Checking the condition of your bird seed
When providing seed for wild birds, it is important to regularly check the condition of your seed. Even if you have a feeder designed to protect the seed from the effects of wind and rain, nothing is guaranteed to work in all conditions. Wind, rain and dew can all bring moisture into a feeder, causing the seed to either sprout or mold. In The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible, author Sally Roth mentions that moldy seed is not really a health concern for wild birds. Unlike a caged bird who has no choice in what seed to eat, a wild bird will simply choose to forage elsewhere. When your birds forage elsewhere, however, you do not get to see them in your yard which is the whole point of providing the seed in the first place.
No feeder is immune to this problem. During a recent trip to the Hitchcock Nature Center in Iowa, we found this feeder which had obviously been neglected for a little while at least.
To keep this from happening to your feeders, take a moment to check the condition of the seed every time you set out more seed. Check for evidence of mold or moisture. Moldy seed should be removed immediately. You will also want to sanitize your feeder to prevent it from regrowing on your new seed. Moist seed should be removed and the feeder should be dried thoroughly. We also let our feeders run out of seed every couple of weeks to make sure that all old seed is regularly consumed.
If you have had a feeder out for more than two or three weeks without so much as a sparrow, you may want to check your seed even more closely. Goldfinches are particularly picky about the freshness of their seed. Ours always prefer to pick over the stands of flowers which have gone to seed rather than eat from the feeders, save from the Nyjer feeder. If moisture and mold seem to be a regular problem, you may want to set out less seed to make sure that the birds are able to consume all that you set out on a daily basis.
birding, backyard birding, birdwatching
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:22 pm
[...] like to write a guest post to share his experience with my readers. Here it is, complete with a problem not exclusive to home made feeders. [...]
October 25th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
I used to have a triple tube feeder that used to get caked up quickly.You made good points about keeping feeders clean. I would add that it is a good idea to purchase feeders that allows for easy cleaning whenever possible.