Water and feeder maintenance

Cleaning your feeders and water baths

 

Birds are very susceptible to disease and many illnesses are easily spread by contact at feeders and birdbaths.

 

Good hygiene is especially important during the summer months as the warm weather can make food go off quicker and produce harmful bacteria. 

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To stop disease spreading we recommend you clean your bird table/feeders regularly.  Use a MILD (5%) disinfectant solution and hot water to clean. Allow to dry before refilling.

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Dispose of any old and stale food before refilling each morning. If the food you put out isn't regularly finished, reduce the amount you offer.

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Make sure that water is always clean, as, like us, dirty water can be very harmful to the birds.

 

When changing the water in the bath /container make sure the old water is emptied and wipe out any debris which may be in there. Allow to dry before refilling with fresh water.

 

Clean baths at least weekly, giving them a good scrub using hot water and a mild disinfectant as above. Rinse well and refill with fresh water.

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Discourage Pests

 

Food spilt on the ground encourages rats and other predators.  Predators in the vicinity will not help your songbirds and will be particularly damaging for any eggs or baby birds. 

 

Tidy up any excessive spillages to discourage unwanted visitors.  Smaller spillages and mess from the small birds will be quickly tidied up by ground-feeding birds and small mammals.

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Repair or Replace

 

Keep an eye on the state of your feeders.  Broken wires, snapped perches and bent hangers can all cause injury to wildlife.

 

Cracks, frost damage and sharp edges on water containers can all cause injury.  This may also cause the container to lose its water tightness.

 

Repair or replace any feeders and water baths whenever required.

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Click here for help with where and when to put water out for birds