Wellness

[Icegoddess]

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Icegoddess wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@ROMARY wrote:

Just wondering (in a nice way):  Does anyone else refrigerate opened peanut butter?

Some don't, but I do.  

'Still', I'm only guessing that we can't keep it too long.  ?

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@ROMARY @It is unnecessary to refrigerate peanut butter. Always scoop out the butter with a utensil that has no other food already on it. 

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@Mindy D @ROMARY , the exception is all-natural peanut butter.  The kind where the oil comes up to the top and you have to stir it.  That one needs to be refrigerated.

Birds are dirty little creatures.  I'm not an obsessive hand washer, but I do always wash my hands after filling the feeders, including hummingbird feeders.

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@Icegoddess @I would not touch my bird feeder. In addition to hand washing, I would wear nitrile gloves and would wear gloves and hose the feeder outside, never near any sink. in the OP, the second link at the CDC instructs how to clean the feeders using bleach solution.
If you use a scoop of some kind it can come into contact with contaminated surfaces and then contaminate the feed if not correctly cleaned before returning it to its storage spot. Don't return the scoop to remaining food right away. Rinse it with a hose outdoors and add some bleach water in a cup to pour over it. You can wait a couple minutes and then Teri see with plain water. Let it completely dry before placing back into food bag. 

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@Mindy D  you actually do all of that when feeding the birds?  No thanks.  I just wash my hands afterwards.  I don't wash the feeders, except hummingbird feeders, and the seed scoop goes right back in the bucket when I'm done.  I've got too many other things to do.

[Mindy D]

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@Icegoddess wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Icegoddess wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@ROMARY wrote:

Just wondering (in a nice way):  Does anyone else refrigerate opened peanut butter?

Some don't, but I do.  

'Still', I'm only guessing that we can't keep it too long.  ?

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@ROMARY @It is unnecessary to refrigerate peanut butter. Always scoop out the butter with a utensil that has no other food already on it. 

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@Mindy D @ROMARY , the exception is all-natural peanut butter.  The kind where the oil comes up to the top and you have to stir it.  That one needs to be refrigerated.

Birds are dirty little creatures.  I'm not an obsessive hand washer, but I do always wash my hands after filling the feeders, including hummingbird feeders.

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@Icegoddess @I would not touch my bird feeder. In addition to hand washing, I would wear nitrile gloves and would wear gloves and hose the feeder outside, never near any sink. in the OP, the second link at the CDC instructs how to clean the feeders using bleach solution.
If you use a scoop of some kind it can come into contact with contaminated surfaces and then contaminate the feed if not correctly cleaned before returning it to its storage spot. Don't return the scoop to remaining food right away. Rinse it with a hose outdoors and add some bleach water in a cup to pour over it. You can wait a couple minutes and then Teri see with plain water. Let it completely dry before placing back into food bag. 

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@Mindy D  you actually do all of that when feeding the birds?  No thanks.  I just wash my hands afterwards.  I don't wash the feeders, except hummingbird feeders, and the seed scoop goes right back in the bucket when I'm done.  I've got too many other things to do.

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@Icegoddess @I do not currently have any feeders. The operative word in my post is "would." It's less work than what it sounds like. The other option is what you suggest; not washing or handling the feeders. 

[BlueFinch]

I just received a newsletter from Texas Parks & Wildlife alerting about the Salmonella issue.

They recommend that if you feed birds and notice any dead birds in your yard, to remove feeders for at least two weeks, hopefully halting the spread of Salmonella.

I guess careful cleaning isn't enough, since some infected birds will only be reinfecting the feeders.  What next!

[chickenbutt]

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@ROMARY wrote:

Just wondering (in a nice way):  Does anyone else refrigerate opened peanut butter?

Some don't, but I do.  

'Still', I'm only guessing that we can't keep it too long.  ?

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IIRC, that's only required for the 'natural' ones.   I use Jif Creamy (love!) and have never refrigerated it.  I wouldn't keep it anywhere warm, like on the west wall of my kitchen.  I keep it in a cabinet on the cooler side.

[ValuSkr]

I think it would go without saying that one should always wash hands after touching a bird feeder.  I don't have feeders but I do have a bird bath and a bird house and am always careful when handling.  Birds, like any wild animal, can be filthy.