Mess below feeder (1 Viewer)

[LuaLua]

I went into the garden today and saw that the grass beneath the feeder was pretty messy - seed, shells, droppings etc. Is this likely to attract rats? Can it spread disease? Does anyone have any advice on this matter?

I did move the feeder a few feet away from the old patch.

Thanks.

 

[Geoff Brown]

I went into the garden today and saw that the grass beneath the feeder was pretty messy - seed, shells, droppings etc. Is this likely to attract rats? Can it spread disease? Does anyone have any advice on this matter?

I did move the feeder a few feet away from the old patch.

Thanks.

Mine attracted rats a couple of years ago and their antics trying to climb the feeder pole were quite entertaining. For the last couple of years the ground below feeder has attracted a pheasant and he seems to clean up spilt seeds. Some interesting vegetation was also growing until cold weather killed it off! :stuck:

 

[moose1991]

Keep moving the feeder around the garden. Don't put too much food out.Clean up the mess as it can lead to diesease.

 

[willowa]

I have screw in seed trays that fit into the feeder they cost about £5.

 

[Ruby]

As has been said, you need to keep moving your feeders around, so that pests and deseases do not concentrate in one area.

Also, it is quite easy to get seed mixes which leave little or no residue.... Sunflowers seeds are the biggest problem with the husks seemingly being inedible - use sunflower hearts instead....Cheaper seed mixes sometimes have things like dog-biscuits in them!


All the best... Ruby

 

[Gus Horsley]

Another side effect is that you might end up inadvertantly growing hemp. When the cops come knocking on your door you'll know you've been shopped by the neighbours.

Gus

 

[hayfieldgolfer]

I had the same problem for years, my feeded had no facility to attach a seed tray to it, however brought a seed tray (£5 ish) and drilled a hole in the base to fit a bolt through the bottom of the feeder and used a nut and washer to fix the tray to the feeded.

Problem virtually solved over night, now have to leave food on the ground each day for the ground feeders.

Last friday after I had done this, I saw on the TV a person who used a tray that goes under a flower pot instead (at least £4 cheaper) do not forget to drill a few small holes for the water to escape.

 

[tiomet]

I cobbled six of those decking squares, the ones with grooves, together and rest the feeders on those. I put bamboo strips on the edges so that stops the spilled seeds from overflowing the deck, but allows rainwater to drain.

I laid the decking on natural bark chips so if seed does spill it is easy and light to replace and the old bark can be mulched.

It means that I can scoop the spillage off the decks each weekend, wash it down with a jet hose, disinfect with arklens and it is good for another week.

I used the no grow seed for a while but birds prefer the sort that causes us the most inconvenience! Trouble is, even with no grow the spills rot and stink in grass and on shale and cobbles, so I had to think up another way.

The decking works and does not look all that bad compared to before.

 

[tiomet]

This is it. This is the aftermath of a week's feeding and spillage ... which will be cleaned up in the normal Saturday wash down. About to put out the food for their midday meal as they have just finished breakfast.

http://tiomet.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/birddeck.jpg

It does help to have the spilltrays attached to the hanging feeders, I think. I have one and ordered another.

Mind you, I have a tiny garden, so this solution is small scale. I think it would still work with larger gardens that have bigger feeding stations though? Tis not the prettiest solution but looks tons better than before when the spill was all over the paving, shale and gardens.

 

[Paul1853]

As has been said, you need to keep moving your feeders around, so that pests and deseases do not concentrate in one area.

Also, it is quite easy to get seed mixes which leave little or no residue.... Sunflowers seeds are the biggest problem with the husks seemingly being inedible - use sunflower hearts instead....Cheaper seed mixes sometimes have things like dog-biscuits in them!


All the best... Ruby

I use sunflower hearts, but there still appears to be a clear husk type covering that the goldfinches find inedible and still leave behind. It is as if there is an inner husk as well as an outer one? I attach a plastic plate to my feeders which catches most of this waste, but it can still leave a mess on the garden and paths.
Paul

 

[Miamiflash]

I've been following this thread for awhile and have to admit that I'm a bit mystified. Why do you all place your feeders on paths and in areas where some spilt seed and husks "make a mess"?

