitely contribute to the diseases that exist today. Use plain water and soda crystals and a good scrubbing brush. What dirt stays, stays. Birds don't complain. They just want/need the food.

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

I think you may be worrying too much. All this cleaning and disinfecting will harm the birds and the environment more in that you reduce their natural ability to fight diseases and infections. The same rule applies to households. Of course, if you do actually genuinely see an ill bird, do clean but otherwise I wouldn't even think about it. We've been putting sunflower seeds out on simple bird tables hanging from trees and our balconies, for years, and it's a sight to behold! Can't recall the last time we cleaned them. Birds are not that dirty, its the holders. I'd recommend sticking to simple bird tables with a low roof cover if you want, and hang them in places away from trees if you have a problem with squirrels...

composting

Honestly, just put everything in the compost. We have dogs and cats and chickens and etc. so basically whatever that was not eaten is put on the compost heap. Even bones - although those don't actually break down. If you have newspaper - shred it and put it there. If you've just eaten fish and have the leftover bones and skin - put it in the compost heap. People worry too much!