Overview
- Provide fat‑ and protein‑rich foods such as sunflower seeds, nut fragments, and suet blocks, and avoid spiced, salted, stale, or low‑grade products.
- Maintain feeding once started, with experts advising steady supplies from November through February.
- Use covered houses or silo feeders that keep food dry and dispense only small amounts, and remove damp or moldy food promptly.
- Clean feeding stations frequently with hot water, avoid open platforms that collect droppings, and stop feeding if sick or dead birds are observed.
- Place feeders in shade and out of reach of cats, offer ground food for species that prefer it, keep drinking water ice‑free, and skip plastic nets around fat balls.