Feeder for birds from slats. The original feeder from improvised means with a photo. From a plastic bottle

Sadly, but on average, out of 10 birds, only two manage to survive the winter and meet spring with their cheerful singing. The rest die from hunger and cold, as the lack of food reduces the ability of birds to fight frost. However, it is important to feed the birds not only in winter, but also at any other time of the year, especially if you do this in your garden or summer cottage. The fact is that our feathered brothers effectively fight midges and insects, thereby protecting the crop from pests. In addition, a do-it-yourself bird feeder will allow you to show your imagination and decorate the site with an exclusive accessory. What a fun way to do it with kids!

Choosing the material and a suitable place for the feeder

For many, a bird feeder is associated with a wooden birdhouse resembling a miniature house. This form is ideal for organizing a feeding place for birds:

• firstly, the birdhouse has a roof that protects food from rain and wind;
• secondly, a wooden feeder is usually durable and reliable;
• thirdly, a birdhouse made of wood harmoniously fits into any landscape.

However, you should not limit your imagination, because a bird feeder can be implemented in almost any form, the main thing is that it meets the following criteria:

• reliability and durability. When choosing material and fasteners for the feeder, keep in mind that they must support the weight of feathered guests;
• material durability. In order for the feeder to please the birds and you for a long time, make it from materials that do not deform from precipitation. Of course, a small birdhouse can be made from cardboard or food packages, but keep in mind that such a feeder will last until the first rain or snowfall, then it will have to be replaced;
• safety. When making bird houses, you will have to cut out the entrance, windows and other holes in them. So that guests who arrive at the meal do not get hurt on the edges of the product, treat them with protective materials - electrical tape, polymer clay, resin, etc.

In addition, it is very important that feeders and birdhouses are located in places convenient for birds. You do not need to place them in the thick of branches, in a strongly blown area, as well as in places where cats can get. To attract the attention of birds, hang a birdhouse in an open and well-viewed area.

Examples of beautiful do-it-yourself birdhouses

And now the most interesting thing is a selection of beautiful bird feeders that are not so difficult to make with your own hands.

wooden house

To build a birdhouse out of wood, it is not necessary to have the skill of a carpenter. You can make a wooden bird house from planks, beams, small logs or even wine corks, the main thing is to securely fasten all the elements and install them on a solid foundation. To make it convenient for the birds to eat, take care of a wide entrance.

Alternatively, a wooden feeder can be made from an old one. To do this, you need to cut and clean its core, as well as come up with a solid suspension. Such feeders are often used for poultry, for example, in chicken coops.

bottle feeder

Even a child can make a bird feeder from a plastic bottle. To create it, you just need to cut a wide entrance in the container, process its edges and choose the right pendant. However, so that the plastic feeder not only serves as a dining room for birds, but also decorates your garden, complement it with bright drawings, inscriptions and decorations.

You can glue the bottle with a rope, wrapping it very tightly, and decorate it with natural materials - tree bark, dry leaves, mountain ash, etc.

From an ordinary plastic bottle, you can also make a feeder with automatic feed supply. To do this, it is necessary to cut paired holes on both sides of the container and insert wide wooden spoons into them. If the bottle is filled to the top with food, the grains will be poured into a spoon in small portions. Yes, and the bird is conveniently located on it.

A similar feeder can also be made using a product in the form of a hollow tunnel instead of spoons. You can also use food containers instead of a bottle.

Feeder from old dishes

A dish feeder is unlikely to teach your feathered guests to table etiquette, but it will certainly become an original decoration of the garden. Glue the cup to the saucer with super glue, pick up a reliable suspension (chain, rope, wire) and install the resulting feeder, for example, on a tree branch.

If you want to make a design that will be both a bird feeder and drinker at the same time, make a hanging product using a cup, saucer and deep plate, fastening them with strong decorative chains.

Such feeders look very nice in which the cup is turned upside down. In this case, it also needs to be glued.

A ceramic teapot can also be used as a feeder, the hole of which will become an entrance for birds. The teapot must be turned to the position on its side, make a hole for the rope or wire on the side wall, as well as on the lid, and hang the structure as shown in the photo.

