Feeder for birds from cereals. Bird feeders. Bird feeder from a plastic bottle

Bird feeders in winter help to save birds from hunger. However, this is not the only reason why you should start making them.

By themselves, beautiful and original feeders can become a unique decoration for your garden.

And the process of their creation instills in the younger generation a sense of responsibility and concern for weak creatures.

In addition, this is an invaluable time that allows parents to spend time with their children with interest and benefit.










Wooden bird feeders

There are several types of feeders that can be made from wood. Firstly, these are feeders that look like a base made of plywood or other similar material with sides around the edges that prevent treats for birds from crumbling.

Most often, such a design is suspended from a tree branch on thick ropes.

But such a feeder has a number of disadvantages. The most obvious is that such a design does not protect the feed poured into it from precipitation and bad weather. It is also quite light and can move or roll over with the wind.

The second version of wood feeders is more like a house and has a roof. In such feeders, the food is reliably protected from the weather. The base of the structure looks the same as in the first version, only there are supports on it that support the roof.

The roof can be either straight or pitched. Any child can make a straight roof, because in fact it is a rectangular piece of plywood, only slightly larger than the base.

The pitched roof has a slightly more complex design, but it better themes that, unlike a straight roof, snow does not accumulate on it and it does not have to be cleaned periodically.

There are also original options for feeders made of wood. For example, a feeder can be made from an ordinary log. To do this, you will need a chainsaw, a chisel and a hammer, as well as a chain and rings for hanging.

To begin with, you need to saw off two round logs from the log on both sides of the future feeder. Then a wedge is cut along the entire log, and longitudinal and transverse cuts are made, not reaching the bark of about 5 centimeters.

This is necessary in order to subsequently make it easier to extract the middle from the workpiece with a chisel. After all the work is done, the previously cut rounds are nailed on both sides of the feeder.

It remains only to screw the rings and attach the chain on which you can hang the feeder.

Plastic bottle feeders

For bird feeding, plastic bottles are also used as feeders. It can be both containers of 5-6 liters, and small 1.5-2 liter bottles.

Most often, a plastic bottle is turned into a feeder by cutting out several windows in the body.

Then such feeders are hung horizontally or vertically, depending on the design. For the convenience of birds, cross perches are installed near the bottom of the feeder.

But sometimes you can find quite original feeders, which provide for the automatic addition of feed. These are the so-called bunker feeders.

Such a feeder can be two wooden spoons inserted at an angle into the through holes in the bottle. Thus, the food from the bottle will gradually spill onto the spoon.

A bunker feeder can be made from a 2-liter bottle. To do this, it is enough to cut the bottle in half, make round holes in the lower part, and turn the top upside down and put the neck down. The top can be covered with a lid or a disposable plate. In such a feeder for a long time it will not be necessary to add food.

Improvised materials in the creation of bird feeders

The simplest feeder you can think of is a garland of rowan, cone or berries. A treat for birds strung on a rope will decorate young trees in the garden. The only disadvantage of such a feeder is that as the feed is eaten, the garland loses its appearance.

An interesting solution would be to make a feeder in the form of lumps with grain or seeds. Such decorations can be placed on benches, tables, or simply hung on trees in nets, in which tangerines are usually sold in a store.

They are based on fat or gelatin. The lard is melted and the main food is added to it. Then the finished substance is poured into molds (it can be baking molds or an ordinary balloon) and placed in a cold place to solidify.

They also do it with dissolved gelatin mixed with grain.

If you have a coconut shell lying around, then it can also be used to make a feeder.

As a result, such a design will be invisible on the tree. Juice or milk boxes are also suitable for making feeders. Their very design will not differ much from simple feeders made from plastic bottles.

Photo of bird feeder ideas

We present to your attention several options for interesting bird feeders made. It turns out that the feeder can be easily made from ordinary plastic bottles, all kinds of boxes, wood - there would be a desire. This article will try to awaken this desire in you, thanks to which many birds will be able to comfortably survive the winter.

To begin with, let's take a look at a great many different feeders made from a variety of materials. This will help you decide on the image, choose the option that suits you.

from plastic bottle and glass jar

Indeed, with the help of wood, the feeder can be given any look: you can build a mini-castle, you can put an ordinary “dining room” on racks, you can decorate the feeder with intricate carvings, etc. as far as your imagination allows and there are the necessary building materials.

It is very good when children are involved in making - they immediately form such character traits as caring for their neighbor, love for animals, responsibility, they show interest in making things, creating something!

Whatever you make your feeder out of, it is important to know the basic (and mandatory) elements of the feeder:

1. Your feeder must be with a roof - so the food will remain dry and not covered with snow, and it will be easy and simple for the bird to enjoy your treat;
2. Be sure to make the opening of the feeder wide enough, the birds are very shy, especially afraid of enclosed spaces. What if several hungry flyers arrive at once in your “bird dining room” for lunch? It is important to take care of this option;
3. When choosing a material for the feeder, be guided by its strength and moisture resistance: the denser and more moisture-resistant the source material, the longer your feeder will last;
4. The feeder very often turns out to be too light, therefore it reacts to every gust of wind, while grains and crumbs crumble and the birds remain hungry. To cope with this problem, you need to slightly weight the feeder. To do this, lay a piece of plywood, linoleum on its bottom (strictly according to the size of the bottom).

