DIY bird feeder: a selection of ideas. Simple and original ideas for those who don’t know how to make a bird feeder with their own hands from scrap materials How to make an original bird feeder

Original ideas, photos and instructions for making simple, beautiful bird feeders with your own hands together with your children.

How to make a bird feeder from a tin can

Necessary materials:

• a coffee tin with a plastic lid;
• can-opener;
• acrylic paint;
• brush;
• scissors;
• colored tape;
• yarn/ribbon;
• birdseed.

Source: momtastic.com

How to do

1. Use a can opener to cut out the bottom of the jar.

2. Cut the plastic lid into two ladles.

3. Paint both parts of the lid with acrylic paint. Let dry.

4. Decorate the jar with colorful strips of tape. Layer on top of each other to create strips of varying widths.

5. Cut the thread or ribbon to the desired length. Pull through the jar. Place the lid halves on the sides of the feeder.

6. Place birdseed in a bird feeder and hang it on a tree.

DIY treats for birds

Source: eighteen25.com

A simple and unusual recipe for treats for feathered friends. Positive emotions will accompany the child from the start of preparation to the process of hanging the food on the tree.

Necessary materials:

• ready-made food for parrots (millet and seeds are suitable);
• water;
• gelatin;
• cookie cutters;
• cocktail straws;
• rope.

How to do

In this recipe, the binding ingredient is gelatin; it must be diluted as written on the package, but take 2 times more gelatin than indicated in the instructions. Add the required amount of diluted gelatin to the feed, so much so that it envelops all the grains. We spread the grain mass into the molds, insert straws to make holes for the strings and send them to the refrigerator to harden. After about 1-2 hours, we take out the frozen figures, thread the ropes through the holes and go outside to hang treats for the birds on the branches.

Nutritious cupcake for titmouse

Make a nutritious cupcake for the titmouse with your children. Take raw lard (beef or pork), cut into pieces and simmer over low heat. Pour the seeds into a silicone cake pan and pour melted lard over it. Wait until it hardens completely. Take the treat out of the molds and hang it on a string on a tree or balcony.

What to feed birds in winter

Birds can be fed sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted), oats, millet, wheat, crushed peanuts, raw unsalted lard. Put it in the feeder apple slices, many birds peck them with pleasure.

What not to feed birds:

• Bread. Birds have a very difficult time digesting it, because... it contains a lot of fat and protein. Bread fills the stomach, but does not provide enough energy.
• Salty. Do not feed spoiled (rancid, etc.) grains to the birds. You should not treat your birds to potato chips, cookies or buns.

Ideas for original bird feeders

Unusual bird feeder made from a cup and saucer.

You can hang treats on strings on a tree.

Feeder made from a plastic bottle and wooden spatulas.

Offer to make your child a bird feeder from Lego.

A simple feeder made from orange or lemon peels.

An idea on how to make a bird feeder from a milk or juice box.

Bird feeders in winter help save birds from hunger. However, this is not the only reason why it is worth making them.

The beautiful and original feeders themselves can become a unique decoration for your garden.

And the process of their creation instills in the younger generation a sense of responsibility and care for weak creatures.

In addition, this is invaluable time, which allows parents to spend time with their children with interest and benefit.

Wooden bird feeders

There are several types of feeders that can be made from wood. Firstly, these are feeders that look like a base made of plywood or other similar material with sides around the edges that prevent treats for birds from falling apart.

Most often, such a structure is suspended from a tree branch on thick ropes.

But such a feeder has a number of disadvantages. The most obvious thing is that this design does not in any way protect the food poured into it from precipitation and bad weather. It is also quite light and can move or tip over in the wind.

The second version of wooden feeders looks more like a house and has a roof. In such feeders, the food is reliably protected from bad weather. The base of the structure looks the same as in the first version, only there are supports on it that support the roof.

The roof can be either straight or pitched. Any child can make a straight roof, because essentially it is a rectangular piece of plywood, only slightly larger than the base.

