Despite the fact that severe winters come to us less and less and are more in our memories, the issue of food for birds remains relevant. After all, finding food at this time of year is especially difficult, and the birds do not disdain any treats. And if you build a convenient feeding trough for them, you can watch for hours how they fly around the food. You can involve your child in this work and both 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 the child does not have brothers, sisters or pets, caring for his neighbor will be especially useful for him, and the result will bring a lot of pleasure.
Now let's figure out what are homemade feeding troughs and how to make them.
Cardboard or plastic bottle feeder
You can make the simplest bird feeder with your own hands from cardboard bags from juices or dairy products. It is easy to make a similar feeding trough from a plastic bottle, cans from mayonnaise or a bucket from ice cream. 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 delicacy is placed inside that will not fall out or crumble, and birds will freely reach it through the openings. In this case, the food will be under cover.
Similarly, shoe boxes or packaging from electrical goods are still used, if there is a need for a large feeder. The dense laminated material is selected, which allows to slightly extend the service 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.
Typically, such feeders are hung on trees, but there are options for attaching them to windows on suction cups. It’s enough for the suction cup to have a hook. Due to the use of unnecessary raw materials and ease of execution, such a feeder is very popular. But it is worth paying attention to other types of structures.
Can feeder
Such a feeder can be built from a tin, glass, plastic or any other unnecessary can. Around it is wrapped a tape or other wide material so that the can can keep its balance. Filled with food, it is suspended in a horizontal position. For the convenience of landing birds, you can take care of attaching a stick or twig to the bottom of a suspended jar. In the absence of a wide material, two ropes are used that tightly tie a 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. Everyone can also do it with their own hands.
Roofless feeder
In fact, the feeder consists of a base with sides, which is attached to the surface with nails or held on ropes. The base is often a plastic tray widely 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 in it will not stay long. Therefore, it’s unlikely that you can train birds to such a feeding place. But if something is done at no cost, 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 for manufacturing.
Mesh feeder
Consider an unusual bird feeder, with your own hands to make which is not difficult. Its principle is very simple: small bags are formed from the fine mesh into which the feed is poured (only not very small). You can use the grain, but it will have to be mixed with melted lard and rolled into balls. After hardening, the balls are laid out in bags, from which birds peck out the grain with pleasure. Bags are mounted on a suspended wire. Different bags can have different treats, designed for everyone. If there is a desire, 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 their 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 inaccessibility of large birds, which often have time to be the first to get enough of the food, is one of the features of such a feeder. But it’s especially difficult for little birds to find food for themselves in the winter.
Now let's move on to how to make a bird feeder with a roof with our own hands.
Classic roof feeder
Many of the existing types of feeders are upgraded with a roof. But their main part is short-lived and is done in haste. Now we will discuss how to make a bird feeder with our own hands, which has a roof and a solid structure. To begin with, 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. To do this, multilayer plywood with a size of approximately 35 X 35 cm is required. Bars of 20 X 20 mm and a height of up to 15 cm are attached to it at the corners. On top of the bars are connected by slats, forming a frame. Next, the base of the gable roof is made, and it 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 nail it to the wall of the house, on the roof of a shed or horse. 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 feast on treats. The main thing is to provide good visibility for birds.
The feeder must be painted with oil paint and putty well on the ends of the plywood, which will significantly affect its service life. It is better to paint with bright colors. They attract any 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 structures, looks great and successfully fits 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 trimming the garden, small logs or just the remnants of wooden planks. In a skillful combination, all of them are able to decorate a summer cottage or vacation spot. Therefore, wooden feeders can be safely considered as an author's creation, which brings benefits and comfort.
Basket feeder
This is the easiest way to make a feeder, since ready-made parts are available. All you need is an oblong basket with a lid and ribbons. The lid hangs on a tree branch, 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 endless.
Baking trough
At the heart of this feeder are grains and other food of birds. To prepare it, you need to purchase gelatin, mix it with water, boil and mix. The main thing is that the gelatin is absolutely mixed. After it cools, food is added to it until a homogeneous porridge is obtained. This cocktail is poured into baking dishes and then hung on 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. As them can be dried fruits and mushrooms, mountain ash, bread and nuts. Unsalted fat is also in great demand. These treats are hung separately or next to a wooden feeder, making a real feast for the birds.
Pumpkin feeder
Pumpkin will also be a good product for making feeders. Unlike other materials, working with it is much easier. 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, as you need to pass through two strong wooden twigs. One of them should be above the other and preferably crosswise. Also, twigs can be a place for attaching a thread or rope, for which a feeder is suspended.
Other 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 peel half the citrus, tie along the edges of the rope, stuff with food and hang. Of course, such a feeder will not last long, but replacing it will be simple.
If there is a desire for a long time to equip the dining room with birds, then you can use a durable coconut shell, if any. To make 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 may be the manufacture of a feeding trough from the Lego designer or by a similar principle. From small parts you can always choose the desired size of the structure, its color and, as a result, make a beautiful bird feeder with your own hands. The advantage will also be the convenience of cleaning such a product. But you need to ensure that all parts are securely fastened, otherwise food will clog between them and the structure will disintegrate. The disadvantages include the possibility of using such a feeder only in a private area.
As you can see from this article, there are a lot of ideas and fantasies on how to make a bird feeder from improvised materials with your own hands and have fun watching birds. Only need to keep such a dining room clean.