Now you will learn how you can independently make a similar feeder from all kinds of cereals.

This feeder looks great and, at the same time, perfectly copes with its functions! Tree branches adorned with such "decorations" give your garden an aesthetic and exclusive look. So let's get started!

We will need:

All kinds of grains, crumbs, seeds - all raw, as fried ones will only harm small flyers;
Egg;
Oatmeal;
Honey;
Gelatin;
Flour;
Pencil;
Thick cardboard;
Scissors;
Dense kapron thread.

1. Using a pencil and a regular sheet of paper, draw the shape of the future feeder. Hearts, stars, triangles, circles, squares - any geometric shapes will look beautiful;
2. Cut out a paper blank with scissors and attach it to thick cardboard. Circle with a pencil and carefully cut along the contour;
3. Take care of preparing bird food in advance. Pick up unroasted and unsalted grains, all kinds of bread crumbs;
4. Using a needle and a dense nylon thread, make a hole in the cardboard base and thread the thread into it - with its help this “delicacy” will be attached to a tree branch;
5. In order for the grains and crumbs to stick together and attach well to the cardboard base, start preparing natural glue:

  • 2 tbsp. tablespoons of oatmeal (in no case oatmeal);
  • 1 egg;
  • 1 teaspoon of flowing honey;
  • Flour.

All ingredients are thoroughly mixed in a bowl and left for 30 minutes. for swelling.

6. We apply the prepared adhesive mass to the base;
7. In another container, thoroughly mix all our grains;
8. We dip and roll in the resulting crumb-grain mixture our base coated with “glue”;
9. Ready grain feeders must be placed in the refrigerator for several hours - the mass should solidify well and acquire the necessary strength;
10. Hang such delicious “treats” on the branches of trees and watch from afar the feast of birds that have flown in to treat themselves and feast!

Dissolve one sachet of gelatin in warm water;
Pour all kinds of grains into the still warm solution;
Prepare ordinary cookie cutters, put a thread in them and fill with the resulting grain mixture;
Send the molds with the contents to the refrigerator to thicken;
Delicious toys are ready, you can safely hang them on the branches of trees!

Another "quick" option is to get a few old cups, or take ordinary plastic cups, fill to the top with the prepared mixture (on any basis from the proposed ones). After the mixture thickens in the refrigerator, tie the feeder to a tree branch with a ribbon! The quick version is just as good!

An ordinary cardboard box can successfully serve as a dining room for birds! However, it is advisable to pick up boxes covered with a special protective layer, laminate - this way the life of your feeder will increase significantly!

Juice boxes are ideal (they are covered with a special moisture-proof layer both inside and outside), from small appliances, medium boxes from postal parcels, bright candy boxes. Even shoeboxes will do a great job with the functions of the feeder!

Candy box bird feeder

You will need:
Candy box (3 pcs.)
Two medium nylon twine or two shoelaces.

Insert one end of the box into the other so that you get a triangle of three candy boxes connected to each other, as shown in the picture:

Pass the cord through the roof of the feeder, with the second cord securely attach your feeder to the tree.

candy box feeder

The feeder is ready, it remains only to fill in delicious grains and crumbs!

Even a child will cope with the manufacture of such a feeder (by the way, do not forget to involve children in this entertaining activity).

You will need:
Juice or milk box;
Long lace;
Knife or scissors.



Take right size box and using scissors or a knife, carefully cut a hole in the side of the box.

Through the top edge of the box, right in the middle, thread the string and fasten the “freshly prepared” feeder to the branch.

Hurry up and fill in the bird food - they have already discovered a new bird feeder and are eagerly waiting for your treat!

If you want to make a large enough feeder. To fit a whole flock of birds in it - take an ordinary postal parcel box! Glue the top carefully with adhesive tape, cut wide holes in the side moans, fix it on a tree - you're done! See what happened:

That's where there is a soul to turn around! There are all sorts of plastic bottles around. various forms and colors! There is a huge opportunity to show your creativity, invention, originality!

Let's take a closer look at the idea of ​​turning an ordinary plastic water bottle into a bird feeder.

We will need:

  • Knife or scissors;
  • Plastic bottle with a capacity of 5-6 liters;
  • Wire;
  • Bird food.

1. Using a knife or sharp scissors, carefully (so as not to cut yourself) cut a wide hole in a plastic bottle, located slightly above the bottom of the bottle (2-3 cm will be enough);

2. You can make several windows, one on each side.
3. Wrap the neck of the bottle with a strong wire and fasten the other end of the wire to a tree branch;
4. Lay plywood or a piece of linoleum on the bottom of the feeder, with their help we will make our feeder heavier and it will not sway and turn over with every breath of the breeze;
5. Pour in bird food and wait for your invited "guests"!

