First, it can be harder to neatly extract birdseed stored in bags, especially big deep bulk bags. 
feeders easily enough. The small fees they provide help cover my site costs.
So I buy sunflower hearts, safflower and nyjer seed in fifty-pound bags and peanuts in the shell in twenty-five pound bags from my local bird store. Using the right containers can make all of the difference. Learn how your comment data is processed. Smaller containers can be stored in the kitchen or near the door if they are attractive. If you are storing it outside, look for galvanized metal that wont rust. (I later purchased another of these for millet and one of the small pails for peanut hearts.(. Without the lids, I find these are a nice size to scoop out a decent amount of seed, usually enough to top off or fill one or more feeders. Bird food containers come in all shapes and sizes and can be made of plastic or metal. How should you store birdseed for backyard birds? (One tin holds dried mealworms instead of seed.). Then I recycle the paper seed bag. One of the major issues is that bird food such as sunflower seeds, peanuts and other wild bird seed is not only delicious for birds, its also highly attractive to pests, such as rats, mice and insects! Keep the seed in a cool and dry area to keep it freshest. For those, I use the jar to instead fill an old plastic How do we keep birdseed fresh and tasty? Enter your email address to receive email notifications of new posts. Each holds at least a weeks worth of birdseed, more or less, depending on what is in them, the time of year and the size of the tin. You can also inspect your bird feed for telltale clues. Sure thing. If fifty pounds is beyond your strength, you might need to consider either getting someone else to carry the bag in for you or use a dolly or wagon to wheel it into your house. When considering what is the best bird food storage container think about where youll keep it. outside with less spilling. The better option is to pour the bird seed into an airtight container when you get home from the store. First, I learned the hard way that if other people dont know what Im storing in the low flat-topped plastic bins, they might think its ok to stack other things on top of them. Your email address will not be published. never mix old and new seed together.). With tight-fitting lids, these tins have a second life as storage for seed. 
During the winter, you can store seeds that the birds can consume for four weeks.
Although the seeds may be cold at this point, they thaw quickly, even before the birds return to your feeders to eat. If your birdseed isnt stored correctly, pests can easily find their way to your supply and help themselves. This will help keep the seed fresh and dry. So now I use the medium-sized can for peanuts in the shell and the larger cans for sunflower hearts/chips, safflower and nyjer seed. If you regularly feed the wild birds that visit your garden, youll want to make sure you never run out of bird feed. Taking temperature and humidity into account is a good point. We are still not sure how they got into the house to begin with but they found the basement seed storage irresistible. feeders. Required fields are marked *. Smaller bird food storage containers are lighter and easier to move so are a good choice if you only store small amounts of bird feed or if you need to carry the container outside to your bird feeder, whereas larger containers are ideal for storing greater amounts of bird food. I should be able to post them here either today or tomorrow. Two started life as big holiday gift tins of popcorn and candy. Got a question for us? .
And a floppy bag can more easily spill. Top 10 yellow birds in Britain and the UK to attract in your garden, Celebrate National Bird Day with some urban birding, World Wildlife Day; How To Attract Wildlife To Your Garden, 7 Ways to Get your Children Involved With The Big Garden Birdwatch, Garden and nature crafts you can do with the kids, 5 things to do to rewild your garden in time for spring, How birdwatching activities can benefit your mental health, How can you do your bit for wildlife conservation, How to Keep Your Bird Feeder Clean and Hygienic. 
Another large decorative tin was a gift. I love seeing birds eating in the window feeders in the winter.
. When you subscribe below, youll get an email whenever a new post goes up (and ONLY then.
If for some reason I couldnt do that, my second choice would be inside our dry garage which is closed up to keep out wildlife. The bulk of my birdseed purchases go into larger storage containers in the basement. They may not keep your seeds safe outside. Other problems with improper storage are that it can lead to spills of bird food and make refilling your bird feeders messy, tricky and time-consuming! (I have used both. I am more conservative about nyjer seed though because American Goldfinches will shun stale nyjer and it dries out relatively quickly. 
I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. If you use an affiliate link on my site to go to Amazon and make a purchase within 24 hours, I earn a small fee which helps offset blog related costs. 
