Birds are in constant search of food. If it is easier for forest dwellers to find food because of the abundance of trees, greenery and their fruits, then city dwellers have to look for food on the street, since all young shoots are mercilessly cut and mowed. The most difficult time for birds is winter, the beginning of spring. It is during this period that they need care and top dressing. Creating from improvised means and decorating a bird feeder with your own hands can overpower any caring person. This will not only help the birds survive in harsh conditions, but also decorate the garden or balcony.
It is better to make houses with food from natural, non-toxic material. A tree, like nothing else, is suitable for this purpose. But such feeders are heavy, it is not always possible to place them on a balcony or thin branch. For a good purpose, you can use any material at hand - plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, clay dishes and more. In order not to waste time in vain and not harm the birds, it is necessary to study the basic requirements for such structures:
The material should be strong and light enough, able to withstand a blow to a tree trunk, a brick wall in windy weather;
It is necessary to make feeders from moisture-resistant raw materials suitable for long-term use;
The entrance is spacious. Any bird should freely fly in and fly out;
There should not be protruding nails, wires, sharp ledges;
You can not use packaging cardboard from harmful chemicals.
Types of feeders and manufacturing methods
At home, you can make a feeder in various ways. The house can be of any design, from simply knocked together boards to a real bird's palace, decorated with decoupage. To take a closer look at interesting birds, the feeder can be made transparent, attached to the window with suction cups or hung on a branch closest to the house. But do not get carried away, the constant presence of a person will only frighten away the birds. A home-made model must necessarily meet all the requirements of safety and practicality. There are many simple designs and ways to make birdhouses.
Outboard
Very simple designs. It can be just an apple, fat on a string, grains in a mesh cover.Such a feeder is suitable for tits and other insectivorous birds. For scoopers, you can make a ball from a mixture of seeds. They fasten it with frozen fat, peanut butter. It is better to roll it with your hands in the cold, so the mass will harden faster.
You can make feeders based on a certain type of bird. For tits fit on a string of rosehip berries, nuts. Azure will appeal to the feeding trough-swing. In this case, the ball must be hung on a thin, springy branch. Suspension cones will attract the attention of bullfinches, waxwings and other tillers. So that the feeder was noticeable from afar, it can be decorated with a bright bunch of mountain ash.
Tray constructions and platforms
The main advantage of such feeders is the ability of birds to see food from afar. Flat sites usually do not have high sides, so the food often wakes up, is swelled by the wind. Also, large birds gather in feeding places without a frame and a roof, which can turn the platform over.
Tray structures can be suspended or mounted on a wooden leg. A landing pad and a perch are required to facilitate the bird’s access to food and enable it to gain a foothold. This can be open structures with free access to feed or original products with automatic grain feeding.
Feeding troughs
To feed the birds, it is not necessary to build a solid structure of wood. Plywood sheets, thick processed cardboard, pieces of plastic and other materials are suitable. The presence of a roof carries a very useful function - protecting the feed from getting wet, rotting. The roof can be sloping or in the form of a visor. It is possible to supplement the feeding trough-house with low walls that prevent the spilling of grains and the flight of the sparrow flock.
Dining room made of plywood for birds is the easiest and most reliable option. To create it, you need a small sheet of wood material, wooden bars for the sides, a hacksaw, wood glue and nails.We cut the blanks from the wood according to the drawing (platform, two roof elements, side supports), assemble. You can fasten with glue or nails. In a high, reliable design large pigeons, cedars, jays will fit.
It is also possible to make a cardboard feeding trough for small birds. The material should first be impregnated with PVA glue so that it does not come apart from the first rain. In this case, the sticks will be simple sticks. Gather parts with glue.
Place feeders-houses should be at a safe distance for birds from the ground, but convenient for humans. Feathered will be comfortable away from busy places.