Plastic bottle feeder with spoons

Let's say that you want to make a small compact plastic feeder, then take a 1.5-2 liter plastic bottle!

You will need the following materials:
1.5-2 liter plastic bottle;
Wire;
Sharp knife or scissors;
Two wooden spoons for coasters;
Bird food.

Step-by-step instruction:
1. Take a plastic bottle with a capacity of 2 liters, measure 15 cm from the bottom of the bottle with a ruler and make a through hole for a wooden spoon at this height in the very center of the bottle;
2. Rise even higher (approximately to the middle of the bottle) and make another through hole for the second spoon. Only at a different angle (perpendicular to existing holes);
3. Insert through the spoon bottle;
4. Enlarge the hole on the wide side of the spoon - the grains will spill out and it will be convenient for the birds to peck them;
5. Pour the bird food into the bottle;
6. Tie the neck of the bottle with wire and attach it securely to the branches of the tree.
The feeder is ready! In a few minutes, birds wishing to treat themselves will visit it.

Another option for a plastic bottle feeder, more simplified:

We use the same materials as for the feeder with spoons. But now we don’t need spoons, but instead prepare electrical tape.

So, in a two-liter bottle we cut a large hole at a height of 5-7 cm from the bottom of the bottle. In order to make it convenient for the birds to sit on the cut edges of the bottle, we paste over the cuts with electrical tape or tape (your choice). We wrap the wire around the neck of the bottle and fasten it to a tree branch. Pour food - you're done!

DIY wooden bird feeder

We have already considered quite a lot of different options for bird feeders, made from all kinds of improvised means and even waste. It will not be right at all if a reliable and durable wooden feeder is left without attention - these are the feeders that hung on the trees in our childhood. It was them who were taught to make us at labor lessons by our Trudoviks!

Recall the manufacturing technology and - for business!

First, let's get creative and draw a little! Armed with a piece of paper and a pencil, draw the feeder you plan to make. Seeing it on paper. Estimate the dimensions of the future bird "dining room". Only after that you can start making the feeder.

As an option - use the ready-made drawings, which are presented at the very beginning of this article. The dimensions are already indicated there, the contours are clearly outlined - you can safely proceed to the next events.

To make a wooden feeder, you will definitely need the following tools:
1. Hacksaw;
2. Hammer;
3. Nails.
Prepare the following materials in advance:
Plywood of the right size;
Bars 2x2 cm;
Thin wooden board for the base of the feeder.

We go strictly by size! Dimensions are shown on the drawing.

1. From a thin wooden board (solid), we cut out a rectangular base of the desired size;
2. Now go to the plywood sheet and cut out a rectangle of the same size as the base - this plywood sheet will serve as the roof of your feeder;
3. We cut the bar into four parts, and one pair of bars should be 3 cm shorter than the first pair. Thanks to this design, the water will flow smoothly over the roof of the feeder and not stagnate on it - the roof will last much longer!
4. We retreat 1-1.5 cm from each edge of the feeder and nail the racks, first to the base of the feeder. And then we nail the roof to the racks. The front struts should be shorter than the rear;
5. We nail a wire or a strong nylon cord to the middle of the roof and fix the feeder on the tree.
Everything! The work is done, we pour the food, and admire the fun bird feast! Don't forget to take pictures - the memory will last a lifetime. There will be something to show to the grandchildren and what to make together with them!
In no case do we paint the feeder with paint or varnish - the birds do not tolerate such smells and will not visit the painted feeder with their presence!

What food is good for birds, and what, on the contrary, can harm them?
Feeding birds is a laudable occupation, but it is worth knowing that not all food is suitable for birds to eat! One food can provoke a disease of a gullible and hungry flyer, another can lead to the death of a bird, but the third one will definitely help a bird survive in a cold and hungry press and live until the long-awaited spring!

So, what can not be given to birds for food:

  • Crumbs from fresh white bread;
  • Crumbs from rye bread;
    Skins of bananas and all kinds of citrus fruits;
    Cream pies, cakes;
    Chips;
    Roasted and salted seeds;
    Oat flakes;
    Nuts.

What can and should be treated to birds:

  • Raw seeds;
  • Buckwheat, millet, oats, millet;
  • Crumbs and small pieces of stale white bread;
  • Dried and cut into pieces fruits (dried fruits);
  • Titmouse are very fond of small cubes of unsalted lard;
  • For red-sided bullfinches, put mountain ash, viburnum in the feeder.

A few more photos of the original feeders:

Thanks to your attention and care in the winter period, there will be a real chance for more birds to survive, which, in turn, will definitely thank you later with their songs and "sanitary and health" work in your garden!

Watch also the video: Do-it-yourself bunker bird feeder in 10 minutes.

