The presence of a feeder on a tree or under a roof overhang will help feathered guests to winter, and will also turn into an original decoration for the garden or become part of landscape design. Just look at the Christmas bird feeder hanging at the entrance to the house.
Give treats to the birds all the time, and the garden will be filled with trills all year round. It is only important to know which birds are best to lure. After all, some are natural healers, destroy various pests on the site, others are arrogant and unceremonious birds and sometimes suffer serious illnesses.
From what you can make a feeder
A variety of materials can be used to design original bird feeders with your own hands. Useful in designing:
- tree;
- plywood;
- plastic bottles;
- milk bags;
- unnecessary dishes;
- glass containers;
- pumpkins;
- coconut shell;
- old car headlights;
- much more.
Purchased or homemade option
The product purchased at the garden store is the samecreativity. Buying is as easy as shelling pears, but it looks trite and is unlikely to surprise anyone. It is more interesting to use your imagination and build a new original bird feeder out of what seemed like a long time to be thrown into the trash. The lesson will be interesting for both adults and children, so learn from the interesting ideas below or add a new idea to this list.
Classic Wooden House Feeder
For your own manual production, you will have to arm yourself with a set of tools and stock up on material. For construction, a tree with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm or moisture-resistant plywood is taken. To cut out the details, one board 2 meters long and 20 cm wide is enough.
Foreseeing the need to cut the material and having a prepared drawing of the side walls, bottom and roof of the feeder, it will not be difficult to cut out the constituent parts.
The presence of the scheme will help to maintain the proportions of the future original bird feeder made of wood.
The end pieces can be made transparent or with windows by replacing the wooden panels with plexiglass. To do this, the milling machine pre-cuts grooves up to 4 mm deep. Clever craftsmen, in the absence of a cutter, use screws to fasten glass side panels. If this option is assumed, then the glass area is increased to 16x26 cm.
The structure is assembled into one piece using self-tapping screws or wooden dowels and PVA glue. The corners of the parts are sandedsandpaper, and a round bar is attached to the feeder - a perch.
The roof for the original bird feeder is being assembled in stages:
- The ridge and the right side of the roof are connected without affecting the left half, which is tightly attached to the side of the feeder.
- To connect the roof together, use furniture hinges.
Do not forget to cover the finished feeder with drying oil after assembly.
Having set the feeder in a permanent place, the lid is opened and the food is poured inside. The presence of a gap between the glass and the bottom of the feeder contributes to the unimpeded flow of food as the birds eat the grains. The volume of the feeder is designed to fill the tank 1 time for 2-3 weeks.
The presence of transparent glass surfaces gives the feeder sophistication, accuracy and lightness.
You can see in the photo what the original wooden bird feeder looks like.
Techno feeder
Techno-chic connoisseurs will not miss the idea of constructing a feeder from a car headlight. This idea is original and attracts the attention of not only winter birds, but also curious neighbors.
Such a feeder not only looks interesting, but also differs in functionality: food is conveniently poured into the tray, the upper part made of corrugated plastic protects the grains from precipitation well.
To make an original bird feeder you will need:
- car headlight;
- S-shaped hook - 3 pcs;
- stainless steel wire;
- rubberwashers.
Starting assembly, the headlight is cleaned and polished. Holes are made on the sides of the headlights and a cable is threaded into the loops. Strengthen the structure with rubber washers. S-hooks are used to secure the cable to the cereal tray. All three strands of wire are tied at the top. For them, the feeder is hung on a tree in a convenient place.
Cardboard feeding tube
Could you guess that a used toilet paper roll can be used as the basis for constructing a bird feeder? Original ideas help craftsmen, designers and creative people to create something new.
To make a bird feeder, prepare:
- toilet paper roll - 3-4 pieces;
- regular peanut butter with traditional flavor (no additives);
- a small bowl or plastic plate;
- dry branches - 3-4 pieces;
- nylon thread or fishing line;
- plastic knife.
If you decide to make an original bird feeder with your own hands, a photo of the finished product will come in handy. It shows a version of the design. Go through 4 simple steps by following the recommendations.
1. Designing a support for the feeder.
Three or four branches are interconnected crosswise. The structure is fixed with hot glue and tied with a rope. This step can be skipped if a different mounting of the feeders on the tree is meant.
2. Bushing preparation.
In cardboard bases, they makeholes. The presence of holes will allow you to easily pass the branches through the cardboard cylinders and secure the structure. It is recommended to make two holes at the top and two at the bottom. You can experiment and make your own original feeder mount. Therefore, this item is optional and can be omitted.
3. Preparing the cereal mixture.
Put the peanut butter in a small bowl and use a plastic or blunt knife to apply to the surface of the sleeve. Sprinkle on top with feed mix for birds. You can make your own or purchase parrot mix at the pet store. This step is repeated until all the bushings are covered with cereals.
4. The final stage of construction.
Tie a thick thread to the frame under the feeder and hang it on a branch. Place cardboard sleeves on branches, hang in the garden. The design can be decorated, giving it even more brightness and uniqueness.
Cardboard box for making feeders
A milk carton or carton is perfect for this. It remains only to choose a product of a suitable size. To make a feeder, you only need a clerical knife, with which holes are cut out on both sides of the cardboard package. You can decorate the box with felt-tip pens or come up with other decor to attract the attention of birds. When cutting out a cardboard box, you can experiment: make one or more holes or cut the walls completely, leaving only the corners as support posts.