Hopper type feeders and hoeing machines
This type of feeders is suitable for small birds, their alternate feeding. It does not fit immediately 2 representatives, since the feed zone is limited. A product closed on all sides has only one entrance. Bunker structures are a great option for windy, rainy terrain. Flocks of sparrows will not be able to prevent good nutrition.
Feeding bins can be of very different designs. The main thing is not to forget to equip them with a perch, a narrow platform. You can make them in a few minutes from the available simple materials.
An excellent bird's dining room will turn out from a regular plastic bottle. Durable material is not afraid of changes in temperature and moisture. You can take a large 5-liter eggplant or a small 2-liter. The phased manufacturing process is as follows:
Cut one or two large windows in the center of the bottle;
We glue the sharp edges of the plastic with tape, tape, so that the birds do not get hurt;
In the lower part of the product we make several holes, thread the branches in them - these will be poles;
We hang, we fasten the feeder with adhesive tape to the tree and fill it with grains.
Huskies are designed for a certain type of bird, which prefer to eat cereals, bread, nuts, various cereals. Food is prepared in a special way - glued into pastilles.Then crusts, bars are placed in metal mesh with large cells and suspended.
Materials used to build the feeder
You can make a feeder from a variety of improvised materials (plastic, wood, glass). But it is worth considering that each type of raw material is suitable for the manufacture of certain structures that have both advantages and disadvantages. Any product, even the most nondescript, will help the birds survive difficult times in the winter. It should also be considered for which of the winged neighbors it will be intended, since with good intentions it is possible to bring real pests to the garden.
Plastic bottles and boxes of liquid products
Plastic packaging is available and popular, there is certainly in every house or apartment. Even a child can make a large or miniature feeding trough. Depending on the type of bird, you can give it a vertical or horizontal position. This is the most common raw material for poultry eateries, as it has many advantages:
Financial gain. Material is a container; its value is added to the content. No need to buy separately;
Convenience for birds. Bottles have a favorable shape, rounded walls that prevent spillage of feed;
Ease of processing. Thin, flexible plastic can be cut, melted. It is easy to cut, decorate holes of any size in it;
Resistance to adverse weather conditions. Plastic bottles freely withstand heat and frost, are not susceptible to decay, decomposition;
Availability. Containers of sparkling water, a sweet drink can be found in every home. In extreme cases, you can ask her neighbors.
From plastic, you can design any type of feeders - use old plastic toys, disposable cups and plates. Also suitable are paper bags with a special film of milk or baby juice. The manufacturing method will depend only on imagination.
Eco-friendly wooden feeders
The main advantage of this material is naturalness. The tree is durable, safe, looks very beautiful. From it you can make a dining room for birds of any size and type, install on a long leg or hang it on a tree.
It will take much longer to make a wooden feeder than from a plastic bottle, but it will also have a very presentable appearance. To create a feeding trough, minimal carpentry skills, a sawing tool, and various impregnation compounds will be required.
A familiar option for a person - in the form of a house. It can be changed and adapted to a certain type of winged neighbors. For all types of birds, a feeder without a fence with a gable roof is suitable. For shellers can build additional trellis blocks.
Original eco-feeders will be made from curly pieces of plywood, cardboard. Suspended models are greased, decorated with different seeds, dried berries. Natural design can also be made from wine corks, lining, branches.
From improvised materials
Birds are unpretentious and do not pay much attention to the aesthetic qualities of the feeder. You can make it from any means at hand, without special skills. For a good deed, one desire will be enough. You don’t have to search for material for long. Everything you need can be found in the pantry, garage, on the balcony.
A simple, beautiful feeder for small birds will turn out from egg trays. We make holes in the corners, thread the lace and hang it in a convenient place. From two trays you can make a dining room with a roof, and if you take a large package of three dozen eggs, a spacious feeder for large pigeons and crows will come out.
Great raw materials for feeding troughs are ice cream sticks. Lovers of summer goodies can easily accumulate a sufficient amount for a season. We glue the plywood or cardboard bottom with wooden elements. We make beads by applying the edges of the sticks to each other, fix with PVA glue.Between the gaps we pass the rope and fix it on a tree.