(17 ratings, average: 4,18 out of 5)

Making a bird feeder with your own hands is a fascinating and useful thing, especially if the kids help you. After all, it is very difficult for our feathered friends to survive the winter cold. Sad statistics show that out of 10 birds, only 2 birds survive until spring sunny days. And by placing the original bird feeder with your own hands in a square, park or on your own personal plot, you will save more than one bird life from hunger.

How to make a bird feeder with your own hands?

arranging breeding ground for birds in your garden or summer cottage, you kill two birds with one stone: you save the birds from hunger in the winter and protect your crop from numerous pests in the summer. Our feathered brothers are effective fighters against midges and other harmful insects. Pichugi will delight you with cheerful chirping, flooding trills or funny games and fuss around food, and all this is exciting to watch.

Having shown a little imagination and made an original bird feeder with your own hands from improvised materials, you will decorate your garden with an unusual accessory! So what do you need to have on hand, how to make a bird feeder with your own hands? Of the materials, empty tin cans, corks from wine bottles, plastic canisters and bottles, trimmings of branches, unnecessary pieces of plywood, roofing felt and boards, unused dishes (cups and saucers, mugs, teapots, decorative glass bottles), metal or nylon mesh can fit. and other household junk. Rope, fishing line, various chains, ribbons and nylon ribbons, wire will fit for fastening and decoration.

Despite the variety of materials, all designs can be conditionally divided into four groups:

  1. Strong and durable feeders, similar to birdhouses, made of wood.
  2. "Disposable" feeders made of cardboard boxes do not require any costs, but will not last long.
  3. Easy to make, designs from plastic canisters, cans or bottles.
  4. Food suspended on strings.

What to use for feeding?

Experiencing a significant lack of nutrition in the cold months, pichugs will peck with great pleasure everything that you offer them. For feeding, use any ground cereals: buckwheat, rice, oats, millet and millet - everything will be eaten. Grind any nuts and grains, add a little honey to the seeds of pumpkin, melon, watermelon, quinoa, thistle, hemp, sunflower, quinoa.

In the bird feeder put small pieces of lard or chicken, boiled and finely chopped egg. Any dry berries and fruits, especially viburnum and rowan clusters, will not be left without attention.

When setting up a dining room for birds, one should not forget to regularly fill the feeder with a nutrient mixture, as the birds, getting used to feeding in one place, are ready to fly quite a long distance for food. And not finding food in the usual place, tired and hungry, they can die. Do not use rye bread, roasted nuts, cereals, grains and seeds, salty foods, citrus fruits, fresh rolls for bait. Such products will harm the birds.

When choosing a material for the manufacture of a feeder, you need consider a few things:

How to make a bird feeder accessible and safe?

It is necessary to arrange feeders in open, well-visible areas, that is, in places accessible to birds. In dense branches, heavily ventilated areas, or in places where cats can get to, you should not organize bird feeding areas. Bird feeders, fixed on a tree trunk or branch, or on the walls of outbuildings at a height of about one and a half meters, are easily accessible for birds, it is convenient to add food to them and they are inaccessible to domestic predators.

Most of us imagine a bird feeder as a small house or birdhouse. This form is an ideal solution for organizing bird catering.

Whatever material you choose, design must include:

Lightweight bird feeders made of plastic or cardboard are easy to make heavier by laying a piece of unnecessary linoleum or plywood on the bottom.

The most original bird feeders - grain

To make it, you need a mixture of raw grains, seeds, nuts and bread crumbs. We will make the basis of the feeder with our own hands from thick cardboard and nylon thread, using scissors and a thick needle. Adhesive base made from oatmeal mixed with egg and honey, or from gelatin. Mix 2 tablespoons of oatmeal (not cereal), 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of honey, leave for 30-40 minutes. At this time, we cut out the base for the feeder from cardboard in the form of hearts, stars, and any other geometric shapes.

To attach a delicacy treat to branches, use a thick needle to thread a thread, lace, braid or ribbon through a hole in a cardboard blank. We apply the swollen sticky mass to the base and roll it in the prepared grain mixture. We put it in the refrigerator for solidification and after a few hours the treat for birds is ready!

With a gelatin base, the manufacturing process is even easier. We mix the prepared nutrient mixture with a warm gelatin solution and pour into silicone baking molds. Having put a loop for fastening on branches, we send it to harden in the refrigerator.

The original solution for such feeding will be old crockery . We leave the food prepared in any way to solidify in mugs or a teapot that has become unusable. We tie the fastening thread to the handle of the product. We hang sweets on trees and watch the feast of birds.

Cardboard box feeder

How to make a do-it-yourself feeder from a box of sweets or parcels, milk or juice. Having put the edges of three candy boxes into each other in the form of a triangle, we glue or use adhesive tape, thread any cord or ribbon through the roof and fasten it to a tree. The feeder is ready. Designs from packages from any drinks will last a little longer, since they have a laminated layer inside and out, moisture-proof. An entrance is cut with a knife or scissors, a round or square hole in one of the sidewalls, a little higher than the bottom of the box. A rope is attached to the top for hanging on a tree. The feeder is ready in a few minutes.

