Argument with hubby due to mice problem (1 Viewer)

[Newtobirdwatching]

Hi everyone! Last night, my husband & I had this huge argument about not feeding the birds anymore because we are getting mice in the backyard. Every night, I fill up the large hopper feeder with mixed seeds. I also have 2 suet feeders. I hang these feeders on the clothesline and reel them out about 30 feet away towards the trees. I’ve been feeding the birds since spring and have noticed that there are tons of uneaten seeds on the ground by the trees’ roots. I’ve been noticing mice eating with the ground feeder birds. The other day, I noticed a pair of blue jays on the feeder throwing out lots of seeds on the ground.
We rent the house and my husband is worried that the landlord will get mad, our indoor cats will get rabies from the mice & raccoons, and coyotes visiting more often. My defense was that I’ve seen a hawk and my neighbor has seen a blue heron gulping down a mouse – nature will take care of itself. I tried cleaning the fallen seeds this summer but it’s too wet to sweep them all.
I’ve recently switched to higher quality seeds with no fillers but still there are tons of seeds on the ground. Also, I have a feeder for Gold finches by the front porch. I feed them nyjer, finch mix and sunflower chips. The feeder hangs on the front garden which is now covered with seeds. I placed an unused cat litter pan underneath the feeder to catch most of the seeds but there are still some falling on the garden. Lately, I noticed a mouse peeking out of a hole in the front garden. My husband said I don’t care about us getting infested with mice/rats but I don’t want to let the birds go hungry in winter. He said they wont’ go hungry and can fend for themselves (they were here before we moved in), he said I’m just wasting my $ on seeds that just fall to the ground. Please help!

 

[hawkwind]

mice

Hi newtobirdwatching..

all i can suggest is clean up every scrap of uneaten food then cut down on the amount you are feeding and let the birds
have time to clean up before putting out some more
good luck!

 

[laleo]

If watching birds makes you happy that is all he should be concerned with. If mice get in the house use mouse traps. They will come in if you are feeding birds or not, its warmer in a house. The coyotes in the area were there long before you started feeding birds. Also I have yet to see a rabid animal and I get racoons, opossums, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and even one bear. The only problems I have are when other animals visit when the skunk is there, wow that stinks. I watched a bear walk around my yard until he reached for a bird feeder pole, I opened the back door (less than 20 feet from the bear) and walked outside clapping my hands. The bear stopped paying attention to the feeder and looked at me, I clapped one more time and he ran away. The point is these creatures while they are attracted to the feeders are around the house anyway, why not enjoy their company and live with them. They are all afraid of loud noises (clapping/yelling) and will run away from it. Pests that come indoors can be trapped or poisoned.
I know watching birds/wildlife relaxes me, maybe he should try it.

 

[joannec]

Hi newtobirdwatching..

cut down on the amount you are feedings
!

I think this is the root of your problem...you are putting too much food out for the birds, with the best of intentions, I'm sure.

I think what I would do is to stop feeding where you are for now. Get a smaller feeder and put it in a different part of your garden. It might take a day or two but the birds will find it. And don't put any more out until they have eaten what you have supplied. It also seems that too much is falling on to the ground. Ask yourself why. Is it because the feeders are leaky or of a poor design? Perhaps the quality is such that the birds are seeking out the choice bits and leaving the less desirable seeds. (I have know this to happen.) You say the bluejays are flicking it out. You could buy a better mix with less wheat and mustard seed, for example.

It really is not worth breaking up your marriage because of this problem with the mice but he is right when he says you are wasting money if the seed falls on the ground for the mice. Personally I think a bit of seed on the ground is alright because some birds prefer to feed on the ground but in your case there is too much being spilled.

Good luck.

Joanne

 

[michaelmacey]

I think on balance, your husband is right. We always are.lol Mick

 

[Newtobirdwatching]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Maybe I should stop feeding them for a few days (boohooohoo the poor birds).

 

[Jos Stratford]

Please help!

Divorse the husband, keep the birds. Everybody happy.

 

[christineredgate]

Why not clean up the feeding area in the evening,and remove all your feeders overnight.Then put outside again during the day.

 

[prairiemerlin]

I've found a good way of keeping the area under feeders clean: hang the feeders over a concrete patio or something similar, and then sweep up the spilled seed with a heavy-duty shop vacuum. I then hose down the patio to get rid of droppings or any seeds that I missed with the vacuum. This not only helps keep the area clean, but it also helps prevent diseases from spreading. I'd suggest also cutting down on the number of feeders, and perhaps investing in feeders that won't spill seed as easily - ie hanging trays with sides or tube feeders with trays fixed to the bottom. Good luck!

neil g.

