5 Important Rules You Have to Follow if You Want to Feed Birds in the Winter

Many of us wonder how to feed birds in the winter without causing any harm to these animals. If you follow a few simple tips, it will be easier than you think.

You can make a birdhouse yourself or get one at any DIY store or a gardening center. Of course the first option is much more pleasant as you can spend some time with your family designing and building the thing. All you need is a couple of wooden boards, basic tools and some enthusiasm. Remember that the structure must be roofed so that the food remains dry.

Once the birdhouse is ready, it’s time to choose the right spot. Under no circumstances should you place the house in a windy place. It also has to be far from bushes and shrubs where predators might lurk. If you have a cat, make sure it doesn’t stroll too often near the birdhouse. The birds need to see they are safe so even if the cat turns up, they need time to spot it and fly to safety.

Once you start feeding birds, you have to be regular and, first and foremost, you need to be consistent. Whenever the weather gest extreme, the food simply has to be there. What should be there on the menu? The easiest and the best choice is the dedicated bird food that all gardening centers offer.

An alternative to the ready-made food are nuts, sunflower seeds and cereal. For many birds lard and tallow are a very decent treat. Also, seeds and nuts in melted fat are an option. Remember that lard can’t stay outside forever, and it should be there longer than three weeks. Never feed birds with baked products, especially moldy bread. It has no nutritional values for these animals and in fact it can cause more harm than help.

Providing drinking water is a much more difficult thing to do. The Internet offers a variety of heated water supplying systems. Another way is to bring fresh lukewarm water in the morning when the guests have their breakfast.

A number of species would love to have some fruit. In this case, instead of leaving the fruit in the birdhouse, it’s much better to leave that somewhere on the fence or on branches. The birds will easily find it and, of course, eat it. Apples work best here.

The easiest option is a birdhouse equipped with a feeder. You fill the feeder and the birds gradually eat it all up, as thanks to gravity the food slowly moves down. This is to prevent the birds from contaminating the food with their excrements.

If your birdhouse doesn’t have a feeder, you need to keep it clean. We don’t want the birds to get food poisoning there.

If there are any ducks or swans living near your place, remember that you must not feed them with bread. In their natural habitat birds eat plants while bread is a man-processed product. Not only is it harmful for the animals, but it can also cause a disease called ‘an angel’s wing’ that deforms the birds wings which usually results in bird’s death.

What should we feed them with then?

Pet shops always offer food dedicated to water birds. An alternative is vegetables (without any salt!), cereals or grains. They all have to be boiled and dry.

Don't throw the food into the water. Birds prefer picking it up from the ground.

It is really worth helping our feathered friends. It has been scientifically proven that helping birds does increase the level of endorphins!