Similarly, you can make a feeder with your own hands from plastic containers: bottles, canisters, cans.

It is easier to fix a plastic feeder with a wire. And to protect the birds from injury, glue the inlet with tape or tape. From plastic bottles, spending a little more time, you can make an elementary bunker feeder. To do this, two through holes are made in a one and a half or two-liter bottle: the first at a height of 10-15 cm from the bottom and the second in the center of the container, perpendicular to the first. Two wooden spoons are inserted into these holes. Holes on the wide side of the spoons expand to spill feed. It is convenient to pour food into the feeder through the neck of the bottle; under the weight of the grain mixture, the plastic feeder is not afraid of gusts of wind, the food remains dry and accessible to birds for a long time.

Having warmed from the inside, with yarn or sisal, one and a half or two-liter capacity, you will know how to make a birdhouse from a bottle.

A little more time and skill will be required to make a plywood bird feeder.

It can be with a gable or flat roof, open or with a bunker compartment. To make even the simplest feeder, like a birdhouse, you will need a drawing that can be found on the Internet or calculate the design yourself. Of the tools needed: hammer, jigsaw, nails, glue, sandpaper. In addition to plywood, you will need a bar.

Procedure

A plywood feeder is suspended by a rope threaded under the roof or a hook screwed into the roof. The service life of such a structure will be extended if it is varnish or oil paint.

Classic dining room made of wood

However, with a little imagination and ingenuity, you can create a real masterpiece!

Of the tools at least you will need: a hammer and nails, self-tapping screws and a screwdriver. Cuttings of boards can be combined with croaker or branches, preserving the bark of the tree, small twigs or straw will decorate the plywood roof of the feeder in an original way. The roof of a wooden feeder can be mounted both on four support posts and on two flat supports located opposite each other. In addition, a two-leg feeder can be duplex or bunker. And, having certain skills and appropriate equipment, the sides of the birdhouse dining room can be made in any shape.

The manufacture of a double-walled feeder does not require an exact drawing of a bird feeder and adherence to exact dimensions. But there is unlimited scope for creative thought.

The assembly of the structure takes place in the same sequence as the plywood feeder. The bottom is fastened with supports, then the sidewalls and the roof. Since a bird feeder made of wood is quite heavy and durable, it can be installed either on a support pole or hung by a wire or rope on tree branches.

For the convenience of small birds, titmouse and sparrows, thin perch branches can be attached parallel to the sidewalls. And having sawn round “windows” in the walls and threading a knitting needle or a metal pin through them, it becomes possible to diversify the feathered table with apples, pieces of pumpkin or lard.

The ideal solution for "remote" food outlets, especially near birdhouses, is dispenser installed inside a double-walled structure. One of the options for the bunker is with glass or plastic sidewalls. On the inner side of the walls, vertical grooves are sawn, not reaching the bottom about a centimeter, into which sidewalls made of glass or plastic are inserted. The food will spill out through the gap as it is eaten by the birds.

An easier-to-make feeder in which a plastic bottle serves as a hopper. Cut off at both ends, with the help of a wire, it is suspended in the center of the feeder a couple of centimeters above the bottom. For the convenience of filling the hopper with nutrient mixture, the cover of the feeder is removable.

Not being able to frequently replenish food in the feeder, a full bin will keep the bird treats well and allow the birds to stay full for a long time.

By placing a do-it-yourself birdhouse made from improvised materials next to the dining room, you will provide tits and other small birds and housing and food.

Whatever idea of ​​​​making a feeder with your own hands you would not choose, the birds will certainly be grateful to you! Having tried your hand at making a feeder, you can also make a birdhouse with your own hands from improvised materials.

Bird feeders















Although winter has not been severe in recent years, there is still not enough food for birds at this time of the year. Birds willingly flock to the proposed treat, and you can watch titmouses, bullfinches, sparrows nearby for hours.

Children are especially interested in it. I still remember my own childhood impressions: it was impossible to tear me away from the window. Dad then made a small, unpretentious wooden feeder made of slats and scraps of plywood, and sparrows always hovered around it, sometimes bullfinches flew in. And for titmouse we are a piece fresh fat hung up. I myself tried to build something similar last year, but my carpentry skills were not enough - it turned out to be something not very strong and slightly lopsided.

The easiest way, of course, is to use the well-known option - cut a feeder from a cardboard bag (from under milk or juice) or a plastic bottle:


A plastic bottle feeder is perhaps the easiest option.

1. Feeder without a roof - the simplest design

Making a roof for the "bird dining room", in my opinion, is the most difficult part of the job. So, if you, like me, are not sure about your building skills, you can try to start by offering treats to the feathered guests of the garden on simple wooden tray.


