How to feed the birds without encouraging rats — try this genius hack

Great tits feeding on a bird feeder — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

I enjoy seeing the birds in my backyard, hearing their cheery chirps and watching them feed from my bird feeders. Apart from providing them with essential energy and aiding their survival during harsh winters, bird feeders encourage these feathered friends into our yards for other environmental reasons — they are excellent natural pest controllers and will munch on all sorts of insects, including ants and beetles.

However, bird feeders can also encourage other wildlife into our yards, which we might not be so happy about. For me, this is squirrels, which pinch all the rich pickings that fall to the ground. For others, rats are a big problem, and they scurry about for the morsels that fall below the feeders.

Rebecca Ayres at @selfinsufficiency, shares how you can feed the birds without fattening the rats. What’s more, she says “I’ve been doing this for over a year, and there has not been a single crumb on the ground — and definitely no rats!”

How to rat-proof your bird feeder

Hanging basket filled with petunias — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

So, what is Ayres’ secret strategy to keep the birds full and the rats away?

In her post, she says, “Birds can drop a lot of crumbs under a feeder, which only attracts vermin.”

Her solution to contain the bird food before it drops to the ground, and all it takes is an old hanging basket, some moss and wood chips.

A post shared by Rebecca Ayres (@selfinsufficiency)
A photo posted by on

Ayres explains: “Place moss in it with the root-side uppermost. As you go up the sides, backfill with wood chippings. Then keep building up the sides and the wood chip until you get to the top.”

Once your hanging basket is filled, place it on its hook, and hang your bird feeder above it. “The basket will catch anything the birds drop,” says Ayres, and adds, “You can also put food on it for the robins who can’t perch.”

Apart from remembering to fill your bird feeder, Ayres says, “Water the wood chip if it gets dry.” And while she explains the moss will last indefinitely, she warns that the wood chip surface will need changing from time to time “to keep it fresh for the birds so as not to pass on disease.”

I think it’s a simple yet genius idea that will allow anyone who worries about encouraging rats into their yard to continue welcoming the birds. Will you be trying this trick?

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Camilla is the Homes Staff Writer and covers everything to do with homes and gardens. She has a wealth of editorial experience, mounting over 30 years, and covers news and features, tests products for reviews and compiles buying guides.

Her work has appeared in business and consumer titles, including Ideal Home, Real Homes, House Beautiful, Homebuilding & Renovation, and Kitchen & Bathroom Business. She’s even appeared on the cover of Your Home, writing about her own house renovation.

Although she’s obsessed with decorating her home, she also enjoys baking and trying out the latest kitchen appliances. But when she’s not inside, you’ll find her pottering about in her yard, tending to her vegetable patch or taking in her prized hydrangeas.

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