Right on your site, you can make such an original feeder, in which saucers with cups are attached to the legs from the old table, and the legs themselves are in a bucket of sand. It would seem simple, but at the same time original and not like everyone else.

And here is another interesting idea for a bird feeder, which can be made from a saucer by attaching a roof to it. And there can be a lot of such ideas using old dishes.

Feeder from a saucer with a roof photo

A very beautiful feeder will turn out from an old wine bottle turned upside down. All you have to do is find the right holder for it. But such a feeder is only suitable for small feed, but if the grains are larger, it is better to use a glass bottle with a wide neck, for example, from dairy products or juices.

Pumpkin feeders

From a round pumpkin, you can make not only vases, as we said earlier in autumn decor and Halloween decorations, but also bird feeders. It is enough to cut a through hole in a pumpkin, clean it of seeds and hang it by a rope to a branch.

Mesh feeders

A simple and original bird feeder can be made from a mesh that is used in supermarkets to pack fruits and vegetables. To do this, you just need to fill the net with food, firmly tie it into a knot and hang it in any suitable place. From such a feeder, birds will freely get grains, crumbs, porridge, while even the strongest wind will not be able to scatter them. If you are decorating the site for the holiday, the food net can become an element or any other accessory. In fact, these are disposable feeders, and when they run out of food, you just need to make new knots. By the way, such knots are more often filled with ready-made porridge for birds than with dry food.

Exactly according to the same principle, you can make a feeder from a metal mesh. It is best to use a flexible material, since in this case it will not be difficult to give it any shape.

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 the titmouse we hung a piece of fresh fat. 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 various 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. All! 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 a good craftsman, I think 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 know how to weave can easily make such a feeder.

7. Wooden feeders from improvised materials

No doubt, wooden feeders are still out of competition. This material fits better than others into our landscape, and imagination and skillful hands turn even a “typical” design of a feeder-house into an exclusive creation. What can I say - see for yourself!

Skillful hands will make an exclusive thing even from a standard design

And here is another structure made of scraps of birch branches - deliberately rough work emphasizes the originality of natural material, and the whole structure, in my opinion, is inspired by some fairy tales))

Deliberately rough work emphasizes the originality of natural material

The next "feeder on chicken legs" is exactly from a fairy tale:

Original feeder "on chicken legs"

And here the snags are ennobled, but their bizarre forms only benefit from such processing. I don’t know how convenient such a feeder is for birds, but it will surely decorate the site with its unusualness:

Such a feeder can become a decoration of the site

And how do you meet your feathered guests? What are the feeders made of? Maybe you have already implemented some of the proposed ideas - share your experience: how did you do it, what came out of it :))

Each of us has seen at least one bird feeder in our life, basically in our subconsciousness an ordinary small house of a plain appearance with some kind of food pops up.

Now let's think about what else you can make a cozy bird house with your own hands? In fact, there are a huge number of options for choosing a material. These can be pieces of plywood or cut out plastic bottles, or juice containers are also used as an option. You can only be limited by your imagination.

A good bird feeder can feed our little birds, but will also blend in perfectly with your home. The main thing is to add food over time, as the number of flying guests will gradually increase, and with the advent of warm weather, the birds will delight your eye with their presence.

Your only problem will be the process of assembling the feeder, but the result of the work done will pleasantly surprise you.

So, let's take a closer look at how to make an ordinary bird feeder on your own. It is quite possible to make this type of feeder from 17 mm wood - this thickness should be enough. Of course, it is possible to replace the material with moisture-resistant plywood, well, this is already up to your taste.

All that is needed for manufacturing can be taken from a board 25 cm wide and 220 cm long. Make the side walls using the drawings - they indicate the required dimensions.

To install the glass, you can use a milling machine, cutting out several grooves of about 3-4 mm, or use screws to fix the side walls to the ends of the side panels. However, if you resort to the second option, the dimensions of the glass will need to be increased to approximately 16x26 cm.

You can also leave out the plexiglass, but then you will need to add food to the “insatiable birds” constantly. Fasten the components with screws or glue. Be sure to sand the edges of the parts so as not to injure the birds.

