How often should we change the bird seeds? by BirdFeederist

So, how often to should we change bird seeds? Because Changing the bird’s seed is very important to prevent the birds from any kind of infection.

On average, Change the seed in a dry seed feeder every 6-8 days to avoid any kind of Bacteria, mold, or bugs in the feeders but it’s not a fixed rule because changing and refilling the bird feeder depends upon a lot of factors.

These factors include the Feeder size, type of seeds, number of birds on your feeder, feeder design, weather pattern, feeding time, waste of seeds, and visit of other unwanted audience on your feeder.

Let’s see all these different factors which can affect the seeds changing timing in the feeders.

1. Feeder size and design

Feeder size and design can play an essential role in determining how often you should change bird seeds. If your feeder has more seeds capacity, you don’t need to change the seeds early. Similarly, if your feeder has a seeds’ ventilation system, it’s excellent to keep the seeds fresh for a longer time. But you need to visit your feeder regularly to prevent any kind of risk.

So we can say that you don’t need to change your seeds early with a large capacity and good ventilation system feeder.

2. Food type

Food type is another major factor in determining how often you should change bird seeds. Because the birds don’t like some type of seeds. So even after many days, you find your feeder filled it’s necessary to get rid of these old seeds to prevent the birds from any infection. Similarly, some seeds are liked by birds and other unwanted audience as well. These types of feeders are usually empty in a few hours. So it would be best if you refill these types of feeders regularly.

3. Bird’s strength

Bird’s strength is another essential factor. If you have less number of birds in your area, your feeder will not empty early. If the seeds in those areas stay in the feeder for a long time, they can be harmful to the birds. So if you have less number of birds in your area, you need to take special care of your feeder. You can half fill your feeder or buy a small capacity feeder in these areas to get rid of these kinds of issues.

4. Weather condition

Weather condition is another important factor. If you are living in a cold area, then it’s ok. But if you are living in a hot area, you need to take special care of the bird seeds. You need a suitable bird feeder with a proper ventilation system. You need to check your feeder regularly if you are living in a hot area. Make sure not to overfill the bird feeder with the seeds to prevent them from wastage as of hot weather conditions. You can also change your feeding pattern with the changing weather conditions.

5. Feeding patterns

The feeding patterns and the feeding timing of the birds from your feeder can also play a role in determining how often you need to change the seeds. You can follow the feeding patterns of the birds on your feeder to refill the feeders accordingly. Make sure the seeds are available on each visit of the birds on your feeder. Because when the birds don’t find the seeds in the feeder, they move towards other feeders in the area.

6. Waste of seeds

Sometimes due to rain or bad weather conditions seeds got wet or pick moisture. These seeds can be harmful after some time for the birds. So make sure to change the wet seeds quickly to prevent the birds from any danger.

7. Visit from other audience

If your feeder is located in an area where many other unwanted audiences are present, you need to check your feeder regularly, because many unwanted audiences can reach your feeder irrespective of your hurdles. These audiences can empty your feeder quickly. So you can also change the seeds in your feeder depending upon the other audience like squirrels.

Why do we need to change the seeds?

The seeds should be changed in the feeder after a specific duration of time, depending upon a lot of factors, as discussed above. There can be different reasons for changing the seeds in the feeder. Let’s see the various reasons for changing the seeds in the feeder.

• The seeds can be become harmful for the birds after a specific duration of time, depending upon the weather conditions. So if you are living in a hotter area, you need to check your feeder regularly especially, if your feeder doesn’t have a proper ventilation system.
• Secondly, some seeds are more liked by the other audience as compared to the wanted birds. Make sure you have the most liked seeds by the birds to attract the maximum amount of the birds. If you think the birds don’t want your seeds, you need to change these seeds.
• Sometimes birds don’t like to eat the seeds from your feeder due to some unpleasant smell from them. These smells can come from anywhere from your home storage or from anywhere else. So whenever you think the birds stop eating from your feeder, you can check your seeds for any unpleasant smell. If you think there is any kind of unpleasant smell in the seeds, you need to change the seeds.

These are some reasons which can be responsible for changing the seeds in your feeder.

Conclusion

From all the above discussion, we can conclude that there are a lot of factors that can play a role in determining how often we should change the seeds. You can also simply judge the strength of the birds on your feeder. When you think the bird’s strength is lower on your feeder, it’s time to change the seeds in your feeder and provide the fresh seeds to the birds.