Oct
How To Keep Your Bird Feeders Clean
Keeping your bird feeders clean is important to make certain your birds do not get sick. It is much the same as keeping your own eating utensils clean - you would not want to eat from dirty cutlery, would you?
Keeping your bird feeders clean is important for avoiding fungal growth, such as Aspergillus Fumigatus. There is more. These fungi can lead to respiratory infection in birds. Some feeders should be cleaned more often than others. By example, it is recommended that hummingbird feeders are cleaned every 3 to 4 days.
If you have pet birds in cages, their feeders should be cleaned weekly to avoid infection & sickness.
If you have more than one bird feeder, the easiest way to stay on top of cleaning them is to set a schedule & then stick to it… Rather than having to clean them all at once, which may lead to procrastination because of the amount of work, do them one or two at a time over the course of many days.
To clean your bird feeder, put it inside a larger tub of warm water with some soap or detergent & use a scrub brush to clean it off. It is also a good idea 
to sterilize the feeder by using distilled vinegar. After you finish cleaning it, soak it in the vinegar for a couple of hours to sterilize it.
It’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves while cleaning the feeder to avoid any bacteria that could be on the bird feeder.
Finally, rinse the feeder with water from the garden hose, dry it off & put it back out for your birds. There is more. They will appreciate the food & you can feel good about the fact that they are not likely to sick from eating it.
Ronnie Booth compares different styles of cheap bird feeders on The Birding Guide website. For lots more help-fulinformation visit www.thebirdingguide.com & sign up for our free newsletter.
