Despite the fact that harsh winters come to us less and less and are already more in our memories, the issue of food for birds remains relevant. After all, it is especially difficult to find food at this time of the year, and the birds do not disdain any treat. And if you build a convenient feeder for them, then you can watch for hours how they flock for food. You can involve your child in this work and both of you will figure out how to make a bird feeder with your own hands, which will contribute to the development of his building skills and communication with the environment. In addition, if a child does not have siblings or pets, caring for their neighbor will be especially rewarding for him, and the result will bring a lot of pleasure.
Now let's figure out what homemade feeders are and how to make them.
Feeder made of cardboard bag or plastic bottle
The simplest do-it-yourself bird feeder can be made from cardboard bags from juices or dairy products. similarIt is easy to make a feeder from a plastic bottle, mayonnaise cans or ice cream buckets. The essence of such a feeder device is to cut openings on the sides so that the lower edge of the cutouts is slightly higher than the bottom of the bag or bottle. A treat is placed inside, which will not fall out or crumble, and through the openings the birds will freely get to it. In this case, the food will be under cover.
Shoe boxes or electrical goods packages are also used in a similar way, if there is a need for a large feeder. A dense laminated material is selected to slightly extend the life of the structure. A separate roof in the form of a cover from a shoe box in this design will also not be superfluous.
Usually, these feeders are hung on trees, but there are options for attaching them to windows with suction cups. To do this, it is enough that the suction cup has a hook. Due to the use of unnecessary raw materials and ease of execution, this feeder is very popular. But it is worth paying attention to other types of structures.
Feeder from a jar
Such a feeder can be built from a tin, glass, plastic or any other unnecessary jar. A ribbon or other wide material is wrapped around it so that the jar can keep balance. Filled with food, it is suspended in a horizontal position. For the convenience of landing the birds, you can take care of attaching a stick or twig to the bottom of the suspended jar. In case of absencewide material, two ropes are used to tightly tie the jar.
To attract birds, the jar is wrapped in bright material or painted with bright paint. Below is an example of such a bird feeder in the photo. Anyone can also make it with their own hands.
Feeder without a roof
In fact, the feeder consists of a base with sides, which is attached to the surface with nails or held on with strings. The base is often a plastic tray commonly used in grocery stores. But you can take ordinary plywood and nail the sides to it. Such a feeder is not protected from rain, wind or snow, and food will not stay in it for a long time. Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be possible to accustom the birds to such a feeding place. But if something is done without any costs, then you should not count on an excellent result. However, such a feeder is often found, because it does not require much time and skills to make.
Mesh feeder
Consider an unusual bird feeder, which is not difficult to make with your own hands. Its principle is very simple: small bags are formed from a fine mesh, into which food is poured (but not very small). You can use grain, but it will have to be mixed with melted lard and rolled into balls. After solidification, the balls are laid out in bags, from which the birds peck out the grain with pleasure. The bags are attached to a suspended wire. Different bags can contain different treats designed for everyone. If theredesire, then this feeder can be improved with a roof by threading the plastic bottom of the bottle on top of the wire. To prevent the roof from falling, it is enough to tie a knot of wire, which will play the role of a limiter. But it is also worth considering that birds by nature do not like enclosed spaces and feel much better in open areas.
This version of the feeder will also be optimal for those who want to take care of small birds. This is due to the fact that the features of such a feeder include inaccessibility for large birds, which often have time to be the first to get enough food. But it is especially difficult for little birds to find food in winter.
Now let's move on to how to make a bird feeder with a roof with your own hands.
Classic Roofed Feeder
Many of the existing types of feeders are being upgraded with a roof. But most of them are short-lived and done in haste. Now we will analyze how to make a bird feeder with your own hands, which has a roof and a solid structure. Let's start with the fact that plywood and wooden planks, slats, boards are used for it. First you need to make a shield from the boards, which will become the "foundation" of the base of the feeder. This will require multilayer plywood approximately 35 X 35 cm in size. Bars 20 X 20 mm and up to 15 cm high are attached to it at the corners. From above, the bars are connected with slats, forming a frame. Next, the base of the gable roof is made, and she herself is assembled from plywood or tin. When the roof is ready, it is connected to the frame. All fastenings occur with the help of nailing.
It is better to place such a feeder on tree trunks at a height of 3 to 6 m. You can also nail it to the wall of the house, on the roof of a barn or a skate. If there are none, a wooden pole 120-150 cm long is used. But in this case, you should take care of a reliable support, because you need to count on a large number of people who want to enjoy treats. The main thing is to provide good visibility for the birds.
The feeder must be painted with oil paint and the ends of the plywood should be puttied well, which will significantly affect its service life. It is better to paint with bright colors. They attract all kinds of birds and stand out well in the area.
Wooden feeders
Wood has always been widely used in any construction industry, because it allows you to form any structure, looks great and fits well into landscape or architectural design. Such raw materials are always at hand, and from its remains you can always make a wooden bird feeder with your own hands. The material can be tree branches after pruning the garden, small logs or just the remains of wooden planks. In a skillful combination, all of them are able to decorate a summer cottage or a place of rest. Therefore, wooden feeders can be safely considered as an author's creation that brings benefits and comfort.
Feeder from the basket
This is the easiest way to make a feeder, as there are ready-made parts available. All you need is an oblong basket with a lid and ribbons. The lid hangs on a branchtree, and a basket is hung on it with two ribbons. As a result, we get the base of the feeder with a side and a roof. If the basket is made of plastic, then the life of this feeder is infinite.
Baking feeder
This feeder is based on grains and other feathered food. To prepare it, you need to purchase gelatin, mix it with water, boil and mix. The main thing is that the gelatin is completely mixed. After it cools down, feed is added to it until a homogeneous porridge is obtained. This cocktail is poured into baking molds and then hung from tree branches.
Garland feeder
The best way to make a winter bird feeder with your own hands is to string finished products on a wire or fishing line. They can be dry fruits and mushrooms, mountain ash, bread and nuts. Uns alted bacon is also in great demand. These treats are hung separately or next to a wooden feeder, arranging a real feast for the birds.
Pumpkin feeder
Pumpkin will also be a good product for making a feeder. Unlike other materials, it is much easier to work with it. You just need to cut off the top of the pumpkin and clean out all the contents. For the convenience of attaching and landing birds, it is worth punching four holes in its walls, since two strong wooden twigs must be threaded through. One of them should be a level above the other and preferably crosswise. Also, twigs can be a place for attaching a thread orrope for hanging the feeder.
More feeder ideas
To make an original bird feeder with your own hands, you can use grapefruit or orange peel. It will only be necessary to carefully remove the peel from half of the citrus, tie it along the edges of the rope, stuff it with food and hang it up. Of course, such a feeder will not last long, but it will be easy to replace it.
If there is a desire to equip the dining room with birds for a long time, then you can use a strong coconut shell, if any. Making neat holes in it is possible only with the help of a tool, but coconut will become a reliable, durable and environmentally friendly shelter for food.
The next original idea could be to make a feeder from Lego or similar. From small parts, you can always choose the desired size of the structure, its colors and, as a result, make a beautiful bird feeder with your own hands. The convenience of cleaning such a product will also be an advantage. But you need to make sure that all the parts are securely fastened, otherwise food will clog between them, and the structure will fall apart. Also, the disadvantages include the possibility of using such a feeder only on private territory.
As you can see from this article, there are a lot of ideas and fantasies on how to make a DIY bird feeder from improvised materials and have fun watching birds. It is only necessary to keep such a dining room incleanliness.