The round plank will be used as a perch. For its installation, it is necessary to drill small holes in the edges of the sides - just 10 mm is enough. The right side of the roof and the ridge are connected separately from the other half of the roof, which must be fastened very firmly to the side walls.

Connecting both sides of the cover, take ordinary furniture hinges. After assembly, be sure to paint the feeder and treat with drying oil for wood. When everything is done, open the lid and pour in the required amount of food.

Due to the presence of a gap between the plexiglass and the bottom, the food will spill out gradually. Also transparent will make it possible to monitor the availability of food, which will be very convenient.

We make a feeder from cardboard boxes

We can make such a feeder from under a box of juice, milk and any other cardboard packaging of sufficient size. If it doesn’t occur to you what your product will look like or if there are difficulties, just enter a request for a photo of a bird feeder on the Internet, there is plenty of material, so you will find a sample for yourself.

So, let's move on to practice. Take a clerical knife and on the front side cut out the necessary hole in your opinion, but enough so that the bird can easily climb inside.

On the underside of the future feeder, make a hole for a perch by attaching thicker cardboard or a perch there. To taste, it can decorate it in any color or in some other way make it attractive to birds.

How to make a simple plastic bottle feeder

Take a bottle and cut two exits from different sides, the shape can be any, but do not cut out the square completely, as you can make a rain cap out of it by simply bending it outward upwards. In places where the plastic was cut, you need to glue the adhesive tape so that the bird does not suffer from sharp ends.

We make two more holes a little lower and insert a stick there, so the birds can sit there and enjoy the food. The last thing you have to do is hang the feeder on the tree with a string.

If you cut the bottle in a vertical position, then you can hang it by the neck, if horizontally, make two more holes on top and insert the rope. That's all.

Good do-it-yourself bird feeder made of pumpkin

The procedure for making a pumpkin feeder is nothing complicated. It is enough to have only a desire and, of course, the pumpkin itself! First of all, take a knife and cut a round hole in the middle of the pumpkin, and another one symmetrically in the back.

Then you will have to get all the contents, you will decide for yourself how to deal with it. In order to have as much light as possible in the feeder, and just to decorate it, you can make additional windows. Cut a small hole and insert toothpicks crosswise.

At the bottom of the pumpkin, you need to make a perch - for this, you just make two holes just below the entrance and insert a stick there, it will serve as a perch. If you are not too lazy, you can decorate the feeder with any decorations to attract the attention of birds. You can hang such a dining room by the tail of a pumpkin, and you can also use a regular rope.

In conclusion, it is worth highlighting that making a feeder is very simple, and most importantly interesting. The rubbish that we want to throw away very often can be reused in this way, one feeder in winter can save dozens of bird lives, and besides, such a decoration will be an excellent decoration for your backyard farm.

Photo of bird feeders

Bird feeders can be seen in courtyards and parks. If you want to design something special, extraordinary, then we will tell you how to make a bird feeder yourself.

An easy way to feed birds

The feeder can be made from improvised means, for example, take a piece of board, plywood or any flat and durable material at hand and place it higher from the ground. This will keep food available to the birds.

This is a temporary measure, as precipitation may fall or the food will simply be blown away by the wind. But such a feeder can save birds from starvation.

We use plastic bottles

From a plastic bottle, you can build both a very simple and a multifunctional dining room for birds. Consider in more detail some of the ideas of feeders, and their implementation.

Hastily

If you cut a hole on the side of the bottle, then we can say that we have done half the job. Near the neck, you need to make 2 holes with an awl, insert the wire and fix the feeder on a branch of a tree or shrub. If you pour food on the bottom, after a while you can see how birds flock there.

So that moisture does not spoil the food when precipitation gets inside the bottle, drainage holes must be made in the lower part of the container.

We complicate the design

From a plastic bottle, you can make a feeder with a "dispense window". Having picked up a container that is suitable in size, cut a small hole on one side, and pierce the bottle with scissors on the opposite side. Insert a wooden spoon with the handle forward so that it fits snugly into the pierced hole. The spoon should be positioned so that the grains roll into it as the birds peck at the food. The number of spoons involved can be different, but most often there are two.

