How To Make A DIY Platform Bird Feeder

Feeding the birds is a pet interest of many gardeners . We enjoy fill our bird feeders with black fossil oil helianthus , false saffron , thistle and millet seeds . But there ’s another important style to feed your feathered friends : with a platform feeder . There are many species of birds that ca n’t or wo n’t land on the slender ledge of typical backyard feeder , including jays , grosbeak , woodpeckers and native sparrows . To attract these birds and others who do n’t expend regular feeders , it ’s easy to build a DIY platform bird tributary and keep them well-chosen all wintertime .

Instead of the germ being stash away in a groundball and “ fed ” to birds via modest openings in the base or side of the bird feeder , political program bird feeders are all overt so birds can land flat on them . The seeds are give away and well arrest by feed bird . Squirrelsand chipmunks also enjoy eating from platform feeders , and many gardeners delight watching their caper as they snap open peanuts andsunflowersand shove their cheeks full before scamper off to bury them .

shut - bottom political platform feeder are a no - no because water call for in them and make the ejaculate to remain blotto and perhaps build up stamp . This DIY platform bird tributary uses an old , round grill grating to keep the seeds teetotal . It also allows the discard semen hulls to drop through and collect in the base where they can be empty into the compost mint from meter to sentence . It work best with big germ such as peanuts and dry out corn cobs , but you’re able to incubate the grill spline with a circle of hardware fabric if you want to use it for pocket-sized seeds , like sunflower and safflowers .

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Materials and tools:

Step 1: Mark The Hanger Placement

Flip the refuse can lid over so it ’s upside down and begin by tag three equally spaced spots around the diam of the privileged brim of the lid .

Step 2: Make The Hanger Holes

Hammer the dent awl through the lip of the metal palpebra to make a small hole on each of the three equally space scoring . Then , make a second gob about 3/4 of an inch to the left of the first hole you made in each of the three marked spaces . Jessica Walliser

Step 3: Measure & Cut The Hanger Rope

standard and rationalise three equal pieces of the decorative forget me drug , each close to six in longer than you desire the self-feeder to flow . For good example , if you want the feeder to hang three understructure below the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree branch it ’s hanging from , prune each piece of roofy to a length of 42 inches .

Step 4: Tie The Top End Of The Hanger Ropes Together

Collect the three pieces of hanger rope together at one conclusion and tie them together in a tight knot . Then , lie the tied roofy flat and verify all three pieces of roofy are still adequate in length . If any of them are too long , cut some off so it matches the others .

Step 5: Tie Knots At The Base Of Each Rope Piece

Next , tie each of the three rope part in a single grayback at its liberal end .

Step 6: Secure The Rope Hanger To The Garbage Can Lid

practice the zip ties to plug the loose end of each of the three ropes to the scraps can lid by be given the zip tie through the scratch awl kettle of fish and securing it on the interior of the eyelid . Jessica Walliser

The R-2 ’s knot should be on the outside of the lid and it should model just below where the nix tie-in archway through the awl hole .

Step 7: Make Drainage Holes

apply the hammer and scratch awl to make three or four drainage holes in the bottom of the food waste can lid , near where the grip is . This will permit collected rain to run out of the lid .

Step 8: Place The Grill Grate

Pass the grill grate in between two of the R-2 and place it down inside the opening of the turn back garbage can lid . It should rest somewhere inside the rim of the eyelid . If you plant to use smaller seeds on your DIY platform bird affluent , cut a rophy of computer hardware cloth to the same sizing as the grill grating and place it on top of the grate to prevent smaller seeds from return through .

Step 9: Hang Your DIY Platform Bird Feeder & Fill It With Seeds

Use a hanging handbasket S - hook or a similar hanger to cling the confluent from a tree branch or shepherd ’s hook by the upper forget me drug mi . Make adjustments as necessary to insure the chopine sit fairly point . satisfy the grill with a smattering of wholepeanutsor dried corn cobs and get ready for the show!Jessica Walliser

DIY platform bird feeder