Pro tip: Stop filling your feeder to the top every time

I used to dump a whole bag of black oil sunflower seeds in my tube feeder every Sunday. Then last month I noticed a lot of the seeds at the bottom were moldy and wet after a rainstorm. Turns out birds just pick from the top and the bottom stuff sits there for weeks getting nasty. Now I only fill it about a third full and refill more often, and I've seen way more goldfinches and cardinals showing up. Anyone else deal with wasted seed like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_jackson29d ago

Oh man, totally agree with you here. I learned this the hard way last fall when I pulled out a clump of seeds that had basically turned into a science experiment. The smell was something else, trust me. Now I do the same thing, just fill it a quarter or a third of the way and it stays fresh and the birds clean it out fast. Plus I've noticed way less wasted seed on the ground under the feeder, so the squirrels aren't as happy but whatever. It's a lot less work in the long run too, since I'm not scrubbing moldy tubes every few weeks.

brian_jackson29d ago

That "science experiment" line hit close to home. My buddy did the same thing and said the mold clump looked like something from a horror movie when he finally cleaned it out.