When To Clean Out a Box for Eastern Bluebirds

The eastern bluebirds are beautiful birds with chestnut-orange breasts, as well as iridescent blue backs and tails. They have a beautiful sound and gentle disposition, admired by many bird lovers. Providing nesting boxes is a way to keep them coming back to your yard.

Nesting Boxes

• Nesting Box bluebird image by Dwight Davis from Fotolia.com

  The purpose for nesting boxes is for the bluebirds to safely lay eggs without being subject to predators, such as raccoons. They can be store bought or built. The best time to put up nesting boxes for the bluebirds is in late February; keep at least 100 yards of space in between multiple boxes, since the bluebirds are territorial.

Times to Clean

• Baby bluebird sleeping in nest sleeping baby bluebird image by Jelou from Fotolia.com

  Once the bluebird laid her eggs, do not open the box until after the eleventh day, so the birds are not subject to early fledging. Once they have fledged (or flown away), the nesting box should be cleaned. If eggs have been laid that have not hatched after three weeks, clean out the box, so that she can re-nest.

How to Clean

• Waiting for mom to feed baby bluebird and eggs image by Jelou from Fotolia.com

  Once the box is empty and the young have fledged, remove the old nesting. Sweep it out; sanitize the box with a damp rag of bleach and water. New nesting materials can then be rebuilt of grasses and thin straw for the next new bluebird mom.