Everyone sets up a bird feeder with a lot of anticipation. They want a lot of birds to come there. But, if you keep asking yourself why aren’t birds coming to my feeder, keep on reading this article.
Another scenario could be that birds did, in fact, come to your feeder for a short while, and then they stopped. Again, the reasons could be many, there could be something wrong with the bird food you use or the feeder. We have discussed some of these reasons below.
Why Aren’t Birds Coming To My Feeder?
If there are no birds coming to your feeder, it could be one of the following reasons. These problems are broken down below, and we will discuss them one by one.
Something is Wrong With Your Food
The first area of suspicion is the bird food you’re using. Birds are exceptional when it comes to finding food near their homes. Birds actually notice a change in environment and, in fact, acknowledge that a feeder has been set up in their area.
If birds are still not coming to your bird feeder, it would be best if you change the bird food that you’re using. Most of the birds which visit your feeder are birds that love seeds. If you don’t include sunflower seeds or something like white proso millet, no birds will be coming to your feeder.
You can also keep smaller seeds for the smaller birds that might visit your feeder. The best seeds to attract birds are the white proso millets and oil sunflower seeds.
Your Bird Feeder Has a Lot of Red Milo
If you include a lot of fillers in the bird food that you’re putting in the feeder, there might be fewer birds that are attracted to your feeder. Sometimes manufacturers include a lot of filler seeds to attract buyers, look out for any such brand, and don’t fall prey to this.
The things they use as fillers are cracked corn and red milo. These can be produced in mass quantities which are used in the poultry industry. Birds don’t enjoy eating these and will reject them. One of the reasons that birds aren’t coming to your bird feeder can be that your bird food has a lot of filler seeds.
The Feeder Is Empty For Too Long
Your feeder might also be empty for too long. The birds that come to your feeder more often also go in the neighborhood looking for food. If your feeder is consistently short and there is no food in it for a few days, birds will stop coming to the bird feeder.
Once you have gotten a lot of birds coming to your feeder, if you stop the supply, they will start going somewhere else to look for food and will keep going there consistently. This is because birds are more intelligent than you’d think.
Put seeds in your feeder early in the morning. You should do this to make the most of the birds that are super hungry when they wake up. If the birds eat their food in the morning and it runs out till the evening, that is fine.
The Seed is Too Old, Or It May Have Gone Bad
The seeds that you keep in your bird feeder also can potentially go bad. If you live in a particularly rainy or snowy area, this is more likely to happen. Moreover, if the seeds are out for too long, bacteria and fungus can also start growing on them. Again, this is more likely to happen if the seed is wet.
If the seeds are in the feeder for around three days and are wet, it would be best that you replace them. If you keep on asking yourself the question of why aren’t birds coming to my feeder, this is probably the answer.
A lot of the bird seeds deteriorate over several months of storing. If you have kept your seed stock for too long, consider changing it with fresher, newer seeds.
The Bird Feeder is Not Clean
Another reason that birds have stopped coming to your feeder is that it might be unclean. Some of the old seeds remain in the container and start sticking to the walls of the container. Moreover, a lot of birds pass feces in the container, which makes the container unhygienic.
Sometimes birds abandon your feeder because they are not clean. Make sure that you keep cleaning the feeder regularly to keep your regular birds coming back for more and more!
Washing the container with soap and water should be enough to clean your feeder and fix the unsanitary situation.
Your Feeder Is Too Newly Set Up
Another reason for birds not coming to your feeder is that the feeder is too newly set up. For the first few days, birds analyze the situation and gauge whether or not it is safe to eat from this feeder. They would also require some time to notice the existence of the feeder.
It can take a few days or even weeks for birds to start coming to your feeder. However, once they start eating from it, more birds are sure to follow them in eating from your feeder.
Your Feeder Is Too High Or Too Low
The height of the bird feeder can also be a problem that attracts or repels the birds from your feeder. It is hardly ever the problem, but in some cases, it definitely is the problem. Some birds prefer their food at high locations, while others prefer the opposite.
Make sure that your feeder is neither too high nor too low to ensure that the birds aren’t repelled by the feeder.
Conclusion
If you keep on asking yourself the question of why aren’t birds coming to my feeder, the answer is most likely discussed in this article.
Make sure you avoid all of these things to avoid your feeder being short on birds. It is frustrating to set up a whole feeder for the birds yet see none of them come to your feeder.
Best of luck!