Thistle Sock Feeder

 (1 customer review)

Our gold finches love thistle socks. But don't just buy one: buy 3 to 4 so that you can rotate them - one hanging, one clean, one dirty, etc. Don't reuse them over and over; clean them in your laundry (hot wash) to kill bacteria. The reason is that finches are prone to an eye disease (in the US at least) that will eventually kill them. Thistle socks are a great way to spread the disease. if you see this disease (crusty eyes, groggy birds), take down the socks for at least 8 weeks so it can work through the flock. Since we started cleaning/rotating the socks, we haven't had this problem since, but I wish someone had told us this when we started ten years ago.