The presence of a feeding trough 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. What is the view of a Christmas decoration-bird feeder hanging at the entrance to the house.
Add goodies 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. Indeed, some - natural healers, destroy a variety of pests on the site, others - arrogant and unceremonious birds and sometimes suffer serious illnesses.
What can I make a feeder
A variety of materials can be used to design original do-it-yourself bird feeders . In the design useful:
- tree;
- plywood;
- plastic bottles;
- milk bags;
- unnecessary dishes;
- glass containers;
- Pumpkins
- coconut shell;
- old car headlights;
- much more.
Purchased or homemade option
A product purchased in a garden store is not creative. Buying is as easy as shelling pears, but it looks corny and is unlikely to surprise anyone. It is more interesting to use imagination and build from what it seemed a long time ago to throw in the trash, a new original bird feeder. 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 feeding trough
For your own manual manufacturing, you will have to arm yourself with a set of tools and stock up on material. For the design, they take a tree 1.5-2 cm thick or moisture-proof plywood. To cut the details, one board with a length of 2 meters and a width of 20 cm is enough.
Anticipating the need for cutting material and having a prepared drawing of the side walls, bottom and roof of the feeder, it is not difficult to cut out the component parts.
The presence of the scheme will help to comply with the proportions of the future original bird feeder made of wood.
The end parts can be made transparent or with windows, replacing wood panels with plexiglass. For this, a groove up to 4 mm deep is pre-cut with a milling machine. Intelligent craftsmen, in the absence of a cutter, use screws to fix the side panels of glass. If this option is expected, then the glass area increases to 16x26 cm.
The whole assembly is assembled using self-tapping screws or wooden dowels and PVA glue. The corners of the parts are sanded with sandpaper, and a round bar - a perch, is attached to the feeder.
The roof for the original bird feeder is collected in stages:
- The ridge and the right side of the roof are connected without affecting the left half, which tightly fastens to the side of the feeder.
- To connect the roof together, use furniture hinges.
Do not forget to cover the ready-made feeding trough with drying oil after assembly.
Having set the feeder in a permanent place, the lid is opened and the feed is poured inside. The presence of a gap between the glass and the bottom of the feeder contributes to the unhindered intake of feed as the birds eat the grains. The volume of the feeder is designed to refuel the tank 1 time for 2-3 weeks.
The presence of glass transparent surfaces gives the feeder sophistication, accuracy and lightness.
You can see in the photo what the original bird feeder made of wood looks like.
Techno style feeder
Connoisseurs of techno-chic will not miss the idea of designing a feeder from a car headlight. This idea is original and attracts the attention of not only winter birds, but also of curious neighbors.
Such a feeder not only looks interesting, but also differs in functionality: the feed is conveniently poured into the pallet, the upper part from corrugated plastic protects grains well from precipitation.
To make an original bird feeder handy:
- car headlight;
- S-shaped hook - 3 pcs.;
- stainless steel wire;
- rubber washers.
Getting to the assembly, the headlight is cleaned and polished. On the sides of the headlights make holes and thread the cable through the hinges. Strengthen the design with rubber washers. S-hooks are used to attach the cable to the cereal tray. All three strands of wire are tied at the top. For them, the feeder is suspended on a tree in a convenient place.
Cardboard sleeve for feeding
Would you have guessed that the toilet paper sleeve could be used as the basis for constructing a bird feeder? Original ideas help craftsmen, designers and creative enthusiasts to create something new.
To make a bird feeder, prepare:
- a sleeve for toilet paper - 3-4 pcs.;
- traditional peanut butter with a traditional taste (no additives);
- a small bowl or plastic plate;
- dry branches - 3-4 pcs.;
- kapron 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 depicts a design embodiment. Follow 4 simple steps following the guidelines.
1. The design of the support under the feeder.
Three or four branches interconnect crosswise. The structure is fixed with hot glue and tied with a rope. This step can be skipped if it implies a different mounting of the feeders on the tree.
2. Preparation of bushings.
Holes are made in cardboard substrates. The presence of holes will allow unhindered thread through branches of 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 mount for the feeding trough. Therefore, this paragraph is not mandatory and can be omitted.
3. Preparation of cereal mixture.
Peanut butter is spread in a small bowl and applied to the surface of the sleeve using a plastic or blunt knife. Sprinkle the fodder mix for birds on top. You can cook it yourself or buy a mixture for parrots at the pet store. This step is repeated until all bushings are covered with cereals.
4. The final stage of design.
Tie a dense thread to the frame under the feeder and hang it on a branch. Place cardboard bushings on branches, hang in the garden. The design can be decorated, giving it even more brightness and uniqueness.
