Healthy and Green Living

Cleaning your bird feeders once a month, year round, is
important for the health of the birds.

Fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, a
fungus which causes respiratory infections in birds, can grow on the
feeders. It is recommended that hummingbird feeders be cleaned every
four days.

Here is a nontoxic solution and technique to make this chore easier
and safe for the birds.

If you are enthusiastic about bird feeding and operate more
than a couple of feeders, cleaning them on a rotating schedule
will prevent having to clean them all at once – a potentially
burdensome task.

Obtain a tub big enough to hold your birdfeeder(s), a scrub
brush, outdoor hose, gloves, scent-free liquid soap or detergent, and white
distilled vinegar.

Place your feeder in the tub outdoors, fill it it with warm water and a squirt of liquid
soap or detergent. Wearing gloves, scrub the parts of the feeder you can reach,
and rinse thoroughly with a hose. Empty the tub and fill it with clean water and 4 cups of vinegar.
Let the feeder soak for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly.

Also, make sure that you call wildlife
officials immediately, if you notice that the birds in your
vicinity seem sick.