Birdhouses are a great way to attract birds to your yard and it can be quite amazing watching them nest and raise their young. When installing one, many people may wonder what to put in a birdhouse. Do you need to add anything extra to it, either to attract the birds or to help them with their nest building? In this article we will take a look at what items you can put in a birdhouse, and if they are a help or a hindrance.
What to put in a birdhouse
Quick answer is, the best thing you can do for your birds is to not put anything in their birdhouse. Maybe that isn’t the answer you were expecting!
The most common things I see people ask about are offering birdseed or nesting material inside the house. That makes sense and sounds like a way to help the birds, but often that can do more harm than good.
Let’s dive deeper into those two materials and see why it is better to exclude them.
Can you put birdseed in a birdhouse?
Many people think that by putting birdseed in the birdhouse they are going to attract birds to come and nest in it, or that they are helping to feed the family inside. It’s a nice thought with good intentions, however this is often a bad practice.
Let’s look at three reasons why.
1. Bird seed attracts predators and pests
Birds aren’t the only critters that like to eat bird seed. Seeds and nuts contain fats and proteins that many animals seek out. This can include squirrels, raccoons, rats and mice.
These creatures can dig around in the bird house, destroying the nest, scare away the mother, potentially introduce fleas and mites, or worse eat bird eggs or young birds (I’m looking at your raccoons).
Thus, if you are putting seed directly into the house or right outside the door of the house, you could be attracting a lot more than just birds.
2. Seeds can spoil
Let’s say you throw a few seeds in an empty birdhouse to attract some birds. If a bird finds the seed quickly and eats it then no problem. But if the seed sits there for awhile, it can spoil. The oils in seeds go rancid and grow mold.
It’s true the seeds will be protected from rain, but damp and humid air that is stagnant inside the house can still spoil seeds. You would need to check them frequently and change them out.
Plus if one seed falls out of your dish and then a nest gets build on top of it, that can bring bugs and mold to the nest and the vulnerable babies.
3. Don’t disturb a nesting family
If you go out to the birdhouse every day to leave seeds for mom, she won’t know you are trying to help her. She will just be scared. She sees you as a huge potential predator that now knows the location of her nest.
Whether she has just started to build, is sitting on eggs or has hatched young, if she gets spooked one too many times she will abandon ship and possibly not come back.
Nesting birds are extremely protective of their space and the last thing you want to do is be the reason she leaves and seeks a safer spot elsewhere.
