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To Clean or Not....

15 years ago

"To clean or not to clean , that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler "....... you know the rest.

I am new at this and my baby bluebirds are about to fledge. Should I clean out the house in between broods ?

Some people say yes and some say no. Just to get things strait, I am talking about cleaning the bluebird house, not my house. Although my house could use a good cleaning also. Thanks

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Comments (5)

janie_may
15 years ago
I think any good book on bluebirds as well as NABS (North American Bluebird Society) will all agree that it is best to clean out the old nest as soon as they fledge. I also wash the box and then spray it with a 90% water, 10% bleach solution and then rinse, rinse, and rinse again.

Some nest boxes are cleaner than others on fledging day but even if you don't want to take the box down for a good cleaning, at least removing the nest and wiping out the inside of the box will help. If a bluebird returns to the box and the nest is still there, she'll continue to build on top of the old nest and then you have a new nest that is too high and too close to the entrance hole.

Good luck on fledging! Hope you get to see some or all of them go! :-)
lisa11310
15 years ago
Of course your house needs a good cleaning....all of ours do, it's Blue Bird nesting season! There's a cute little poem about that, I don't remember it but I am sure someone can post it.
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bbcathy
15 years ago
Yes Lisa so does mine and here is the poem!

Please excuse my dirty house
I know it is a mess
I don't have time to clean right now
I have a bluebird nest ....
- Cherie Layton, The Bluebird Nut, 2005

Cathy
blumz
15 years ago
Thanks for asking this question. I was wondering the same thing, and I have seen conflicting advice. I had this mental image of Mamma Bluebird returning to the box after I've cleaned it out and thinking, "Who destroyed my home?? NOW I've got to start all over again! A woman's work is never done!!"

As a gardener, I've often used the old saying that "Housework is for rainy days." Well, today it is raining and I STILL don't want to do housework. I'd rather sit on the patio and watch Mamma and Pappa Blue feeding their babies.
lisa11310
15 years ago
Question about this poem. My elderly x MIL is a very artistic person and likes to paint little trivets, she sells them at art shows. Is it ok for her to use this poem? She would love it and does a nice job of painting Blues on stained wood things.

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