If you feed birds — this matters
There’s been a lot of noise about bird disease recently.
And yes — let’s be clear:
👉 Bird disease is real.
We’ve seen things like:
- Trichomonosis (which has badly affected greenfinches)
- Salmonella
But here’s the bit that often gets missed:
👉 It’s not feeding birds that causes the problem.
👉 It’s how we feed them.
🧠 What actually causes disease to spread?
It comes down to two things:
1. Crowding
Too many birds using the same feeder at the same time
2. Hygiene
Dirty feeders and build-up underneath
When birds:
- share the same feeding ports
- stand on the same perches
- and feed where droppings are present
👉 disease can spread through contaminated surfaces
🌱 So what’s the answer?
Not stopping feeding.
👉 Feeding better.
🥜 FEEDING SEED — THE RIGHT WAY
Let’s tackle this head-on:
Seed is absolutely fine.
But a big, full feeder attracting a crowd?
👉 That’s where problems start.
✔ A better way to feed seed
Instead of one busy feeder:
👉 Use smaller feeders
👉 Put out smaller amounts
👉 Spread feeding points around your garden
Why this works (the science bit)
- Less bird-to-bird contact
- Less contamination of surfaces
- Less damp, stale food
👉 You reduce the chance of disease spreading
Think of it like this:
One packed café
vs
Several small, spaced tables
👉 Same food — very different outcome
✔ Simple seed feeding rules
- Only put out what will be eaten quickly
- Don’t let food sit damp
- Move feeders regularly
- Avoid creating one crowded hotspot
🧼 HOW TO CLEAN YOUR FEEDERS PROPERLY
This is the single most important thing you can do.
And it’s straightforward.
🧽 Step-by-step cleaning
1. Empty the feeder
Don’t top up old food — start fresh
2. Take it apart
Get into all the corners, ports and perches
3. Wash
Hot water + washing-up liquid
Scrub thoroughly
👉 This removes droppings and residue (critical step)
4. Disinfect
Use:
👉 A dilute household bleach solution (~5%)
OR
👉 A bird-safe disinfectant
Bleach is perfectly adequate — simple, effective, widely used
5. Leave for 10 minutes
Give it time to work
6. Rinse thoroughly
No residue left behind
7. Dry completely
Moisture = risk
⏱ How often?
At least once a week
More often in warm weather or busy gardens
🧠 Important (this is key)
Cleaning comes before disinfecting.
If a feeder is dirty:
👉 disinfectant won’t work properly
🌱 DON’T FORGET THE GROUND BELOW
This is where many problems actually start.
Droppings + damp food + time = disease risk
✔ What to do
Move feeders regularly
Avoid build-up of waste
Keep the area fresh
👉 Think of it as part of your system — not a forgotten patch
🐛 WHAT ABOUT MEALWORMS, SUET & SEED?
There’s a lot of confusion here.
So let’s be clear:
👉 There is no “safe” or “unsafe” food.
🐛 Live mealworms
Birds grab and go
→ less crowding
🧈 Suet
Quick energy
→ less queuing
🌱 Seed
Absolutely fine
→ just manage it properly
👉 The difference is behaviour, not safety
🎯 THE SIMPLE RULE
Less crowding
Cleaner feeding
Fresher food
👉 Healthier birds
🧠 WIGGLY TRUTH
You don’t need to stop feeding birds.
You need to:
✔ Reduce crowding
✔ Clean feeders properly
✔ Keep everything fresh
🌍 FINAL WORD
Feeding birds is one of the best things you can do for wildlife in your garden.
Done properly, it supports:
survival
breeding success
biodiversity