Cardboard box for making a feeder
A milk bag or cardboard box is ideal for such purposes. 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 on both sides of the cardboard packaging. The box can be decorated with felt-tip pens or come up with a different decor to attract the attention of birds. Cutting a cardboard box, you can experiment: make one or more holes or cut the walls completely, leaving only the corners as supporting posts.
Pumpkin feeder
Pumpkin is not only a Halloween decoration. The culture can be used as the basis for the 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 feeding trough is hung on a tree branch. Inside the pumpkin, a plate is inserted, on which a mixture of treats and cereals for birds is poured.
The outer walls are painted, applying the original drawing. More than one feeding trough version can be made from pumpkin, but in any case, do not forget about the roof above the "house" for birds.
DIY edible hanging feeders
Creative natures will definitely appreciate the edible bird feeders in the photo. The original idea is hanging feeders made from cereals, nuts and dried fruits for birds. To prepare such a treat, stock up:
- fat;
- dried fruits;
- sunflower seeds;
- flaxseed;
- oat grains;
- ground nuts.
In addition, inventory is required:
- wire;
- rope;
- plastic cups or cookie cutters.
Stages of cooking an edible feeder
The process of preparing edible hanging feeders begins with the filling, which is filled in the mold:
- Lard is put in a saucepan and melt over low heat.
- While the fat is being drowned, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, oats are crushed and mixed.
- The mixture is added to the fat and thoroughly mixed with fat, soaking the food well.
Inside the prepared mold insert a wire with an attached rope. The lower end of the wire is bent in a loop. The molds are filled with cooked food, the fat is allowed to cool and sent to the final freeze. When the mixture hardens, plastic cups or molds are removed and mixed with attractive garden ornaments for birds. Edible feeders can be hung not only on twigs, but also in special small nets.
Polymer clay feeder
Handmade lovers will appreciate the polymer clay version of the bird feeder. To create a hanging clay bowl you will need:
- polymer clay;
- rope;
- thickened wire;
- a dish for baking in the oven or microwave;
- piece of fabric.
Getting to work, the clay is evenly rolled out on a flat, even surface, 5-6 mm thick. The rolled clay layer is transferred to a concave plate. Excess hanging parts of the future feeding trough are cut to form. In clay, 3-4 holes are made with a diameter of up to 1 cm in a circle of a 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 overexpose the material in the heat for too long and not to remove it prematurely.
After taking the baked feeding trough out of the oven, do not rush to remove it from the vessel. Let the clay cool. After final hardening, the clay plate is removed from the container and a rope is tied to it - the future fastening. The ropes are tied together, and the free ends are threaded into the holes made in the clay feeder.
A piece of cloth is placed inside the plate and the bird food is poured out. A photo of a bird feeder with an original mount on a tree branch is located below.
Feeding garland for birds
Hanging feeder - a chic decoration for the garden and joy. A DIY bird feeder is an original idea of turning fantasies into reality, a real opportunity to show creativity.
To make an original decoration for the garden, the favorite delicacies of birds are strung on fleecy hemp: crackers, bagels, nuts, dried fruits, unsalted lard. "Beads" are hung in the garden, tangling between branches. To give the garland a special look, several rows of threads with treats 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 designing a bird feeder from a bottle. You can use both plastic and glass containers. Having tried and turned on all the creative potential, you will get a creative bird feeder from improvised materials.
How to fill a bird feeder
Almost all birds adore small unroasted sunflower seeds. This is an important source of energy for small birds. For multi-component feed take:
- oat flakes;
- millet;
- corn grains;
- pumpkin, melon, watermelon, burdock, nettle, thistle seeds.
The only source of nutritious high-calorie nutrition for birds in the cold season is human nutrition. But it is necessary to pour not only cereals into the trough. It is advisable to supplement such rations 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 a tit is the only bird that can eat on the fly? Having noticed a bird in the garden, watch new friends treat themselves to bird "fast food" from the feeder.
Note that soft animal fats combine well with other foods, such as:
- oats;
- sunflower seeds;
- grains;
- nuts
- chicken eggs;
- bread crumbs ;
- crackers;
- honey.
You can supplement the food with eggshell - a natural source of calcium. This is an important macrocell that ensures the healthy development of the skeleton of birds, especially chicks.
Small birds can be fed leftovers of boiled potatoes and peel, eggs, canned pet food, crumbs from wheat bread. Note that brown bread soups in the bird’s goiter and is poorly digested by the bird’s food system. Remember that sparrows, tits, bullfinches and other inhabitants of the garden should not be fed fried, spicy, salty and sour foods. It doesn’t matter if you have made your own bird feeders from improvised materials or purchased products, never put food harmful to the health and life of the bird in them.
Now, knowing several options, you can decorate the garden or courtyard with your own hands made an original bird feeder, which will save birds during 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 deed, and delight the eye with beautiful atmospheric products, designed independently. So, made with the soul.