And if I swapped out seed, it was easy to change the label. Storing birdseed in an airtight container helps keep it fresh. Then I slid my printed seed picture/name sheets into each pocket via its open top. Store seeds in a cool and dry area to keep it freshest. This method prevents the seed from spoilage because of humidity and hot conditions. (Note: In the comments below, Laura requested copies of my labels that can be downloaded and printed. My own seed is stored in my basement that never gets very hot so it isnt a problem. If you are the only one filling the feeders, you may not need to label them. This replaces the previous post. And second, if we go out of town, someone else might need to find the right type of seed. Birdseed & Binoculars is the blog of Nancie Waterman. I found out for me using large coolers with wheels work really well . If Im stocked up, I can just fill them Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. What a great, detailed post! Hi Gwen, I keep about 6 large bags of different types of bird food in our outbuilding and have had the mice get into them before. The type you use will depend on how many bird feeders you use regularly. (See photo below.) Doing it this way kept my label sheets clean. Now that Ive shared my bird seed storage ideas and tips with you, check out my post on how to make wild bird treats from birdseed. Done! Posts may be sponsored. Basement seed storage will work for large containers. If you feed birds sunflower seeds or safflower seeds, you need to store the seed in a cool, dry place. Birdseed costs money and if you want it to last and not get moldy or be eaten by mice or other creatures, you need to store it properly. I have not yet labeled the newer galvanized cans. And one more metal container originally held a bulk order of desiccant packets (used when I produced a monthly paper magazine.) Look out for signs that rodents may have got to your bird feed such as damaged containers, teeth marks or signs of chewing and even trails of bird food leading away from the container or rodent droppings nearby.
The pitcher spout helps me fill the tubes
Storing birdseed in your garage is a great way to keep the seed fresh and dry. She has been running a small pet sitting business in southern Vermont for the past three years. 
This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase.
She owns 5 blogs and is addicted to social media. You may alternatively be able to find decorative metal tins that look nice for storing seed inside. Containers close to feeders makes refilling bird feeders easier and many people choose a sheltered outdoor location like a garage, shed or storage box. I like labeling mine for a few reasons. Thanks! Birdseed bulk can vary a bit, but I could fit at least fifty pounds of any of the types of seed I use in one of these containers and in some cases quite a bit more. Nancie, Your email address will not be published. Because the big bins in the basement were lined up with the tops easiest to see, it made the most sense to put the labels on the lids. I only use these links for products Ive used myself unless specifically noted otherwise. The plastic bags that bird seed comes in are not airtight. This means youll need to find a safe and convenient way to store your bird food supply to keep it fresh and easily to hand when its time to top up your bird feeders.
. The mice started caching seed and peanuts here and there in the house. Metal storage containers are a good choice if you worry about wildlife chewing holes in a container to get to the seed. Your bird food containers should also have lids on them to keep your bird feed fresh and prevent contamination. How do you store your birdseed? So what is the best bird food storage container? The point is, if you have a suitable storage container already, clean it out well and use it. Nancie. Check with your local bird store. ), Sometimes moths hang out in seed bags, so storing them inside can bring moths inside. So, for the big storage bins downstairs, I taped a clear vinyl job ticket holder to the lid of each bin using clear packing tape on the three closed sides. Here is how I store my birdseed. A cool, dark, well-ventilated area between 8 and 10 degrees celsius is ideal and you should choose storage containers with deep sides and a lid. Because these tins are on shelves, the side labels are easiest to see. Once I know how much of each seed I need, I go inside and gather up my empty jars from their shelf in the kitchen and fill them with whatever seed I need. Another problem with poor bird food storage is that your bird food may be exposed to damp or extreme temperatures and begin to go bad. Here are some of the most popular: -Metal garbage cans with tight fitting lids. (You could do something very something similar with sheet protector pages if you have some of those around the house.). Bird seeds must be kept away from animals and insects that might get into the container, such as squirrels and raccoons. Be sure to keep your metal storage containers somewhere where they wont rust. Once inside, I open up the bag and bring one of my kitchen tins over near the bag. I just checked and I do have my seed labels saved as jpg files. To keep your bird feed supply fresh and delicious for the birds visiting your garden, only buy enough bird food to match demand and throw away old seed before refilling containers (i.e. . . Any chance your labels are available to download? I could also create special labels for someone else filling the feeders for me while I was away if they needed more instructions. Clean out your feeders and add fresh seeds every five to 10 days. 
Large galvanized metal garbage cans with lids are great for people who like to buy bird seed in bulk in a large bag. You want to keep it clean and dry but also secure so other wildlife doesnt get into the seed. Good birdseed storage containers make it easy for people to use different seed varieties to feed wild birds. These large tins were found around my house. For myself, I dont have enough space in my kitchen to store fifty-pounds of each type of seed, so I store what I have space for here in metal tins.
- Linen Wedding Dress Etsy
- Laerdal Suction Unit Test
- Swarovski Crystal Ear Cuff
- Mercedes-benz Select 100ml
- Mailchimp Api Send Email To List
