mould in a finch bird-feeder?
June 3, 2010 Bird House Feeder
I had a bird-feeder up with finch seed and holes for finch seed, and i hardly ever got any birds, but half the seed sprouted and turned mouldy. is there any way besides taking the feeder down when it rains (since if it starts when i go to work or at night i can never be sure). Is this just a bad feeder for finch seed? should i screw on the larger holes for regular seed and put regular seed into it (tho i don’t wanna feed the sparrows and cardinals… i wanna feed the singing house finches!)? it is a bad place for a feeder hanging off apartement wall but i saw 2 finches on it today, which is why i took it down just not cuz it was filled 1/2 way with mould. it was only up for 1 month! can i use this feeder at all or should i get another one? do they all do that and i should just waste seed? annoying…
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Comments (3)
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I have an easy solution for you. I had the same problem, and found a product called Feeder Fresh made just for this problem. It’s basically an absorbent sand, and it keeps the feeder really dry and mold-free. I know, I was skeptical at first too, but it really works, and is claimed to be safe for the birds. You just add a layer of the moisture trapping granules before you add the seed, and the granules grab any water that gets in due to rain, leaks or other. You can find it at Wild Birds Unlimited stores or even other online stores by doing a google search. Rather than telling you all about it, you can read about at the company’s web site at http://www.feederfresh.com. It works especially well on my tube feeders, and also stops any caking, so cleaning them is a cinch.
I’m pretty sure its just because the seeds were too packed into it. Try not putting so much in it, and stir them around with your hand before you hang it up. If that doesn’t work, I would reccomend a new bird-feeder. I’m pretty sure you could find one especially for a certain type of bird.
Best of luck!
If you want to feed finches, but your feeder isn’t working for you, buy a net bag with finch seed (niger) in it. Since the water can drain out at the bottom, it doesn’t get moldy. You can refill the bag when empty with finch seed bought in bulk. In the meantime, I would put regular seed in the feeder you have, but only fill it halfway. If you have to refill it more often, it might not get moldy. If you have a place in your garden that is empty, you might pour the least moldy seed there. It will sprout and the birds will have a feast.