A large tin can is suitable for a feeding trough. We hang it in a horizontal position, pierce the bottom, set the perch and any retainer so that the feed does not spill out.
From glass and old dishes
You can use various kitchen utensils as a feeder. Glass jars, bottles, old dishes will do. High wine containers are used to create a design with automatic feed. To a dense piece of the board we attach in a special way the inverted bottle with its neck down. We mount two sites - one will hold the bottle, the other will become a support for the birds. Fill the container with food and turn it over.
A simple and original dining room comes out of an ordinary liter jar. We turn it horizontally, we attach a wooden spoon and hang it on the same tape from a tree or anywhere on the balcony. You can also usefully arrange the site by placing on a special stand several elements of a tea service filled with grains.
Unusual pumpkin feeder
A simple, easy-to-execute idea will undoubtedly bring pleasure to adults and children. By hanging a bright vegetable with food outside the window or at the entrance, you can watch feathered beauties daily. To create an original craft, you will need the pumpkin itself, wooden crossbars, wire or tape, seeds. We will do a feeding trough, following the step-by-step instructions:
We make an incision just above the center and remove the hat, clean all the seeds;
We cut with a knife or drill four holes opposite each other. Better if the pairs of holes are at different heights;
Cut off two pieces of wire and wrap the ends around the crossbars;
We connect the ends of the wire together, form a loop;
We throw a pumpkin feeder on a massive branch and generously fill it with grains, nuts, dry berries.
How and where to place the feeder
Popular places for placing feeders are a balcony or a tree.From the window it is interesting to observe birds and just add food, so many people prefer this option. But it has significant flaws. These are likely difficulties with neighbors due to abandoned litter and scattered husks.
Hanging on a tree in the garden, school yard, near the entrance of an apartment building should be subject to complete safety from predators. A bird distracted by food may not notice a crouching cat and become its easy prey. When placing feeders on bushes in a park area, one should take into account the comfort of the people around. Do not hang structures with feed near the highway, over tables and benches.
For hanging products for feeding birds, you can use any material, depending on the type of structure. Light plastic bottles are taped to the barrel or tied to twine or tape. Wooden houses, glass feeders can be installed on a stand, and heavy uneven products, for example, a pumpkin cling to a solid wire.
Decor dining room for birds
It is very simple to turn an ordinary bird house into a real decoration of the yard. It will require a minimum of available materials and good imagination. It is quite easy to make an aesthetic craft and decorate it with the help of some design tricks. You can initially make a dining room for birds of unusual shape or improve the standard version. They use a variety of techniques for decoration: painting, decoupage, weaving and others.
Staining and painting
It is even more pleasant to decorate a bird house made with your own hands. The easiest way to decorate is to paint the roof and walls from the outside using wood gouache or acrylic. To work, you need to prepare a primer, brushes, paints and a sketch of the drawing. We select absolutely any picture. Yellow titmouse, greenery against the background of clouds, various patterns will look beautiful.
We cover the entire outer surface of the product with a white primer.When it dries, you can start painting, plain coloring or translation of motifs. After the paint hardens, cover the feeder with varnish.
To paint platforms and tray designs from the inside is not recommended. Varnishes and mixtures with acetone and solvents can be harmful to birds.
Weaving-decoration with ropes / threads / twine
A plain plastic bottle can be turned into a useful element of decor in the garden. Woolen threads or twine will add naturalness to such a product. This method will not only fill the area with new paints, but will also serve as an excellent insulation for the structure.
Any person who wants to help birds will cope with the decoration. You can use a variety of textile material. Used yarn, colored floss thread, a simple piece of burlap will do. Also, prepare a waterproof glue, a whitening brush. The work is as follows:
We prepare a plastic bottle, cut out the necessary holes, set a flat bottom;
Spread plastic with glue over the entire surface and wrap with threads;
In place of the windows, cut the twine and wrap its ends inside the product;
We straighten the brush and place it on the bottle cap, simulating a thatched roof;
We pass the wire under the cover and put it through the straw brushes;
Decorate the original dining room to your liking. Pieces of fabric with shabby edges, buttons, cones, spruce twigs and more are suitable.