To hang the bottle, you can pierce the cork with an awl (or nail), thread a nylon thread into it, and tie a knot inside the cork.

How to decorate a gray, unsightly bottle? If desired, you can make the feeder a decoration of any garden.

Feeder on glass

You can make a simple design from a plastic bottle, which will be attached directly to the glass using suction cups. The device of such a feeder is very simple, and for its manufacture you will need only 1 container and 2 suction cups.

A small square or rectangular hole is made with a construction knife. With a soldering iron or a hot gas nail on one side of the bottle, you need to make 2 holes, into which the sucker heads will fit tightly. In our case, the suction cups were with hooks, so we first removed them, and then fixed them with them, inserting them into their places, but already inside the bottle.

The positive aspects include the fact that the birds can be observed, almost close to them approaching. A significant disadvantage is that the birds defecate near the feeder, so the glass and tide will have an unsightly appearance.

Video: making a plastic bottle feeder

Use of glass

Glassware can be used to distribute food to birds. The container must be securely fastened down with the neck at a short distance from any platform. Pour food into this container and set it in place (holding the hole with your finger so that the grains do not spill out). As feed is used up, what is in the bottle will flow to the site.

Video: glass feeder

Other improvised materials

It will not be difficult to come up with a lot of ways in which you can feed the birds.

Tits love not only grains. You can feed such gourmets by hanging a piece of unsalted bacon wrapped in rope or wire on a branch.

If you buy products packaged in nets in supermarkets, then this container can also be used by pouring nuts into it.

From small loose feed, you can mold a ball (adding flour and water) and also hang it in a net. In frosty weather, the food can be mixed with vegetable oil. Milk or sour cream is not suitable for these purposes, since the bird's body does not accept such food.

In order to protect the food from precipitation, you can build a plywood roof.

Pumpkin

A pumpkin feeder can be called waste-free production, as the birds first eat the food, and then the edible "dining room" itself. It is enough to cut holes in the pumpkin and pull out the core.

You can cut the pumpkin in half, thread a rope with a knot tied at the bottom through both halves. To fix it in a disconnected state, you need to install spacers from twigs between the halves. In extreme cases, you can use pencils as coasters. The upper edge of the rope threaded through the pumpkin is tied to a branch, and the feeder is ready to receive feathered guests.

Video: pumpkin feeder

Couch spring

Such things and objects can be used that usually have nowhere else to apply.

If you still have a spring from an old sofa, then you can also use it by holding pieces of bread between the turns. This feeder can be hung both vertically and horizontally.

car air filter

A wire mesh feeder can be seen on the counter of a store, but a similar design can be built from a used paper car air filter.

For manufacturing, you need to cut off the upper part of the filter, and remove the paper filling (it can be done together with the inner or outer mesh, if you do not plan to put food between them). Outside the filter, a wire is tied to the top of the net, which will serve as a loop for hanging the feeder on a tree. Suitable food is poured inside, and the cut off top of the filter can be used as a cover.

To reduce feed loss, a plastic bucket lid can be glued to the bottom of the feeder with hot glue. From the same cover you can make a canopy.

teapot for brewing

If you have an old kettle and it’s a pity to throw it away, but it’s no longer possible to use it for its intended purpose, then you can make a feeder out of it. How to hang it? Drilling a hole in a faience product is a very thankless task, so you can use hot melt adhesive. If there is a hole in the lid, then you need to insert the ends of the rope into it and make a knot inside. For safety, it is better to tie a small washer. Now the lid can be glued to the teapot, the neck of which will now serve as an entrance for the birds.

Looking into the barn or pantry, you can find things that are "hard to carry, but it's a pity to leave." An old metal bread box belongs to the category of those. Great imagination is not required for its placement - he tied a rope and hung it on a branch.

Similarly, you can use an unnecessary plastic container.

Use of various boxes

It will also be easy to make a feeder from a juice or wine box.

One or two windows are cut out in the box so that there is a small bowl for food at the bottom.

When cutting out the window, care can be taken to protect the food from precipitation. For this, a small visor is left, but so that it does not fall and close the entrance, it can be fixed with a nylon thread in the open position.

