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pauline3
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05-10-2019, 03:38 PM
11

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Originally Posted by Roxy ->
My feeders are the Pest Off ones and they have wee roof things that the rain slides off and the tubes are closed plastic. They cost a lot more than I wanted to pay but they were worth it as the wee birds get to eat in peace and the foods dry.


I have two of those Roxy,..one for sunflower hearts,the other for mealworms,suet pellets..they are great,

I just wanted a few different feeders .ive put weather guards over the feeders,which are working well.im pleased to say.
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05-10-2019, 05:25 PM
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Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

That's good Pauline, the only open one I have now is the peanut holder, I want the bigger birds to be able to have that and also the ground feeder tray. Will have to start looking for one to replace it but am not going to spend the kind of money I did with the pest off ones.
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05-10-2019, 11:35 PM
13

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Originally Posted by Longdogs ->
I have just noticed that the feeders are turning a bit green where the rain has got inside them but there is no way of cleaning them out as they are glued together. Mind you, I think they were only cheap ones so probably best to just replace them. Lots of birds in the garden this morning eating the Meal worms I left out for them.


Dongle, if the rain is getting inside, the seed will get mould on it and that is harmful to the birds.

I have never seen a feeder that can't be cleaned?
If you take the lids off to top the seed up, can you not tip all the seed out and stick a bottle brush down the tube to wash it?

I don't use the hanging feeders. I have three bird tables similar to this sort of thing, so the food and water is protected from sun, rain and snow.
I use clay plant pot saucers for the food, and only put out enough for each day, so it is fresh every morning. Then I scrub the dishes out about once a week.



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06-10-2019, 05:18 AM
14

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Wild bird seed is a waste of time and money.
Planted some last year. Nothing, not a single wild bird came up.
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06-10-2019, 06:10 AM
15

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

I've given up trying to keep the squirrels off. They hang upside down on my squirrel proof feeder. I just send the dog out to chase them away and give them peanuts in another part of the garden.

Once the squirrels have gone the feeder does attract many small birds. It has a roof on it and a weight system so pigeons etc are too heavy for it to stay open.

Sunflower seeds seem to be the favourite fast food. They don't last long enough in our garden to get wet! I've given up on the suet balls as the squirrels just nick em.
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06-10-2019, 06:11 AM
16

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Originally Posted by Tregonsee ->
Wild bird seed is a waste of time and money.
Planted some last year. Nothing, not a single wild bird came up.
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06-10-2019, 06:12 AM
17

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Mups I would love to know how you keep the squirrels away.
pauline3
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06-10-2019, 07:23 AM
18

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Originally Posted by Tregonsee ->
Wild bird seed is a waste of time and money.
Planted some last year. Nothing, not a single wild bird came up.
...seed can be a nuisance on the ground...
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06-10-2019, 07:34 AM
19

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

I have had two bird tables in the past...don't like them..seed gets caught in the corners,I used to hose mine down,you then have to wait for it to dry out..they IMO harbour more bacteria than open feeders.they never stayed dry.the heavy wind and rain got onto the table,plus when the trees blew they got wet,..they never seemed to be dry through the winter.

I also ended up putting a dish on mine,with seed in it...piegons would tip it over ,seed went everywhere,not easy taking a bird table out to clean.it was next to water feature also under a tree.

They look nice..but not for me any more.i ended up giving them away,..my friend has a huge one..she had the same problem...she now hangs open feeders from it..they are underneath ,so everything stays dry.

Edit to add...some of these feeders cost more than bird tables.
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06-10-2019, 07:39 AM
20

Re: How do you keep your wild bird seed dry.

Originally Posted by AnnieS ->
I've given up trying to keep the squirrels off. They hang upside down on my squirrel proof feeder. I just send the dog out to chase them away and give them peanuts in another part of the garden.

Once the squirrels have gone the feeder does attract many small birds. It has a roof on it and a weight system so pigeons etc are too heavy for it to stay open.

Sunflower seeds seem to be the favourite fast food. They don't last long enough in our garden to get wet! I've given up on the suet balls as the squirrels just nick em.


I live in a built up area...I think that makes a difference,although I have a huge field near me...I still get a fair amount of birds...

When the young hatched....those fat balls were flying out of the feeders...squirrels here,but they never come into my garden...I have only ever seen one.
 
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