Decoration with natural material
Products with forest decor will look great on the site next to coniferous planting, and even better, near decorative Christmas trees. Natural cones, spruce branches, branches, rowan brushes are placed on the roof or pallet. You can randomly distribute them around the perimeter or create a beautiful composition. But it should be understood that this decor does not last long, since birds will consider it as food and constantly pinch it. The design will need to be updated periodically.
The wooden frame of the bird's dining room can be decorated with a mosaic of cereals, various crackers. All external surfaces are coated with fat, sweet oil, natural glue and sprinkled with seeds, rice, buckwheat porridge, millet. From colorful elements you can lay out beautiful patterns.
It is only necessary to fix the natural decor to the house or the playground on a natural paste, as the birds will definitely try it.
Conclusion
Following simple instructions, you can create an original, convenient and safe bird feeder. You can collect or cut it from a variety of materials. The old service, a glass, can can bring benefit. Crafts from pumpkin, oranges will add bright accents. A good deed will not go unnoticed. Even the most unprepossessing and small dining room for birds will help save more than one bird life in winter.
Birds are in constant search of food. If it is easier for forest dwellers to find food because of the abundance of trees, greenery and their fruits, then city dwellers have to look for food on the street, since all young shoots are mercilessly cut and mowed. The most difficult time for birds is winter, the beginning of spring. It is during this period that they need care and top dressing. Creating from improvised means and decorating a bird feeder with your own hands can overpower any caring person. This will not only help the birds survive in harsh conditions, but also decorate the garden or balcony.
Content
Feeder Requirements
It is better to make houses with food from natural, non-toxic material. A tree, like nothing else, is suitable for this purpose. But such feeders are heavy, it is not always possible to place them on a balcony or thin branch. For a good purpose, you can use any material at hand - plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, clay dishes and more. In order not to waste time in vain and not harm the birds, it is necessary to study the basic requirements for such structures:
Types of feeders and manufacturing methods
At home, you can make a feeder in various ways. The house can be of any design, from simply knocked together boards to a real bird's palace, decorated with decoupage. To take a closer look at interesting birds, the feeder can be made transparent, attached to the window with suction cups or hung on a branch closest to the house. But do not get carried away, the constant presence of a person will only frighten away the birds. A home-made model must necessarily meet all the requirements of safety and practicality. There are many simple designs and ways to make birdhouses.
Outboard
Very simple designs. It can be just an apple, fat on a string, grains in a mesh cover.Such a feeder is suitable for tits and other insectivorous birds. For scoopers, you can make a ball from a mixture of seeds. They fasten it with frozen fat, peanut butter. It is better to roll it with your hands in the cold, so the mass will harden faster.
You can make feeders based on a certain type of bird. For tits fit on a string of rosehip berries, nuts. Azure will appeal to the feeding trough-swing. In this case, the ball must be hung on a thin, springy branch. Suspension cones will attract the attention of bullfinches, waxwings and other tillers. So that the feeder was noticeable from afar, it can be decorated with a bright bunch of mountain ash.
Tray constructions and platforms
The main advantage of such feeders is the ability of birds to see food from afar. Flat sites usually do not have high sides, so the food often wakes up, is swelled by the wind. Also, large birds gather in feeding places without a frame and a roof, which can turn the platform over.
Tray structures can be suspended or mounted on a wooden leg. A landing pad and a perch are required to facilitate the bird’s access to food and enable it to gain a foothold. This can be open structures with free access to feed or original products with automatic grain feeding.
Feeding troughs
To feed the birds, it is not necessary to build a solid structure of wood. Plywood sheets, thick processed cardboard, pieces of plastic and other materials are suitable. The presence of a roof carries a very useful function - protecting the feed from getting wet, rotting. The roof can be sloping or in the form of a visor. It is possible to supplement the feeding trough-house with low walls that prevent the spilling of grains and the flight of the sparrow flock.