Wooden feeder without a roof - not very practical, but very simple

A piece of plywood, four thin blocks as sides (so that the grain does not blow away with the wind) and a rope for attaching to a branch - the feeder is ready! And a very simple option is to fix an ordinary plastic tray on some stable surface (they often pack sweets, cookies, vegetables in stores):


A plastic tray feeder is extremely easy to manufacture

Big minus such a feeder - it is not protected from snowfalls and winds. So this is more likely not a "dining room", but a small "buffet" for birds. It will fit as a temporary “food point” - in the event that you rarely visit the country house in winter, and there is still no one to regularly fill the feeder.

2. Wooden feeder with a flat roof

This option is more difficult, but not by much. With the task of attaching four columns to the base of the feeder - supports under the roof - even I successfully coped. Then it remains only to pin or fasten another piece of plywood with screws on top (it is better if it is slightly larger in size than the base of the feeder). Such an elementary roof will serve as a small, but still shelter from snow and rain.


It is not too difficult to make a flat roof, and this is already some kind of protection from precipitation.

Minus design: on a flat roof, snow lingers, the feeder can become too heavy and break off or break off the branch on which you fixed it. So it is better to put it on a strong pole or other reliable support, and periodically clean the snow from the roof.

3. Cones, berries, sunflowers...

I personally really liked this idea, although now it can be implemented only if there are suitable supplies in the house:



Cones with seeds many birds will appreciate

Since autumn, rowan beads have been hanging in our house - Alenka made them from ripe berries. I think the birds will also like this treat. Let's get ready for next season.

4. "Avoska" with provisions

Another simple and easy to implement idea. True, lately I have rarely come across such nets (we used to sell tangerines in them), but I think if you look, you will find them.


And then - quite easily (well, if you believe what I read in different sources). If someone tried to make such a feeder, please share your impressions: how simple and convenient it really is, and how birds treat such a treat.

So, the grain (or grain mixture) is thoroughly mixed with melted lard ( never salty!) or peanut butter. A ball is rolled from the mixture, placed in a net and hung. Everything! Fat hardens in the cold and holds food, which the birds then gradually peck out. I came across an option without the fat "filler":


Avoska with bird food

True, here the food is large, as it seems to me - not every bird can cope with such a treat. But maybe I'm wrong. Another way to "improve" the mesh feeder is the roof. Yes, yes, the most caring can protect both food and feathered guests from bad weather. Like this, for example:


An idea for the skilled and caring: a food net under a roof

And with the help of a net, you can organize a real dining room for the birds, almost a restaurant. With a large assortment of dishes - as in the next photo. This idea seemed worthy of attention to me too, and to you?


With the help of nets, you can organize a real bird "restaurant" with a large selection of dishes.

Mesh feeders they are also convenient because it is more difficult for large impudent birds like magpies and jackdaws to attach to them. For us, for example, this is really a problem: as soon as you pour cereals into the feeder, magpies immediately appear near it; they chase titmouse and sparrows, and it is more difficult for small birds to feed in winter. Therefore, I purposefully look for options that would be suitable specifically for these birds. Here is another find...

5. Coconut feeder

If a coconut is accidentally lying around on the farm, then, having used its contents for its intended purpose, the shell can be used as a feeder.


If a coconut is lying around on the farm, you can also make a feeder out of it

True, as far as I know, it is very hard, and it is not so easy to deal with it, but if this does not scare you, take a closer look at the idea. A natural, environmentally friendly feeder will delight the birds and decorate the garden. It is more convenient to fill it with the same mixture of fat and grain that was prepared for the mesh feeder. And it is not necessary to gouge holes in a whole nut - you can also use half a coconut shell.

6. Metal mesh feeders

Similar designs can often be found in stores, but for good master, I believe, it will not be difficult to make such a feeder with your own hands, especially since the material is quite affordable.


The size of the structure and the details of the structure are at your discretion. However, the feeder obviously should not be too large in diameter. But in its height, perhaps, it is worth making more - so that several birds can feed at once. Of course, you will need a roof (removable - to fill the grain inside) and a base - so that the feed does not spill out.

And here is another metal mesh feeder I liked - but this, perhaps, is already for virtuoso masters. But the idea is good!


Titmouse likes a ball feeder

However, if you take a closer look, perhaps such a “ball” can be built not only from metal wire. I think those who can

Wild animals and birds that live in nature cannot count on the fact that in winter someone will help them in the same way as their domesticated "brothers". However, many people understand this and try to provide all possible assistance during the winter cold.

Benefits for you and the birds

Caring people are well aware of how difficult this time is for our smaller brothers, since starting from late autumn, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many of them to find food. Of course, with all the desire, it is not so easy to help those of them who live in the forest or in a remote area. However, if you live in a city, town or village, then everything is in your power. Today we will talk about bird feeders. It is quite possible to make them, and we are talking about using improvised means, old packaging and containers, as well as other materials that, in any case, would most likely be thrown into a landfill.

By the way, having “trained” the birds in your feeder located on the site, in addition to the feeling that you are helping them, saving them from hunger in the difficult season, you get some kind of additional “bonuses”:

  • Birds will get used to your site and will begin to live on it and next to it more often. Thus, they will constantly delight you with their games, fuss and chirping, filling the surrounding space with vital energy.
  • Quite often it happens that in the summer the birds return a kind of debt to you, destroying the numerous insects and pests that live in almost every garden or vegetable garden.

