How, Why & When Should You Clean Your Bird Feeders

This winter, we witnessed the biggest bird flu outbreak in UK history and its highlighted more than ever how important it is to clean our bird feeders so we can lower the risk of transmission and keep our birds safe and healthy.

If you are someone who loves to tend to your garden birds and keep their feeders regularly full, it's crucial you pay close attention to the hygiene levels as well. Feeders left un-sanitised could leave your birds with nasty diseases, and you may find yourself having fewer visits from your feathered friends.

How to clean bird feeders

Become a superhero for your garden birds by regularly cleaning your bird feeders, birdbaths, and bird tables to reduce the risk of catching illnesses and save their lives. We will show you just how easy it is to clean bird feeders with 5 quick steps, and it will only take 15 minutes!

What you will need:

rubber gloves
a cleaning brush
a bucket
washing-up liquid
disinfectant spray

Step one

Wearing rubber gloves, empty the feeder's contents and dispose of them in a bin. The old food could be harbouring harmful bacteria, so don't reuse it.

Step two

Fill the bucket with warm water and add washing-up liquid. Using the cleaning brush, thoroughly brush the inside and outside of the feeder to remove any old food and droppings.

Step three

Rinse the feeder with cold water, preferably under an outside tap or watering can. Leave it outside to stand until it is completely dry.

Step four

Spray the feeder with an appropriate disinfectant to kill any remaining infectious bacteria. Follow the 'how to use' instructions given with the disinfectant product.

Step five

When the feeder is completely dry, refill it with quality bird food. We are using our Ready Peck Suet Pellets Apple.

Step six

Watch your feathered friends enjoy their freshly clean feeder!

Top Tip!

If you are cleaning a tube feeder, follow steps 1-5 and finish off by applying Feeder Fresh. It has fantastic water absorptive properties and will keep birdfeeders dry, reducing mould growth and the need for regular cleaning. Feeder Fresh is a non-toxic inert, and it will not harm wildlife or water supplies. Birds will immediately realise that it is not a seed and discard it.

Why is it important to clean bird feeders?

You may want to help your garden birds thrive in the wild by providing food through your feeders. But if you aren't cleaning your feeders regularly as well, you may be contributing to the decline of many bird species.

A dirty bird feeder can harbour harmful fungi and bacteria that can infect hungry birds. These diseased birds can then spread the illness to other feeders and wild populations, leading to a colossal wipeout of entire nesting colonies. A classic example would be the case of the Greenfinch, a common garden bird now in decline due to a high number of their population catching Trichomoniasis.

The five most common diseases that can be transmitted to birds at feeders are:

Avian pox

This slow-developing disease causes wart-like growths to appear anywhere on the bird's body, including face, feet and wings. The wart-like lumps may inhibit the bird's ability to see, eat, drink or breathe.

Trichomoniasis

The trichomonad parasite causes infection to occur in a bird's throat, resulting in them being unable to eat and eventually starving to death.

Salmonellosis

This Salmonella bacteria spreads at feeders contaminated by faeces and causes sick birds to look weak or fluffed up and often die.

Pigeon Paramyxovirus

This disease causes the wings and legs of birds to become paralysed. You may see infected birds fall over on landing and be unable to feed due to loss of appetite. Any pigeon or dove is at risk of catching Paramyxovirus, but Eurasian collared doves are most commonly affected.

Fortunately, we can help avoid the spread of these diseases by simply cleaning our feeding stations on a regular basis.

When should you clean bird feeders?

It is essential to clean feeders regularly, especially during the wet seasons when mouldy or decomposing food accumulates in the feeder. To prevent your garden birds from being sick or catching/spreading harmful diseases, aim to clean feeders every two weeks, but leave it no later than a month.

Avoid using your dishwasher when cleaning your bird feeders. You have probably seen your dishwasher can still struggle to get rid of food stains on dishes, even at the hottest setting. So you wouldn't want to risk your dishwasher not getting rid of bird faeces that can harbour more than 60 diseases, with some being fatal to humans.

You can clean your bird feeders safely and thoroughly by following the instructions given above.