Many of us enjoy watching birds at our feeders, and while we want to entice numerous birds to visit, it is vital to ensure the environment is safe for these visitors through regular feeder cleaning.

Cleaning feeders weekly will help reduce the spread of avian diseases such as House Finch eye disease, avian pox, salmonellosis, and avian flu.

Wild Birds Unlimited suggests these steps to clean your feeders properly:

  1. Discard old food and debris from the feeder
  2. Fill tub/container with water and some dish soap
  3. Thoroughly scrub the feeder with brushes/rags
  4. Thoroughly rinse all parts
  5. Use a tub/container to create a bleach solution of nine (9) parts water to one (1) part bleach
  6. Soak feeder for a few minutes, rotating it to submerge all parts
  7. Remove from bleach solution and thoroughly rinse all parts
  8. Let the feeder dry completely
  9. Refill with fresh food

If you observe sick birds at your feeders, take them down for two weeks to encourage birds to disperse and thoroughly clean the feeders. You can report sick or dead birds through the Michigan DNR Eyes in the Field form.