Pumpkin feeder
Pumpkin is not only a Halloween decoration. The culture can be used as the basis for an original bird feeder. Two holes are cut in the pumpkin and the pulp is taken out. A rope is tied to the tail and an impromptu feeder is hung on a tree branch. A board is inserted inside the pumpkin, on which a mixture of treats and cereals for birds is poured.
The outer walls are painted, applying the original drawing. You can make more than one version of the feeder out of a pumpkin, but in any case, do not forget about the roof over the "house" for birds.
DIY hanging edible feeders
Creative types will definitely appreciate the edible bird feeders in the photo. An original idea - hanging feeders made from cereals, nuts and dried fruits for birds. To prepare such a delicacy, stock up:
- lard;
- dried fruits;
- sunflower seeds;
- flaxseeds;
- oat grains;
- ground nuts.
In addition, inventory is required:
- wire;
- rope;
- plastic cups or molds.
Edible feeder preparation steps
The process of preparing edible hanging feeders begins with the filling, which is used to fill the mold:
- The fat is put in a saucepan and melted over low heat.
- While the lard is heating, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, oats andstir.
- The mixture is added to the bacon and thoroughly mixed with fat, soaking the food well.
Insert a wire with a rope attached inside the prepared mold. The lower end of the wire is bent in the form of a loop. The molds are filled with prepared food, the fat is allowed to cool and sent for final freezing. Once the mixture has set, remove the plastic cups or molds and stir them into bird-attractive decorations in the garden. Edible feeders can be hung not only on twigs, but also in special small nets.
Polymer clay feeder
Handmade lovers will appreciate the version of the polymer clay bird feeder. To create a hanging clay bowl you will need:
- polymer clay;
- rope;
- thick wire;
- a dish for baking in the oven or microwave;
- a piece of fabric.
Getting to work, the clay is evenly rolled out on a flat, even surface, 5-6 mm thick. The rolled layer of clay is transferred to a concave plate. Excess hanging parts of the future feeder are cut off, shaping. In clay, 3-4 holes are made with a diameter of up to 1 cm around the plate for fastening. The dish is placed in the oven.
Getting started with polymer clay, do not forget to read the instructions. It is important here not to keep the material warm for too long and not to take it out prematurely.
Delivering the bakedfeeder from the oven, do not rush to remove it from the dish. Let the clay cool. After the final hardening, the clay plate is taken out of the container and a rope is tied to it - the future mount. The ropes are tied together, and the free ends are threaded through the holes made in the clay feeder.
Inside the plate put a piece of cloth and pour out the bird food. A photo of a bird feeder with an original attachment to a tree branch is located below.
Feeder-garland for birds
Hanging feeder is a chic garden decoration and joy. A handmade bird feeder is an original idea for turning fantasies into reality, a real opportunity to be creative.
To make an original decoration for the garden, favorite treats of birds are strung on fleecy hemp: croutons, bagels, nuts, dried fruits, uns alted bacon. "Beads" are hung in the garden, tangling between the branches. To give the garland a special look, several rows of threads with goodies are attached to one bar.
Empty bottle feeder
If you don't know how to make an interesting bird feeder, you can use the idea of building a bird feeder from a bottle. You can use both plastic and glass containers. Having tried and including all the creativity, you will get a creative bird feeder made from improvised materials.
How to fill the bird feeder
Almost all birds love small uncookedsunflower seeds. It is an important source of energy for small birds. For multi-component feed take:
- oatmeal;
- millet;
- corn kernels;
- pumpkin, melon, watermelon, burdock, nettle, thistle seeds.
The only source of complete high-calorie nutrition for birds in the cold season is human feeding. But it is necessary to pour not only cereals into the feeder. It is advisable to supplement such a ration with fat: margarine or lard, which is so loved by titmouse and sparrows. This is a good lure in the original bird feeder made of wood. The photo below illustrates what a complete bird diet looks like in winter.
Did you know that the tit is the only bird that can eat in flight? When you spot a bird in the garden, watch your new friends eat bird food from the bird feeder.
Note that soft animal fats work great with other foods such as:
- oats;
- seeds;
- grains;
- nuts;
- chicken eggs;
- breadcrumbs;
- croutons;
- med.
You can supplement your food with eggshells, a natural source of calcium. It is an important macronutrient for he althy skeletal development in birds, especially chicks.
Small birds can be fed boiled potato leftovers and skins, eggs, canned pet food, wheat bread crumbs. Note that brown bread sours in the goiter of a bird and is baddigested by the food system of birds. Remember that sparrows, tits, bullfinches and other inhabitants of the garden should not be fed with fried, spicy, s alty and sour foods. Whether you have handmade bird feeders made from scrap materials or purchased products, never put food in them that is harmful to the he alth and life of the bird.
Now, knowing a few options, you can decorate your garden or yard with an original bird feeder made by yourself, which will save birds in the season of bad weather and hunger. Such crafts are an interesting experience in hand-made and a great chance to show imagination.
By creating such locations, you will do a good job and please the eye with beautiful atmospheric products designed by yourself. So, made with soul.
