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Hello, and we are the ambassadors of St Dominic's primary school and wanted your advice on what to do on this subject. About 10 months ago we had a blue tit in our nesting box and she laid 6 eggs. Sadly only 5 hatched and we took the left over egg out after the other birds left! We have read somewhere that if we don't clean the nesting box, it could leave a smell. So we wanted to know if we leave the nesting box or do we clean it out and put new bedding in or do something we haven't thought of. Thanks!
Yes do clean the box out, I use very hot water on the inside to see off any germs. Don't put any material in the box just leave it bare as the birds will supply their own :-)
Regards Mike
Pssst! Nudge nudge Wanna see some pictures Here
Hello everyone!
I have the same advice. Boxes should be cleaned out between Autumn and Winter as a general rule, with boiling water or mild disinfectant and rinsed. However, you may still be in time if you are quick. The birds are already finding suitable nesting sites and starting to collect material to make their nests. You really shouldn't put anything inside as the birds prefer to bring their own and it may put them off nesting if they think it is already occupied by another pair of birds. The first year I had boxes I put some stuff inside, and my bluetits spent hours removing it all!!!!
There is a lot of information already on the Nest Box forum at http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/homesforwildlife/f/1312.aspx that you might enjoy browsing through.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Thanks for the help :D
Hi all
Nest boxes should ideally be cleaned out in the Autumn. Cleaning them out now is not recommended, it can interupt nesting behaviour. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 you are only allowed to clean out nesting boxes between 1 August and 31 January.
If you have not cleaned the box out at this time then leave it well alone until September, it may still be used in the meantime.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
I have been left 3 hand made nest boxes by the previous owner of our house. They weren't well sited, but I can refurbish them and would like to put them to good use. The only problem is that there is no access to remove old nest debris and clean them. if I tried to adapt them they're likely to fall apart. Is this a huge issue? I presume that the birds are more than capable of removing nest debris and presumably nature will eventually take care of any dead chicks. But do the negatives outweigh the positives and should I just invest in some new ones?