Easy to Make Bird Feeders

Making your own bird feeder is the perfect alternative to buying one from the store, and much more fun. Bird feeders are an easy DIY project both for grown ups and to enjoy making with children. Besides, a handmade bird feeder will be as appealing to birds as anything you can buy, but considerably cheaper.

The following easy to make bird feeders should take you just a bit of time and some easy to find materials you probably already have at home.

Basic Hanging Platform Feeder

Any old dish, metal serving plate or even a plastic dish can be transformed into a hanging platform bird feeder, provided you can attach hooks to the sides to hang it. Some people even knit a holder, very similar to the ones you would use to hang pots. This will keep the dish horizontal even if the birds land unevenly.

Use Lego Pieces For A Colorful Bird Feeder

There are few things that can’t be made using plastic lego pieces, thankfully a bird feeder is not only of them. Plastic is weatherproof and the bright colors are appealing to many types of birds.

You can use the lego pieces to make any shape you fancy, but the easiest ones to work with are either a platform feeder, or the more advanced “tower with landing platforms” version. Leave space in the middle to fill with seeds, and tailer the size of the feeder to the types of birds you want to attract.

A Milk Cartoon Can Be A Great Hopper Feeder

A tall milk cartoon makes for a perfect hanging bird feeder, but you may want to bring it in in wet weather. After washing and rinsing an empty milk cartoon, make a hole at the top to attach a hook, so you can hang it. Make a square opening near the bottom so birds can access the seed placed inside the milk cartoon.

Bird Feeders From Empty Cans

If you remove the top of an empty can and hang it horizontally, birds will love using it as a bird feeder. The key is hanging it so the seed doesn’t fall out of it, even when birds land on the opening. Use a strong thread and tie it on both sides of the can, making sure it’s tilted slightly away from the opening so bird food doesn’t fall to the ground.

You can decorate the cans or milk cartoons, or add a homemade landing platform at the entrance to make them more comfortable for birds and more pleasant to the eye.

Mailing Tube Feeder

Do you have any spare document tubes at home? Transparent plastic ones make for a long lasting, cheap and cheerful tube bird feeder. All you need is the plastic tube, some popsicle sticks and a pair of scissors.

You will need to cut some small holes on the sides, so you can put the popsicle sticks through the tube. They will act as mini-platforms, and gravity will serve the seeds that are stored inside the plastic tube to the birds when they land.

If you feel inspired, you can easily decorate those tubes using washi tape or paint, but make sure you can see how much seed is left inside. This is a perfect project for those plastic tubes that come with tennis balls, for example.