To make a large cardboard feeder, you need a large box. With a construction knife or scissors, a window of the desired size is cut out in it. If the box is very large, then you can cut out a smaller product from it and wrap it with tape. It is important to realize that such a feeder will last only until the first rain.

Tin box

Often, manufacturers sell products in tin boxes, which can also be used to make a feeder.

In addition to the bank itself, we need:

• metal or plastic chain - 2 m (4 pieces of 0.5 m each);
• detachable ring (used for keys);
• small cotter pin - 8 pcs. (you can do with knitting wire);
• awl;
• alcohol marker;
• wire cutters or scissors for metal;
• ruler;
• pliers.

Now let's start manufacturing.

• As accurately as possible, you need to mark 4 points on the jar and transfer the same marks to the lid.
• According to the marks with an awl, you need to make holes so that a cotter pin passes through them.

• With wire cutters, cut the chain into four pieces of 50 cm.
• Having passed the cotter pin through the last link of the chain, we insert it into the hole and from the inside of the can with pliers we push its ends apart.

• Having measured 15 cm of the chain (starting from the can), we will pass the remaining 4 cotter pins into it and fix the lid with them.
• Now we will pass a detachable ring into the ears of the free ends of the chain.

After hanging the feeder on a branch, look in which direction the box slopes, and pierce it with an awl in the bottom (from the inside) - this will be a drainage hole.

branches

From large branches, you can assemble the original feeder. To complete the work, you will need an ax, a hammer, nails and a little imagination.

Plywood

Plywood products are strong enough, but are afraid of moisture.

A simple version of the feeder consists of just a pallet with sides, two pieces of plywood serving as a roof, and a rope connecting all the parts. To fix the bottom and roof in the desired position, knots are tied on the rope.

If there is a desire and a jigsaw, then you can design a more complex feeder using one of the presented drawings.

Log

When harvesting firewood, logs with a rotten core are found. This piece of the trunk will serve as a base for us. You need to extract the core. Windows are drilled in the hollow trunk or its longitudinal part is cut out. The ends are closed with selected "plaques" sawn off from other trunks. A tree trunk feeder can be found in both horizontal and vertical versions.

For manufacturing you will need:

• self-tapping screws;
• small nails;
• slats.

For the manufacture of the roof and bottom, you can use plastic or HDF (which you can find, since this material is sold only in large sheets).

In the manufacture of any design, it is convenient and practical to use drawings that indicate the dimensions of the parts. We will also use the drawing in order to cut all the blanks to size.

They can be lightly sanded with sandpaper.

First, we will assemble the narrower part of the future feeder, hammering 3 nails on each side.

Then the whole frame is assembled in a similar way. If the nails are short, then you can use 5 pcs.

We will install the frame on the prepared bottom and outline it with a pencil from the outside - so we get the markup along which this part will need to be cut out and then nailed.

In order to fix the upper rails, we use 4 self-tapping screws - 1 pc each. for each attachment point.

From the remaining rails we will make the upper part of the feeder, fastening the parts with self-tapping screws. The final step will be marking, sawing and fixing the roof. The joint of two sheets of roof sheathing can be hidden by nailing a corner rail on top.

There are some points to consider when making and determining the installation location of the feeder:

1. Do not underestimate cats, because they can get to the feeder, and then the birds will fly away or become the prey of a domestic predator.
2. The feeder needs to be made with a large roof, then a lot of precipitation will not get into it.
3. The entrance to the feeder should not be small, as fear may be stronger than hunger, and the birds may not take advantage of your hospitality.
4. The design is best made from moisture-resistant material, then it will last a long time. Other materials must be treated with water-repellent compounds.
5. If the feeder is too light or has a large windage, then it can be turned upside down by a gust of wind. Even a short turn will cause all the feed to be on the ground. Lightweight construction needs to be weighted down.

Photos of original feeders

Video: original ideas brought to life

Drawings and sketches

Birds living in the wild need protection and care. It is especially difficult for them during the winter: when it is cold outside, it is so hard to find shelter and food.

That is why caring people try to feed our younger "brothers" as much as possible. One of the ways that will not only help the birds, but also decorate your garden, is a feeder made from improvised materials.

