Storing bird food so it stays fresh

Bird food is only useful if it is still the food you bought. Damp peanuts can grow mould, and the BTO warns that peanuts can carry aflatoxin. Their hygiene page is the storage note this guide is allowed to give.

What the BTO says

• Buy fresh food from a reputable source, in amounts you will use fairly soon.
• Keep it in a sealed container.
• The place should be cool and dry, without big temperature swings. Condensation encourages mould and mycotoxins.
• Peanuts in particular: cool, dry, and not a huge bag that sits for months. Reject any that already look mouldy. The RSPB says buy peanuts that are guaranteed aflatoxin-free.

That is the whole official storage rule we opened. There is no product recommendation for a tub, because we did not open a tub page.

Rats

A sealed container is also what stops stored food becoming a rat food. The RSPB says cooked scraps attract rats, and that uneaten food in the garden should not build up. Storage is the other half: seed in an open paper sack in a garage is still available. The BTO says do not dispose of leftover feeder food anywhere wildlife can still reach it, which includes tipping it “behind the shed”.

If rats are climbing onto feeders, deal with the garden waste first. See squirrels, pigeons and rats.

Sheds

A shed is a reasonable cool place only if it is actually cool and dry, and if the container is shut. Garden Tool Storage is a separate site about sheds, racks and securing a shed. It does not sell bird food and it is not a rat guide. It is linked here because the building you might store a tub in is their subject, not because they have written this advice.

Do not keep feeder brushes or dirty feeder parts next to the food, and do not bring any of it into the kitchen. The BTO wants cleaning kit kept outside, away from food preparation.

How much to buy

“Amounts you will use within a relatively short period” is the BTO’s phrase. They do not define the period in days. A practical reading, labelled as ours and not as theirs: buy the next few weeks of cold-season seed, not a year, and check the tub for damp or insects when you open it. From 1 May to 31 October you should not be stocking seed and peanuts for the feeders at all, under the current RSPB and BTO feeding advice. Suet and mealworms are the foods that continue, and suet still goes soft in the heat, so it does not want a sunny shed.

Can I keep seed in the garage?

Yes, if the container is sealed and the garage stays cool and dry enough that the tub does not sweat. An open bag on the floor is the thing to avoid.

Does a metal bin count?

We have not opened a bin specification. The requirement we can cite is a sealed container in a cool, dry place. Anything that meets that, and that a rat cannot chew into, fits the purpose. Chew-proofing is our practical addition; the BTO page says “sealed”, not “steel”.

Where should leftover feeder food go?

In the waste, not on the ground. The BTO is explicit that wildlife should not still be able to eat what you have thrown out.