Feeding the birds

We've stopped seed-feeding too. We live near a river and rats have been an occasional problem, but now it's not only them but pigeons.

We'll carry on with the nut-feeder, although the squirrels do their best to get at them! Funny to watch their antics because the wire's pretty impregnable

Not very pleasant but here is a photo if they GN allow it

ooo nasty - we only feed the birds in winter here - other than the odd bt of bacon rind. they seem to have lots of lovely insects, worms, berries etc in the summer. I have got a dormouse in the compost but that's all and we live near a railway line.

I don't feed the birds in Summer, as I read that they shove seeds and bread down the throats of the baby birds [should be worms and insects.]
Only peanuts now in Winter as well, as we were getting too many pigeons with the seed.Sometimes fatballs for the tree, chaffinches and robins like these.

Same here - never feed the birds - too many rats around. We had to have the council in to eradicate them once and he said we should never put out food for the birds.

I feed the birds all year around as I was concerned at the lack of sparrows at one time in the garden - there would only be 1 or 2 so I started to feed them. Now I have loads of families and they are a joy to watch. Fluffy bums!! There may well be rats there are certainly tame-ish mice - dear little souls bright eyes and sleek coats. The rats mind their place as I have a terrier and they seem to respect him as I never see any in the garden.

Unintended consequence is that I also feed the resident pigeon population and squirrels in the winter, but I figure that they have as much right to this planet as us so they are also nice and fat!!

I was told by a local farmer that where you have rats you will never find mice. I do feed birds in the winter and always top up the bird bath every day but living in the countryside, they seem to manage quite well without my help!

chicken and egg then - terrier = no rats = mice or mice = no rats and terrier redundant!

I feed the birds all year round - have occasional woodmice, but no rats - guess the staffie keeps them at bay

What a horrible image that is, for people like me, who admit to being just a bit rat phobic. Plus, I've just put the bird feed into those "squirrel proof" feeders. Sunseeker though has reassured me, we do have field mice in the garden, so does that mean we're currently a rat free zone.

Sorry to burst your bubble but we have had an infestation of both rats and mice ............ my skin is crawling even typing this . We got a very competent survey done and appropriate treatment so the rats seem tohave been eliminated for a time , I await the return of the cold weather for the annual mouse hunt ...... sigh

Get any of these (from the third one down)

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The rats, mice and squirrels can't climb up your windows and you get to watch the birds from your sofa.

For those of a phobic nature ---get a terrier such efficient little dogs!

Mine spends all morning after his walk patrolling the garden for mice (in shed ans greenhouse) squirrels (in winter) and cats (all year around and everywhere!) frogs are also good to try to catch but they don't taste very good. Our vet said that dogs get a "high" from licking them - must say I have never heard that!?

Yes whitewall, terriers do patrol, and they also are efficient killing machines, given the opportunity. My cocker spaniel x middle sized poodle patrols the garden, as well as squirrels, he seems to feel the huge pigeons shouldn't be allowed either, so if they land anywhere when he's on patrol, he barks and chases them off.

This is a real dilemma for me. I love birds and always feed them. But recently I've had a problem with mice. Mice in the garage (they've eaten the washing machine!), mice in the car, mice in the house..
I can't bring myself to kill them.. I use those humane traps which do work well, so I find myself walking miles very late at night or early in the morning to release the mice. Apparently they have a homing instinct so it's no good releasing them nearby.
So I have stopped filling up all the bird feeders in the garden in case it's attracting the mice.
It's driving me mad!!! ggggrrrrrr
No rats yet though.

Oh how I miss our little terrier who used to patrol the garden so efficiently!

We won't get another one, though, what to do when we go away? Kennels are so expensive.

Mice have eaten a whole washing machine, henetha?

Seriously, I know they'll eat rubber, cloth, wax, plastic etc. but I've never known them to eat metal. We had a problem with mice getting in through the utility room skirting board and making a beeline for the porch, where the birdseed used to be kept.

One actually made a false turn into the sitting room while I was watching tv one evening, realised its mistake and dashed out again!

OH sealed up the hole in the skirting board and we've since stopped seed-feeding the birds anyway.

rosequartz you could try to do an arrangement with someone else - I do so with admittedly my sister. She has a Westie, and they are both friends.

Slight exaggeration Ana. . Sorry. I think they would have a touch of indigestion if they ate the whole machine. But they have chewed underneath so now the machine leaks mightily and behaves oddly.
I've stopped using it and am now doing hand washing.... gggrrrrr.
I've bought one of those sonic things which is supposed to keep mice etc. away, but it doesn't work! (my washing machine lives in the garage).
Your story of the mouse running into your living room and then out again made me think of Tom and Jerry... .

I have been horrified this week by seeing a huge rat sitting on my lawn then running off with scraps I put out for the birds. I will never feed the birds again much as I love them. My feeders are being thrown out, the rats cant climb up a feeder but the bits of broken fat balls and seed fall to the ground so I cant risk it. My little DGD plays on my lawn and rats do their business where they run so I cant risk her touching the grass as she is at the stage of putting her hands in her mouth a lot.
I have read about the danger of Weils disease etc and have rang the council as the house next door has a tenant but who doesn't live there and rubbish gets left from her rare appearances at the house(she pops in for odd days and uses her bins), there is also washing which has been left for a month on the line and is now on the grass where probably the rats and mice are using as a nest.

Being of a lazy disposition anyway I've solved the problem of not putting bird seed out [I have, thankfully sorted my rat problem, having got rid of my compost bin and the table that I used put bird seed on]. When I sweep the leaves up, instead of putting them into the green bin I leave them in little piles round the garden and the birds rummage around in them looking for insects. I also leave dead leaves and pine cones etc in the borders and that encourages insects as well. Still put water out for the birds. A few years ago I realised that mice were coming into my living room because I kept a container full of bird seed near the window so I could put it straight out onto the bird table . Touch wood I don't seem to have mice or rats around any more.

We see the occasional rat in our garden. I'm not too bothered about them although I would have to do something about an infestation.

My daughter had pet rats once. Sweet little creatures who liked the tops of their heads stroked. I would not go near a wild rat though.

I'm with you petallus. I haven't actually seen a rat in our garden but it wouldn't worry me too much if I did. I'm sure we are surrounded by them anyway. My daughter also had pet rats and they are wonderful little creatures, very intelligent and endearing. They bond with people in a way that hamsters, mice, gerbils just don't, more like dogs.

When my son was a baby my husband found a rat's nest in the garage and killed the babies. I was distraught - I think it was an excess of baby hormones - thinking of the parents returning to find their babies dead. I'm not saying I would encourage them to take up residence though.

We know someone who died from Weil's disease; the thought of them taking up residence in or near my garden fills me with horror, especially with the DGC playing there.