I have started feeding them again, the thing is, it does encourage rats and mice, I had a huge rat behind my bin a few days back, Jack could smell it as well.
Just be careful when working in the garden, I will be wearing gloves in future.
It’s a shame, because I love watching the birds feed.
Something also destroyed one of my bird feeders, it was chewed to,bits, this happened when I was away at my sons, maybe a squirrel ?
I have 4 feeders including one for the squirrels around the garden but I also have five cat visitors as I have a large planter of catnip. I am sure there are rats around but providing they do not get too close I am fine with that.
I stopped feeding the birds because of rats, two of them, male & female, boldly eating the bird food together. They look cute, but are classed as vermin, I don’t hate them, son had pet rats years ago & those were very sweet, but I had to think about the neighbours. So I stopped feeding the birds. After a few months I have started again, but no hanging feeders, no food on the patio, just on the bird table at present & so far no rats. It won’t last, but if I don’t see a rat I’ll carry on this way.
Most likely a squirrel destroyed your feeder as MrFraggle said.
There are squirrels here, but none have come into my garden for ages, without the hanging feeders there is nothing for them to get at. I have wire mesh around the bird table so only little birds can get in & squirrels can’t either & they have never tried, next door still put food on their path & the squirrels go there, I had seen a rat who managed to get on it some time ago. It was a baby though.
I hung out fat balls a couple of years ago and this seemed to attract rats, got rid of both so its just sunflower hearts and nuts now, there just doesn’t seem to be the birds around now though.
I have loads, Sparrows by the dozens, a few Jackdaws, Starlings Blackbirds, a couple of Robins other corvids and of course pigeons.
I will continue to feed my birds as well, rats and mice are everywhere anyway, my friends cat is always bringing them into the house.
I was surprised to see that rat though, I left a rubbish bag on the ground, it must have been hungry as it ripped into it, got some of the scraps.
They like to have cover, plenty of cover in my garden, plenty of birds as well, obviously there will be more in rural areas, where one of my friends lives, never seen so many birds .
Living rurally rats have always been a problem here unless effectively kept under control.
And before somebody starts, no I don’t mean by hypnotism or something equally daft.
I’m in a rural setting with plenty of shelter, just doesn’t seem so many about.
I’ve not started yet as there are still so many berries on the holly bushes in the hedge and on the cotoneaster.
