Bird table trays

[Jandy]

I have had a CJ Roofed Table with Feeding Hopper for more than a few years now, & while I am quite satisfied with it, I find it a bit difficult to clean, even with a scraper & good dose of Ark-Klens. (It has always had a slight wobble since I put it up!) I have seen in the RSPB catalogue, but not so far in the CJ one, tables with lift-out plastic easy-to-clean trays. Might CJ also consider doing these, & if so, might they also sell the trays separately?

[dougied]

I have had a CJ Roofed Table with Feeding Hopper for more than a few years now, & while I am quite satisfied with it, I find it a bit difficult to clean, even with a scraper & good dose of Ark-Klens. (It has always had a slight wobble since I put it up!) I have seen in the RSPB catalogue, but not so far in the CJ one, tables with lift-out plastic easy-to-clean trays. Might CJ also consider doing these, & if so, might they also sell the trays separately?

I have to say I have just ordered a RSPB bird table with the plastic insert. I'm hoping this will be a lot easier to keep clean.

[Nature__Lover]

Only recently have i begun feeding birds , squirrels, and hedgehogs, and i was just wondering, what should i use to clean the bird bath and seed tray???
i have just been using water... but should i be using something else? :)

And of course, jandy, i don't really know what you could do either... i'm really not an expert at these things.

[Jandy]

To clean my feeders I use Ark-Klens from CJ, which I am glad to say can now be got in a 1-litre size, as I use a lot of it. You can also get it as a spray, which is good for bird baths, or their biological Multicleaner spray (which I'm currently using), also good for cleaning out nestboxes. Citrosan in the bird bath water keeps it hygienic between cleans, to reduce the spread of disease. You may think this is rather a lot, and perhaps going to cost quite a bit, but you only have to use about 10ml at a time.

[crissie]

Hi nature Lover,

You can also use any disinfectant... I use the citrosan most of the time for the water, I use any disinfectant to clean everything else and rinse well to finish.
I use long bottle brushes for cleaning inside the feeders and scrubbing brushes, old tooth brush for getting in tight areas.
I don't move the feeding station monthly as some people do, I have no where to move it to really and its in the perfect place so I leave it there. I just keep the area under it clean, its not a hard job if you keep on top of it.

To help here is some text copied from RSPB....

Keep your bird tables and surrounding areas clean and free from droppings or mouldy food, which can provide breeding grounds for parasites and bacteria. If large amounts of droppings have accumulated, they should be cleared and burnt and the ground cleansed with a disinfectant.
Clean and wash your bird table and hanging feeders regularly (ideally, using a 5% disinfectant solution), and move feeding stations to a new area every month to prevent droppings accumulating underneath.
Water containers should be rinsed out daily, especially during the warmer months, and allowed to dry out before fresh water is added. Droppings can accumulate in bird baths.
Personal hygiene is also important. Don't bring your feeders into your house to clean them - do it outside, using separate utensils. Wear gloves when cleaning feeders and bird tables, and particularly if you need to handle a sick or a dead bird in your garden. Always wash your hands when you've finished.

[Nature__Lover]

thanks for your help