Store bird seed in a galvanized steel can with a tight or locking lid, kept in a dry garage, shed, or mudroom and set on a board or shelf rather than damp concrete. Metal stops the mice, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels that chew straight through plastic bins and paper bags, and buying only what your birds will eat in about a month keeps seed from going stale, moldy, or buggy.
Why plastic and paper bags fail
A 20-pound sack of sunflower seed is a winter food supply for every mouse in the neighborhood. Rodents gnaw through bags overnight and will chew through most plastic bins in a few nights once they find them. Squirrels pry off loose lids. A steel can with a lid that locks down under a wire handle holds up to all of them, and it does not absorb odors that draw animals back.
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- 6-gallon can: holds roughly 20 pounds of seed. Good for one or two feeders.
- 10-gallon can: holds roughly 50 pounds. Good for a busy yard or for buying larger bags.
- Keep separate small cans or lidded jars for nyjer, safflower, or mealworms so you are not digging through mixed seed.
Pour the seed out of the bag into the can. Bags carry moisture and sometimes insects into storage.
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Keep it dry
Moisture is the bigger threat once rodents are locked out. Damp seed clumps, molds, and can sicken birds.
- Set the can on a pallet, shelf, or scrap board if your floor sweats.
- Keep it out of direct sun, which heats the can and drives condensation.
- If you store the can outside, place it under cover; many steel lids are not fully watertight around the handle.
- Never add seed that is already wet or clumped. Throw out anything with a musty smell or visible mold.
Watch for moths and weevils
Small tan moths flying around the garage or webbing in the seed point to Indian meal moths. To prevent them, buy fresh seed in amounts you will use within about a month, empty and wipe the can between bags, and avoid topping up old seed with new. Freezing a bag for several days before storage kills eggs if moths have been a problem.
Feeder hygiene goes with storage
Fresh seed in a dirty feeder still spreads disease. Clean feeders about every two weeks, more often in wet weather or if you see sick birds.
- Empty old seed and hulls.
- Scrub with hot soapy water and a long brush.
- Soak in a solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water for 10 minutes.
- Rinse well and let it dry completely before refilling.
- Rake up hulls under the feeder so they do not mold on the ground.
Cleanup safety
If you find rodent droppings where seed was stored, do not sweep or vacuum them dry, which stirs up dust. Wear gloves, spray the area with a disinfectant or a bleach solution, let it soak for several minutes, then wipe it up with paper towels and bag it. Wash your hands afterward.
Getting more from your feeders
Storage is only half the setup. Put a squirrel baffle on the feeder pole so squirrels do not empty feeders as fast as you fill them, offer high-energy suet in cold weather, and add open water with a heated bird bath. Over time, native plants for birds supply seeds, berries, and insects that feeders cannot.
Bottom line
A galvanized steel can with a locking lid, kept dry and filled with no more than about a month of seed, is the simplest way to keep rodents, mold, and moths out of your bird food. Clean feeders every couple of weeks and your seed stays fresh from bag to beak.
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