Bird Waterers & Feeders

Bird feeders come in all shapes and sizes, but most are designed to clip onto the wireframe of a bird feeder cage. Read the instructions on your product carefully to determine how your feeder works.

Most birds prefer to eat their food high above the ground in order to stay safe from predators, such as the neighborhood outdoor cat. You can help your feathered friends feel more comfortable at your bird feeding station by placing it up high. Consider hanging your feeder 5- to 6-feet off the ground.

Of course, part of the joy of maintaining a bird house feeder is watching the neighborhood birds flock to your station. The height of the bird feeder pole should also give you a good view of the birdy action. If that means making the pole a little shorter or a little taller, that’s usually fine.

As much as you may enjoy watching all the beautiful birds in your neighborhood gather at your bird feeder or bird water feeder, they may make a mess. Birds have no problem chucking some seeds to the ground or dropping seed husks when they’re finished. The result can be a pile of discarded seeds, husks, water and bird droppings beneath your feeder. This pile can damage the landscaping of your yard or invite bacteria and mold growth and smell, especially if you have a large bird feeder.

You have several options to address the bird mess. First, you may want to consider moving your feeder to different spots in your yard every month to give the piles time to decompose naturally. If that’s too much work, consider hanging your bird house feeder above a concrete or wooden deck or patio. This will make it easy for you to clean the debris, either by sweeping it up with a broom or using an outdoor vacuum.

If your preferred option is to hang your bird feeder in the yard, you can also place seed trays, platforms or nets below your bird feeder to collect the leavings from your outdoor feathered guests. Just remember to clean out the trays or platforms regularly.