Should bird feeders be kept full
Many things can come in to play when filling up a bird feeder, with waste of bird food probably when you consider time of year to all the birds simply going elsewhere.
Bird feeders should not be kept full because there's no guarantee it will be eaten in a timely manner, or at least before bacteria develops. What can go wrong is birds favor another food type or if you only receive mostly peanut eating birds - when you only have a weight of seeds filled to the top of one feeder.
When I refer to if feeders should or should not be kept full I am referencing the more common hanging bird feeders.
It would be the clear plastic tube feeders for seeds or metal mesh feeders for peanuts.
With those I believe the smaller options can be kept full to the top with seeds or peanuts, as the size can allow no food too go to waste.
If you are referring to not so much peanut feeders but those huge panorama style bird feeders, or similarly a lantern bird feeder - then the weight of seeds required are unlikely to be consumed in a time before the feed expires.
Fill your short hanging feeders to the top but you must experiment with larger feeders.
Experimentation simply relates to offering birds a small amount of seeds or peanuts at first, while filling it more and more over the coming weeks as the food is eaten.
Behavior or weather can change in a drop of a hat, so when birds begin to lay off the bird food, you can stop adding more.
Don't fill bird feeders to the top as waste is a guarantee, only offer a third at first or much more if you know there's always hungry bird feeder birds in your backyard.
Feeders shouldn't be kept full
Common misconception with the use of any type of bird feeder is to keep it full so it can't run out, as birds risk going without or simply going elsewhere.
Well, guess what, to always keep a bird feeder filled to the top is going to cause you more trouble than its worth.
Feeders should not be kept full because to put it bluntly, all the bird food contained within is not going to be used up. Birds are not guaranteed to eat at your feeder or indeed, visit it at all - so in the end all that food must be thrown away.
Believing you can keep the feeder full until its used up, or at least most of the seeds or peanuts are eaten, would be a mistake.
Food kept in bird feeders have an expiry date, as such you only have a few days until it has to be thrown away. And if you're in the middle of a heatwave you can be sure it will rot within a day or two.
What good then is hoarding all your available bird food in the feeder where it can quicky go bad - when most of it can be stored in cooler conditions to be put out in smaller patches when needed.
Let's be honest, we're talking about should bird feeder be kept full of seeds or peanuts only right? Well, both types of backyard bird food do last well outdoors but that is not to say you'd see bacteria develop in the center of the feed in use.
While peanut feeders tend to hold less but are more open to air circulation, seeds are kept in hot, clear plastic tubes that get so hot, you even get condensation developing.
Keep full if quickly eaten
Under no circumstances should you keep a bird feeder of any type full to the top, as its very unlikely it will be eaten up in time.
Most of the food or half is a guarantee, but never can you expect all bird food to be eaten.
To replenish the feeder to the top then would be wasted as time is short, with scraps or leftovers becoming inaccessible.
With that in mind, its best to only fill the bird feeder not all the way, but most of the way if you have a busy backyard of bird feeder eating birds.
What you can be sure of is the weight of bird seeds or peanuts would be gobbled up in no time, as 95% of the food is sure to be eaten.
So that is to say 5% or possibly more feed will go to waste every time.
Indeed time is short so if you can be sure the birds in your yard can eat up the peanuts or seeds, in say 2 days or less - then be sure to fill it up knowing you're not throwing money at it.
One more thing to be concerned about is the seed vs peanut consumption. I can say with almost certainty the seeds will be eaten most in your feeders. Whereas peanuts can be eaten less due to fewer nut eating birds.
With that you can use more seeds over peanuts but understand this is not a guarantee.
Half full or less at first
How full you should keep your bird feeders in the seed or peanut variety is based on a few things: how quickly it will be eaten; how long before it expires; what the weather is doing - and indeed how much of it the birds in your backyard consume.
I would suggest you play it safe if you haven't quite got a grasp of your wild birds behavior just yet - so you can gradually offer more food rather than in one go.
Begin by offering a weight of peanuts or seeds, and of course both together if they were to be filled only a third of the way up the hanging feeder.
If it appears the feed is eaten up in 24 hours then continue to use a third of the bird feed for a week or more too be sure.
Next week fill the bird feeders half way or move slowly up to this mark if you believe the birds have been less busy around the feeders.
What you should expect in this time is to measure how much food you add to the feeders, and how much is eaten.
No measurements are needed as you'd simply be able to tell by eyesight alone.
If the wild birds that frequent your yard are inconsistent with their feeding habits, then simply keep to a third or half full feeder - or at least until when the birds can be more reliable.
To summarize
I don't believe bird feeders should be kept full for the simple reason of avoiding waste in seeds or peanuts, in which is the food type used more.
Feeders filled to the top can indeed be completely consumed, but to take too long can see the bird food go rotten before time is up.
Feeders that do get completely used up in a day or two would not always see all the food eaten. Why that is I don't know but you can be sure to fill a feeder up to the top, would be a waste regardless of usage.
Keep bird feeders full if you can guarantee the contents is eaten up quickly - say in two to three days - and no more.
With this only fill the feeders up to 95% of their capacity as to save on food that is sure to to go to waste a little.
If you're first starting out on feeding birds in your backyard with feeders; do offer a little food at first while gradually filling the feeders with more over the next few weeks.
In this time you can continue to fill it up but then bring it to a stop if you notice more waste.
Fill any bird feeder up a third of the way at first to get a grasp of your backyard bird behavior - because only then can you think about filling half way or to the top.
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