A pitched roof has a slightly more complex design, but it is better in that, unlike a straight roof, snow does not accumulate on it and does not have to be cleaned periodically.

There are also original versions of feeders made of wood. For example, a feeder can be made from ordinary logs. To do this you will need a chainsaw, a chisel and a hammer, as well as a chain and rings for hanging.

To begin with, you need to saw off two round pieces of wood on both sides of the future feeder. Then a wedge is cut along the entire log, and longitudinal and transverse cuts are made, not reaching the bark by about 5 centimeters.

This is necessary so that later it will be easier to remove the middle from the workpiece with a chisel. After all the work is done, the previously cut round pieces are nailed on both sides of the feeder.

All that remains is to screw in the rings and attach a chain on which you can hang the feeder.

Feeders made from plastic bottles

Plastic bottles are also used as feeders to feed birds. These can be either 5-6 liter containers or small 1.5-2 liter bottles.

Most often, a plastic bottle is turned into a feeder by cutting out several windows in the body.

Then such feeders are hung horizontally or vertically, depending on the design. For the convenience of the birds, cross perches are installed near the bottom of the feeder.

But sometimes you can find quite original feeders that provide automatic addition of feed. These are the so-called bunker feeders.

Such a feeder can consist of two wooden spoons inserted at an angle into through holes in the bottle. Thus, food from the bottle will gradually pour out onto the spoon.

A bunker feeder can be made from a 2-liter bottle. To do this, just cut the bottle in half, make round holes in the bottom, and turn the top over and place the neck down. The top can be covered with a lid or a disposable plate. You won’t need to add food to this feeder for a long time.

Useful materials for making bird feeders

The simplest feeder you can come up with is a garland of rowan, pine cone or berries. A treat for birds strung on a rope will decorate young trees in the garden. The only disadvantage of such a feeder is that as the food is eaten, the garland loses its appearance.

An interesting solution would be to make a feeder in the form of lumps of grain or seeds. Such decorations can be placed on benches, tables, or simply hung on trees in nets, in which tangerines are usually sold in stores.

They are based on fat or gelatin. The lard is melted and the main food is added to it. Then the finished substance is poured into molds (this can be baking molds or a regular balloon) and placed in a cold place to harden.

The same goes for dissolved gelatin mixed with grain.

If you have coconut shells lying around idle, then they can also be used to make a feeder.

As a result, such a design will be invisible on the tree. Juice or milk boxes are also suitable for making feeders. Their design itself will not differ much from simple feeders made from plastic bottles.

Photos of bird feeder ideas

No matter how warm the winter is, it always becomes a test for birds. There is less and less food every day, and the frosts are getting stronger. In order to support birds, city residents make feeders and hang them in their yards. To make such a craft, you do not need to buy expensive materials or know how to use a screwdriver. Let's throw complex drawings aside and look at how to make a cardboard feeder from a box.

Making a feeder out of cardboard with your own hands

Cityscapes without birds seem impossible. We are accustomed to the cheerful trills and chirping of birds. They became full neighbors for all humanity. By creating a feeder, you will not only give our smaller brothers a chance to survive, but you will also be able to observe their life on your own or with your children.

Basic design rules:

Shoebox Bird Dining Room

In order to make a bird canteen, various cardboard products are suitable. One of the available options is a shoebox. It has thick cardboard and a laminated coating, which will allow the product to last longer. Laminate copes well with natural precipitation.

This version of the feeder is easy to make even for children, since most of the components are already there: roof, walls, bottom. All that remains is to cut the holes on the sides and thread the nylon cord.

To make a structure from a shoe box you will need:

• scotch;
• stationery knife;
• thick thread or rope.

Cut holes on the side, insert the cord and secure it. Place sand or small pebbles on the bottom of the box. This will allow it to become more wind resistant. Place food on top. The product can be considered finished.