Wood is a reliable material!

In today's article, we have provided photos of many options that will help with ideas on how to make a bird feeder with your own hands. As a rule, in order to implement the project of such a feeder, you do not need complex projects and drawings.

Attention! You can feed birds not only in winter, but also in summer, especially if you live in a country house or in a private house.

Before considering the basic ideas for making feeders, let's talk about some of the features of the choice of material, as well as about the places where you can hang or attach such a homemade structure.

Choice of material and installation location

Before choosing a place for a feeder, it will be very useful to learn the most common types of birds that live in our latitudes.

1. Nuthatch; 2. pika; 3. small spotted woodpecker; 4. crossbill; 5. jay; 6. nutcracker or walnut; 7. bullfinch; 8. waxwing; nine. common grosbeak; 10. goldfinch; 11. siskin; 12. common oatmeal; 13. greenfinch; fourteen. great tit; 15. titmouse; 16. crested tit; 17. Muscovite tit; 18. long-tailed tit; 19. titmouse.

Traditionally, it is considered that the bird feeder should be in the form of a kind of house, which would be somewhat similar to a birdhouse. And in fact, such a configuration is optimal in order to organize a place for feeding birds there. Consider the advantages of this form:

  • The roof allows you to create protection from rain and snow.
  • Such a construction, made of plywood or wood, is strong, durable and reliable.
  • She will not look alien, since we are talking about landscape design and external attractiveness of the entire site.

However, you should not be limited only to this form, as well as the fact that only wood can be used as a material. In fact, both the configuration and the material can be completely different.

The main thing is that the feeder meets the basic requirements:

  1. The material from which the feeder is made must be stable and not deform over time. In other words, a birdhouse made of cardboard or similar improvised means is not good. It simply will not withstand difficult weather conditions: rain, sleet, etc.
  2. At the same time, you can, in extreme cases, make a small feeder from a container of juice or dairy products (kefir, milk, etc.). Tetra pack and similar carton packaging to a much greater extent, compared with ordinary cardboard, it is adapted to the effects of moisture on it. However, such structures cannot be classified as durable. On the other hand, they are quite suitable as a temporary solution, which, under favorable circumstances, can serve you for a whole season. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that the feeder from the milk bag will fit only for small birds, since large ones simply will not fit in it.
  3. By the way, the following conclusion follows from the previous paragraph: the material must be durable and stable, since it must withstand not only the autumn-winter bad weather, but also the weight of the birds themselves, some of which are quite massive. In addition, keep in mind that wear and tear will also occur due to the constant impact of their claws, since they will usually sit down in a carved opening (“window”).
  4. By the way, since we are talking about a window, an entrance (this technological hole can be called, in fact, whatever you like), then you need to understand that its edges should not be sharp, because, otherwise, birds can injure their paws about them.

Location

In addition to the material, as well as manufacturing technology, you need to understand that the place where you install or hang the bird feeder is also an important point. So, if possible, it is necessary to avoid installation in places where birds will have difficulty accessing. We are talking about thick branches and other similar places.

In addition, pay attention to the fact that the feeder is located in a place that is hard to reach for cats, which, as you know, are excellent hunters, living in large numbers in villages, cottages, as well as in cottages and private housing estates.

Advice! Place the feeder in an open space, in places that are easily visible to birds.

Popular Ideas

Let's look at the main ideas of how best to make a bird feeder with your own hands, looking at "live" examples of how many people have implemented their projects. There can be many feeders, and the options for their manufacture are countless. However, they are all made for the same purpose. So, here are the main types of structures of this kind.

The dispenser is a very useful device for feeding birds. In addition, the bottle can be hung vertically "upside down"

Wooden house

To make such a design is quite realistic and independently. There is no need to have any specific skills or knowledge. As a rule, improvised or unnecessary boards, pieces of logs and many other wooden elements are used in such work. Taking boards or veneer as a basis, the main task is their strong connection.

By the way, wooden bird feeders can be used not only for feeding yard birds. Similar designs are also used in chicken coops, when feeding chickens and other poultry. However, this is, as they say, a completely different story.

Plywood feeder


Such a design can be made with your own hands right at home. To do this, you do not need any special tools or conditions. In this case, of course, you will have to find drawings of feeders. On the other hand, you can make a drawing with dimensions yourself, since there is nothing particularly difficult in its development. For more ideas, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the photos and examples of finished work.

Bunker feeder

This type of construction, so to speak, "migrated" from Agriculture. One of its main advantages is that it allows you to exclude the "discrimination" of some bird species by others. You yourself have probably noticed that often a flock of birds alone, for example, sparrows or tits, takes an advantageous position in the immediate vicinity of the food (seeds, bread crumbs, grains, cereals, loaves, etc.) or even in the feeder itself and tends to prevent other birds from reaching such a valuable resource.


