You know that you can always come in to ask questions at OERTHERS - and I'm so glad that you do! So, in the past few weeks, when we've had a handful of customers come in concerned about the rise of cases of the bird flu. So, we wasted no time figuring out what we should do.
After a bit of research, in addition to reaching out to a few of my distributors, here's what I was able to find out. The bird flu can be transmitted from sick birds by sharing food and water with surrounding birds at a feeder - and although the cases in Michigan have been minimal, I'm sure you're asking yourself "How can you prevent the spread of sickness?"
First, make sure your feeders are clean!
- scrub away any visible debris on your feeder
- prepare a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach and soak the feeder. This is strong enough to disinfect & loosen up additional debris you missed with the first scrub.
- make sure to rinse really well!
- and when you're done, let your feeder is completely air dry before setting it back out
& voila - you've got a clean feeder! It's suggested that you clean your feeder once every two weeks... but let's try to be realistic. Try cleaning them once a month, unless you see a reason to do it sooner.
Secondly, ensure that there is newer seed out - it's best to make sure your feeders seed is changed out every two weeks (although - we know that's not an issue with most of you!).
Those two simple tips are the best way to keep our wildlife safe and healthy - something that will always at the forefront of OERTHERS priorities.
After a bit of research, in addition to reaching out to a few of my distributors, here's what I was able to find out. The bird flu can be transmitted from sick birds by sharing food and water with surrounding birds at a feeder - and although the cases in Michigan have been minimal, I'm sure you're asking yourself "How can you prevent the spread of sickness?"
First, make sure your feeders are clean!
- scrub away any visible debris on your feeder
- prepare a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach and soak the feeder. This is strong enough to disinfect & loosen up additional debris you missed with the first scrub.
- make sure to rinse really well!
- and when you're done, let your feeder is completely air dry before setting it back out
& voila - you've got a clean feeder! It's suggested that you clean your feeder once every two weeks... but let's try to be realistic. Try cleaning them once a month, unless you see a reason to do it sooner.
Secondly, ensure that there is newer seed out - it's best to make sure your feeders seed is changed out every two weeks (although - we know that's not an issue with most of you!).
Those two simple tips are the best way to keep our wildlife safe and healthy - something that will always at the forefront of OERTHERS priorities.
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