Here, we're encouraged to let parts of our yards "go wild" in order to encourage habitat for birds and butterflies. I have a very small yard, but I have several areas around the edges and near my small vegetable patch, that I have let go. Lots of native plants have come up in addition to the several natives that I planted myself. I have many more butterflies than ever in those areas, and that's where I put my feeders. (All of my feeders came with catch-trays that drain... don't they sell those in GB?)

Anything that falls to the ground is generally scooped up by the doves, squirrels (who now understand that it's quite a bit easier to "hoover" the ground beneath the feeders than climb them), and anyone else who doesn't feel like waiting in line. If anything sprouts, it gets mowed under within a couple of weeks anyway, mulching into the ground along with whatever additional "fertilizer" my fine feathered visitors leave behind.

I guess my point is, that if you put your feeders in less manicured areas, rather than on paths and in "formal" garden areas, nature will take care of the "mess" and there is no problem.

Just my humble opinion.

 

[tiomet]

I've been following this thread for awhile and have to admit that I'm a bit mystified. Why do you all place your feeders on paths and in areas where some spilt seed and husks "make a mess"?

Anything that falls to the ground is generally scooped up by the doves, squirrels (who now understand that it's quite a bit easier to "hoover" the ground beneath the feeders than climb them), and anyone else who doesn't feel like waiting in line.

Wish that both the above were true for my garden. It is nothing but a glorified car parking area so it is not about finding a non manicured spot, just a place where you can site feeders, which conforms to the ideal situation ie that there are perching spots nearby that are safe, the place least likely to provide cover for predators, and that has a reasonably clear field of vision for feeding birds. In addition, I wished to place the feeders where I could see them through the kitchen window; because I enjoy seeing the birds feeding but also so that I can see if cats are lurking ... and thus go chase them away.

And the spill seems not to attract the impatient feeders. The squirrels spurn it and it rots. Maybe it is down to weather conditions, which are dank and miserable a lot and the spill remains moist and rots very fast in the shale and bark.

Originally I simply let the spillage grow into fine crops of green shoots but I read somewhere that the shoots can be toxic to birds so I swiftly weeded it all out. Now I remove it once a week. The birds do not clear it up, not even now it is on the decking, and the squirrels now sit on the wooden mushrooms and yell at me for peanuts in shells... they know their rights! They will not clean up at all.

I think it is simply different conditions that make it imperative to deal with the spillage differently is all. Ideally, I wish I could handle it your way.

 

[Silvershark]

I've made a "patio" for the birds out of paving stones where the feeder is so I can sweep up the seed and disinfect the paving (need to do that AT LEAST once a week). One positive thing about the black sunflower seed husks is that they make great compost though, we had to dig over the soil beneath the feeder before we laid the patio and the number of worms there was incredible, far more than what are in the other areas of the garden!

 

[Jos Stratford]

One good thing about living in a cold climate - the mess under the feeders is not an issue. With temps way below freezing, never had the worry of a disease outbreak and as each week tends to bring a new layer of snow the husks et al are buried out of site. Come the spring thaw, wait for the snow to almost melt and the husks get super concentrated into the last remaining layer of snow - simply shovel this up and chuck into a wild corner of the garden where half of it seems to grow and dozens of sunflowers and etc grow.

 

[rseymour]

I've made a "patio" for the birds out of paving stones where the feeder is so I can sweep up the seed and disinfect the paving (need to do that AT LEAST once a week). One positive thing about the black sunflower seed husks is that they make great compost though, we had to dig over the soil beneath the feeder before we laid the patio and the number of worms there was incredible, far more than what are in the other areas of the garden!

Paving stone sound like a great idea. What do you use to disinfect it? |=)|

 

[Silvershark]

Paving stone sound like a great idea. What do you use to disinfect it? |=)|

I've just been using boiling water - my dad has one of those power spray things and they are just GREAT, I even cleaned one of my feeders with it. I'm going to order some of the powered from Arklens as well to put down.