Dining room made of plywood for birds is the easiest and most reliable option. To create it, you need a small sheet of wood material, wooden bars for the sides, a hacksaw, wood glue and nails.We cut the blanks from the wood according to the drawing (platform, two roof elements, side supports), assemble. You can fasten with glue or nails. In a high, reliable design large pigeons, cedars, jays will fit.
It is also possible to make a cardboard feeding trough for small birds. The material should first be impregnated with PVA glue so that it does not come apart from the first rain. In this case, the sticks will be simple sticks. Gather parts with glue.
Hopper type feeders and hoeing machines
This type of feeders is suitable for small birds, their alternate feeding. It does not fit immediately 2 representatives, since the feed zone is limited. A product closed on all sides has only one entrance. Bunker structures are a great option for windy, rainy terrain. Flocks of sparrows will not be able to prevent good nutrition.
Feeding bins can be of very different designs. The main thing is not to forget to equip them with a perch, a narrow platform. You can make them in a few minutes from the available simple materials.
An excellent bird's dining room will turn out from a regular plastic bottle. Durable material is not afraid of changes in temperature and moisture. You can take a large 5-liter eggplant or a small 2-liter. The phased manufacturing process is as follows:
Huskies are designed for a certain type of bird, which prefer to eat cereals, bread, nuts, various cereals. Food is prepared in a special way - glued into pastilles.Then crusts, bars are placed in metal mesh with large cells and suspended.
Materials used to build the feeder
You can make a feeder from a variety of improvised materials (plastic, wood, glass). But it is worth considering that each type of raw material is suitable for the manufacture of certain structures that have both advantages and disadvantages. Any product, even the most nondescript, will help the birds survive difficult times in the winter. It should also be considered for which of the winged neighbors it will be intended, since with good intentions it is possible to bring real pests to the garden.
Plastic bottles and boxes of liquid products
Plastic packaging is available and popular, there is certainly in every house or apartment. Even a child can make a large or miniature feeding trough. Depending on the type of bird, you can give it a vertical or horizontal position. This is the most common raw material for poultry eateries, as it has many advantages:
From plastic, you can design any type of feeders - use old plastic toys, disposable cups and plates. Also suitable are paper bags with a special film of milk or baby juice. The manufacturing method will depend only on imagination.
Eco-friendly wooden feeders
The main advantage of this material is naturalness. The tree is durable, safe, looks very beautiful. From it you can make a dining room for birds of any size and type, install on a long leg or hang it on a tree.
It will take much longer to make a wooden feeder than from a plastic bottle, but it will also have a very presentable appearance. To create a feeding trough, minimal carpentry skills, a sawing tool, and various impregnation compounds will be required.
A familiar option for a person - in the form of a house. It can be changed and adapted to a certain type of winged neighbors. For all types of birds, a feeder without a fence with a gable roof is suitable. For shellers can build additional trellis blocks.
From improvised materials
Birds are unpretentious and do not pay much attention to the aesthetic qualities of the feeder. You can make it from any means at hand, without special skills. For a good deed, one desire will be enough. You don’t have to search for material for long. Everything you need can be found in the pantry, garage, on the balcony.
A simple, beautiful feeder for small birds will turn out from egg trays. We make holes in the corners, thread the lace and hang it in a convenient place. From two trays you can make a dining room with a roof, and if you take a large package of three dozen eggs, a spacious feeder for large pigeons and crows will come out.
Great raw materials for feeding troughs are ice cream sticks. Lovers of summer goodies can easily accumulate a sufficient amount for a season. We glue the plywood or cardboard bottom with wooden elements. We make beads by applying the edges of the sticks to each other, fix with PVA glue.Between the gaps we pass the rope and fix it on a tree.