In this article, we have collected some of the most affordable options - focusing on descriptions and photographs, using already unnecessary items (plastic bottles or old dishes), you can easily equip a place where flocks of birds will gather.

Material selection

After evaluating the resources you have to create a feeder, you can choose an idea to your liking. However, it is worth remembering that not only its appearance depends on the configuration, but also practical characteristics such as stability.

That is why a good feeder must meet the following requirements:

Wear resistance and durability. Preference should be given to wood or plastic that can withstand weather conditions without getting wet from rain and snow, without collapsing under gusts of wind.

In addition, the birds themselves are often the cause of damage to the feeder - in search of crumbs, their beaks and claws scratch and tear fragile materials.

Proper size. Remember that if you cut a small feeder, for example, from a tetrapak, then large birds will not be able to eat from it, and small ones will start fights for a place and shake out food on the ground.

No sharp edges, "pulling out" carnations, etc. Birds are very delicate creatures, their feather protection and skin on their legs cannot prevent cuts from sharp objects, so make sure that your feeder is not dangerous for them, especially if it is made of glass, plastic or knocked together from planks!

Location and installation

Choosing the right place is extremely important!

Having chosen the most suitable position in terms of landscape design, evaluate:

Accessibility for birds. Perhaps the feeder will be closed from them by thick branches, or, conversely, too open, and then, with a strong wind, the birds simply will not be able to get close to it.

Difficulty for cats. These animals are excellent hunters, especially those who live in villages and holiday villages. They are stronger, faster and more agile than their domestic counterparts, and therefore, sneaking up to the feeder, they can cause great damage to the bird community.

Ideas for creating a do-it-yourself feeder

There are a huge number of different types of feeders - it all depends on your imagination and the materials available.

We will try to consider both the simplest and the most original ideas.

House made of wood or plywood

Despite the seeming complexity, such a design can well be assembled with unnecessary boards, pieces of wood, glazing bead, plywood and, of course, special glue or nails.

Note!

The basis should be a heavy flat plank. For the manufacture of walls and roofs, you may need a drawing, however, it is quite possible to get by with an eye.

A wooden feeder, depending on how much attention you pay to it, can become not only a place for feeding birds, but also an elegant decoration of your garden.

Plastic bottle feeder

This type of feeder is very easy to make and is great if you decide to involve children in the process of creating. You need to cut one or two holes in the bottle in such a way that it is possible not only to pour the food, but also access to it is not difficult.

Of course, you should try to make the cut edges come out neat and not too sharp (in addition, it is advisable to glue them with tape).

If you are using a small bottle (1.5-2 liters), then you can do it in two ways: cut a square or rectangular hole in the bottle, or prefer a U-shape so that you can bend a piece of plastic and make a visor.

In the event that you decide to use a large bottle (5-6 liters, in which drinking water is usually sold), you can make a large side cutout. So it will be possible not only to fill up more food, but also give the birds room to maneuver.

Note!

In order to prevent the wind from ruffling a light bottle, it is worth putting a stone or a brick fragment on the bottom. This also applies to the next type of feeder.

Tetrapack bird feeder

In order to make a bird feeder, you can also use juice or wine boxes.

To do this, follow the same technology as in the previous case: mark the place of the cut, cut it out in shape, glue tape (or adhesive tape) on the underside of the opening, then make holes for a strong rope in the upper part of the tetra pak. It remains to hang the feeder in the place of your choice.

Shoe box feeder

The cardboard from which the shoe box is made cannot be considered a durable material, but it is sufficiently resistant to moisture, and if it is cold outside, such a feeder can hang until spring.

The manufacturing technology of the feeder, as in previous cases, is also very simple: make four or six holes for the rope, cut on the sides and put a weight on the bottom - for stability.

Note!

Other options

The above options are extremely popular - such feeders can be found in any country house. If you want to make a unique feeder with your own hands, you should take unusual materials, for example, old tableware: a cup and a saucer.

In the autumn, you can cut a product from a pumpkin or zucchini; in winter, halves of an orange peeled from the pulp are suitable for this. Such feeders will surprise your neighbors and will undoubtedly decorate the garden!

DIY bird feeder photo