 

[citrinella]

Sure, use less feed, but what is the big issue with mice ? Or coyotes ? "Sterilizing" nature - trying to fit it to our ideals of a neat and tidy environment - destroys far more than we intend. Many species will be dependent on mice including coyote but also your hawk (buzzard I guess) and owls. There will even be microbes dependent on the shit; beasties dependent on them; and so on. They all count.

As a farmer I used to be completely anti-rabbit. Now we have buzzard galore, and I love to watch them. One reason why they have reappeared is because we have a few rabbits, so I tolerate the rabbits rather more than I used to.

I have rodents at my feeding stations; and buzzard, kestrel and owls - great.

Actually I use bird feeding to move the rats to where I want them. Food quality assurance demands keeping rats out of the grain store (fair enough). We deliberately tip sweepings etc for birds at a site well away from the farm building so the rats are drawn there. At least one of the buzzards is there just about permanently, good place to find barn owl and sometimes kestrel.

I suggest you keep the house rodent proof; set traps in case you have missed a weakness; reduce the feeding right beside your house; move some of the feeding (if you wish) a bit further away to draw the rodents off. You may get extra benefit from the last - more nervous birds that won't come right up to your house. Look for a better feeder design too - but don't expect or even aim to eliminate spillage completely.

Mike.

 

[lulie]

Sure, use less feed, but what is the big issue with mice ? Or coyotes ? "Sterilizing" nature - trying to fit it to our ideals of a neat and tidy environment - destroys far more than we intend. Many species will be dependent on mice including coyote but also your hawk (buzzard I guess) and owls. There will even be microbes dependent on the shit; beasties dependent on them; and so on. They all count.

As a farmer I used to be completely anti-rabbit. Now we have buzzard galore, and I love to watch them. One reason why they have reappeared is because we have a few rabbits, so I tolerate the rabbits rather more than I used to.

I have rodents at my feeding stations; and buzzard, kestrel and owls - great.

Actually I use bird feeding to move the rats to where I want them. Food quality assurance demands keeping rats out of the grain store (fair enough). We deliberately tip sweepings etc for birds at a site well away from the farm building so the rats are drawn there. At least one of the buzzards is there just about permanently, good place to find barn owl and sometimes kestrel.

I suggest you keep the house rodent proof; set traps in case you have missed a weakness; reduce the feeding right beside your house; move some of the feeding (if you wish) a bit further away to draw the rodents off. You may get extra benefit from the last - more nervous birds that won't come right up to your house. Look for a better feeder design too - but don't expect or even aim to eliminate spillage completely.

Mike.

I agree with you Mike,
The amount of times I have read reports here of people complaining that 'the wrong' birds are eating the seed they have put out amazes me. The fact that the same people that claim to love birds are happy to start killing off other wildlife (ie mice) astounds me. Who's to say who needs the food most.
If you truly have a problem with mice or other animals then simply stop feeding. The birds will move on to a more tolerant garden.
I welcome all wildlife to my garden, when the badgers dig holes in it or the deer munch a bush or the mice leave a dropping, I love the fact that although missing the animal itself I can play detective and see whats been through. Too many people what everything on their terms, including what does and doesn't visit their garden.

 

[gw4aurora]

When the numbers of mice increase round my feeders I live trap a few and release them into the small wood at the end of my road. Job Done.

Chris.

 

[anna2239]

I would see if you can find out what's in the seed mixes you're using. I used to get loads of mess when I used a cheap mix feed and I didn't realise for ages that what it was was the birds were chucking out all the cheap wheat (which only things like pigeons eat) and looking for the sunflower seeds etc. Now I just feed sunflower heart chips and peanuts and there is very very little waste.

Wheat looks like this
http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Soft White Wheat Grain crop 035.jpg
It's only used to bulk up feed because it's cheap.

It is a problem that happens with a lot of seed mixes so if you can I'd suggest switching to a straight food like sunflowers. It might seem expensive but if most of what you're putting out at the moment is getting left then it actually might not be any more expensive as you'll need less.

 

[Newtobirdwatching]

Thanks Anna2239 and to everyone for your advice. Meanwhile, hubby and I made a compromise - he'll help me clean fallen seeds while I'll be pickier when it comes to seeds and, feed them less than before. Today, checked the seeds under the trees, most of them became mushy like compost.