From glass and old dishes
You can use various kitchen utensils as a feeder. Glass jars, bottles, old dishes will do. High wine containers are used to create a design with automatic feed. To a dense piece of the board we attach in a special way the inverted bottle with its neck down. We mount two sites - one will hold the bottle, the other will become a support for the birds. Fill the container with food and turn it over.
A simple and original dining room comes out of an ordinary liter jar. We turn it horizontally, we attach a wooden spoon and hang it on the same tape from a tree or anywhere on the balcony. You can also usefully arrange the site by placing on a special stand several elements of a tea service filled with grains.
Unusual pumpkin feeder
A simple, easy-to-execute idea will undoubtedly bring pleasure to adults and children. By hanging a bright vegetable with food outside the window or at the entrance, you can watch feathered beauties daily. To create an original craft, you will need the pumpkin itself, wooden crossbars, wire or tape, seeds. We will do a feeding trough, following the step-by-step instructions:
How and where to place the feeder
Popular places for placing feeders are a balcony or a tree.From the window it is interesting to observe birds and just add food, so many people prefer this option. But it has significant flaws. These are likely difficulties with neighbors due to abandoned litter and scattered husks.
Hanging on a tree in the garden, school yard, near the entrance of an apartment building should be subject to complete safety from predators. A bird distracted by food may not notice a crouching cat and become its easy prey. When placing feeders on bushes in a park area, one should take into account the comfort of the people around. Do not hang structures with feed near the highway, over tables and benches.
For hanging products for feeding birds, you can use any material, depending on the type of structure. Light plastic bottles are taped to the barrel or tied to twine or tape. Wooden houses, glass feeders can be installed on a stand, and heavy uneven products, for example, a pumpkin cling to a solid wire.
Decor dining room for birds
It is very simple to turn an ordinary bird house into a real decoration of the yard. It will require a minimum of available materials and good imagination. It is quite easy to make an aesthetic craft and decorate it with the help of some design tricks. You can initially make a dining room for birds of unusual shape or improve the standard version. They use a variety of techniques for decoration: painting, decoupage, weaving and others.
Staining and painting
It is even more pleasant to decorate a bird house made with your own hands. The easiest way to decorate is to paint the roof and walls from the outside using wood gouache or acrylic. To work, you need to prepare a primer, brushes, paints and a sketch of the drawing. We select absolutely any picture. Yellow titmouse, greenery against the background of clouds, various patterns will look beautiful.
We cover the entire outer surface of the product with a white primer.When it dries, you can start painting, plain coloring or translation of motifs. After the paint hardens, cover the feeder with varnish.
Weaving-decoration with ropes / threads / twine
A plain plastic bottle can be turned into a useful element of decor in the garden. Woolen threads or twine will add naturalness to such a product. This method will not only fill the area with new paints, but will also serve as an excellent insulation for the structure.
Any person who wants to help birds will cope with the decoration. You can use a variety of textile material. Used yarn, colored floss thread, a simple piece of burlap will do. Also, prepare a waterproof glue, a whitening brush. The work is as follows:
Decoration with natural material
Products with forest decor will look great on the site next to coniferous planting, and even better, near decorative Christmas trees. Natural cones, spruce branches, branches, rowan brushes are placed on the roof or pallet. You can randomly distribute them around the perimeter or create a beautiful composition. But it should be understood that this decor does not last long, since birds will consider it as food and constantly pinch it. The design will need to be updated periodically.
The wooden frame of the bird's dining room can be decorated with a mosaic of cereals, various crackers. All external surfaces are coated with fat, sweet oil, natural glue and sprinkled with seeds, rice, buckwheat porridge, millet. From colorful elements you can lay out beautiful patterns.
Conclusion
Following simple instructions, you can create an original, convenient and safe bird feeder. You can collect or cut it from a variety of materials. The old service, a glass, can can bring benefit. Crafts from pumpkin, oranges will add bright accents. A good deed will not go unnoticed. Even the most unprepossessing and small dining room for birds will help save more than one bird life in winter.