There’s been a fair bit of coverage in the media this week about a study showing the risks of disease to garden birds associated with feeding them, and indeed the BBC did a piece on the subject on its breakfast show on Monday.
So first things first: the study – which was led by scientists from international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) – does not state that people should stop feeding the birds in their gardens, and indeed it makes clear that there are many benefits to doing so. However, and we’ve long been saying this at Vine House Farm, it is absolutely essential that people take simple, practical measures to minimise the risk to the birds they love.
We have a long-standing section on our information pages about hygiene and with an outline of some of the more common diseases and how to help prevent garden birds contracting them. However, as a summary, you can read below for a brief summary of 4 key points to take note of.

Top Tips to Keep Garden Birds Healthy



  • Keeping all types of feeder clean – be they hanging tube feeders, mesh feeders, bird tables or ground tables – is absolutely essential. We sell a range of feeder hygiene products to help you. Ideally, you should aim to clean feeders once per week, but if this isn’t practical then keep a supply of clean feeders so you can change them over each week, then clean a batch all at once. Using our Ring Pull and Onyx feeders will also help you, as they’re designed to come apart easily and quickly for cleaning.

  • Move feeders around in your garden so the ground below them doesn’t become contaminated.

  • If you feed seed products that don’t have the husk removed – e.g. black sunflower seeds – then ensure that the waste husks are all removed and disposed of. This is an especially important element of bird feeding hygiene, as waste husks can quickly develop dangerous levels of bacteria.

  • If you’re pushed for time to clear up waste, then go for husk-free products such as Sunflower Hearts and Won’t Grow Mix.


Why is important to keep feeding birds in your garden?


Returning to the point about why it’s so important to keep feeding the birds in your garden, the fact is that much of our landscape has been stripped of the natural food, that should be available for birds, through intensive farming and development. Indeed, other research shows that insect numbers have dropped by a staggering 45% in the last 35 years.
As a great example of how feeding the birds in your garden can help their populations, Goldfinch numbers increased by 78% over ten years up to 2010, with the BTO citing the increased availability of sunflower hearts and niger seed in peoples’ gardens as the main reason.
So please keep feeding the birds in your garden as the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but equally please do everything possible to ensure they remain in healthy condition.