Therefore, it becomes an important task to limit the area on which feathered friends can feed. Therefore, in such cases, homemade bunker feeders, also known as anti-sparrow feeders, can come in handy.

Plastic bottle feeders

A canister feeder is also a great option.

This type of design is extremely simple, so everyone, including children, can make it on their own. In order to make it, you only need to cut one or two holes in the bottle in order to pour bird food inside, and in fact, so that the birds have the opportunity to get inside. Of course, you need to be careful, because the holes should be, if possible, as even and symmetrical as possible.

Interesting! If you have time and desire, the feeder can be further decorated natural materials or put inscriptions.

Let's take a closer look at the features of the work in the presence of bottles of different sizes. The fact is that the most common source materials in such cases are:

So, if you use the first option, then you can choose between two types of designs. In the first case, it is about making holes in both sides of the bottle. They can have different shapes: round, rectangular or square.

In the second case, you can make a special visor that would cover the hole, protecting it from snow. In order to make it, you just need to cut a U-shaped hole, leaving one side (upper). After that, this section of the bottle is bent up, thus forming a kind of visor. By the way, this can also be done on both sides.

For more convenience for the birds, you can make two small holes under the main openings and insert a long stick into them, on which they can perch before getting inside. As for the lower edge of the main holes, for greater security, it is advisable to glue it with tape or tape in several layers. Also suitable and fabric adhesive tape. Thus, a do-it-yourself feeder is made from plastic containers of a relatively small volume.

Even easier, you can make a feeder from a 5-liter bottle. The fact is that the walls are often straight, which allows you to cut a more even hole. Plus, more seeds and crumbled loaf are placed in such a container, and it is more convenient for birds to fly inside. For crafting, you will need a knife or strong scissors.

If the plastic bottle is mounted horizontally, then holes can be cut in place of the bottom and neck. If you plan to fix it vertically, then you can cut 2, 3 or even 4 holes from different sides if you are working with a bottle that has a square or rectangular section. This, by the way, will allow several birds to fly in and feed at once. For round bottles, 2-3 holes can be cut. By the way, on the basis of a large bottle of 5 liters and above, you can also make a bunker feeder.

On a note! It is advisable to cut the holes at a height of at least 5 centimeters from the bottom, maybe a little more.

Attaching such a feeder is quite simple: you can tie it either by the neck or by the handle, which is an integral part of the lid, using twine or thin wire. This is if we talk about vertical options. With horizontal fixation, it is best to make 2 parallel small holes (they can be made with a knife or other sharp object), passing through them the wire or rope that is needed for fastening.

In any case, this option is very affordable, since almost everyone has at their disposal unnecessary 5-liter water bottles. Sample photos show various options for how this can be done.

Bird feeder from a milk or juice bag

5 minutes - and a new feeder from a juice bag - ready

Everyone has boxes of juice or milk. We usually throw them away. The manufacturing technology is extremely simple, and in some way resembles the previous one (with plastic bottles). So, if you want to make a bird feeder from a juice or milk bag, the sequence of your actions may be as follows:

  • We outline future holes using a pen, marker or felt-tip pen.
  • Carefully cut them out using scissors or a sharp knife.
  • We glue the underside of the opening with tape or adhesive tape.
  • We make small holes for the rope or wire at the top of the package.
  • We hang the resulting feeder from a tree branch, lilac or other places.

The easiest and fastest option from a milk bag

By the way, in some cases you can put a weight on the bottom or attach to it in the form of a brick fragment or something similar. This will minimize swaying in case of strong winds. This applies not only to paper boxes, but also to plastic bottles.

Remember! In some cases, you can attach the feeder to the wall.

Using a shoebox

By the way, a bird feeder from a shoe box is made in the same way. Of course, the fact that it is made of cardboard does not allow making such a feeder durable. On the other hand, some of the boxes are made of fairly durable and moisture-resistant cardboard. Moreover, you can additionally cover the cardboard with tape, which will further increase its protection from the effects of bad weather conditions. This will somewhat increase the life of the feeder, although, in any case, it will not be as durable as its counterparts made of wood, cardboard and even plastic.

The manufacturing technology itself is extremely simple and does not require any special instructions. You just need to make the necessary cuts on the sides of the box and also fix the lid. This can also be done with tape.

Other options

Of course, all these types of feeders are the most common and popular. However, it makes sense to talk about alternative options. The first of these is a feeder made from tableware.

By the way! You can also make a drinker out of dishes, which is also very important for birds.

Such original products are made from a cup and saucer. If you add a deep plate, you can make both a feeder and a drinker at the same time. Some craftsmen make feeders from old buckets, usually plastic ones. They turn out to be large, which somewhat limits the possibilities for their installation, which, of course, is a certain disadvantage. The advantage is the same: the size of such a product is quite large. This allows you to pour more feed. In addition, several birds can feed at the same time. We must not forget about the strength of such a design.

 

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