There is another option How to make a feeder from such a box. Glue the lid perpendicularly so that it becomes a stern stand. The second part will serve as a roof or side. Wrap the resulting structure with tape. Using wire, build 2 hooks by bending a piece of wire in half, and pierce the ceiling at the feeder with the ends. Twist the wire and bend it from the inside. Now for these fastenings you can hang the structure on tree branches.

Bird canteen made of tetra pack

Juice, milk, and wine boxes are also suitable for making a feeder. Tetrapacks are quite durable material. It can be found in every home. To make such a feeder you will need a few things:

• wire;
• scissors;
• fabric-based electrical tape (you can use adhesive plaster);
• marker.

Rinse the box thoroughly. Outline the contours where you need to make holes, any shape you like. They should be of such a size that the bird can fly into them freely. Be sure to leave a few centimeters of cardboard underneath. This way the food will not spill out onto the ground.

After all the holes have been cut, cover the edges with adhesive tape. Punch holes for the wire a little below the entrances. Now you can thread a cord through them and then hang the resulting feeder on a tree.

Candy box feeder

Try making a feeder with children. This is an easy and fun process. You can use a candy box as a basis. With its help, build a bird canteen similar to a hut. To work you will need a box, scissors, tape or a stapler.

Take the lid from the box. Make slits in the middle on the sides. Now bend the lid at a right angle. The fold should be located on the axis line. When the sides lie on top of each other, secure this position with a stapler. If you strengthen the structure with tape, it may lose its shape.

So, we got the roof of the feeder. Now it's time to make the bottom. It needs to be cut out of the box itself and adjusted to the size of the roof. Fasten the top and bottom together and thread the rope through the pre-cut holes.

Select one of the options for how to do it cardboard feeder, and get to work. Involve the whole family in this activity. This way you will not only help the birds survive the winter, but also have a fun time with your loved ones. Let children paint or decorate the structure to their liking. To do this, it is better to use materials that do not get wet, such as small buttons or plastic flowers.

Everyone, including us, has seen at least one bird feeder in their lives; basically, what pops up in our subconscious is an ordinary small, simple-looking house with some kind of food.

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

A good bird feeder can keep our little birds fed, but will also blend in beautifully with your home. The main thing is to add food over time, since gradually the number of flying guests will increase, and with the arrival of warm weather, the birds will delight your eyes 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 yourself. It is quite possible to make this type of feeder from 17 mm wood - this thickness should be sufficient. Of course, it is possible to replace the material with moisture-resistant plywood, well, it’s up to your taste.

Everything you need for manufacturing can be taken from a board 25 cm wide and 220 cm long. Make the side walls using drawings - they indicate the required dimensions.

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

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

The rounded bar will be used as a perch. To install it, you need to drill small holes in the edges of the sides - only 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 very firmly attached to the side walls.

Connecting both sides of the lid, take ordinary furniture hinges. After assembly, be sure to paint the feeder and treat it with wood varnish. 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, food will spill out gradually. Also, transparent will make it possible to monitor the availability of food, which will be very convenient.

Making a feeder from cardboard boxes

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

So, let's move on to practice. Take a utility knife and cut out a hole on the front side that you think is necessary, but large enough for the bird to easily climb inside.

In the bottom side of the future feeder, make a hole for a perch, attaching thicker cardboard or a perch there. You can decorate it in any color according to your taste or make it attractive to the birds in some other way.

How to make a simple feeder from a plastic bottle

Take a bottle and cut two outlets from different sides, the shape can be any, but do not cut out the square completely, as you can make a rain visor out of it by simply bending it outward and upward. An adhesive plaster should be placed on the places where the plastic was cut out so that the bird does not suffer from the sharp ends.

A little lower we make two more holes and insert a stick there, so the birds can sit there and enjoy the food. The last thing you need to do is hang the feeder from a tree using a string.

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

A good DIY pumpkin bird feeder

The procedure for making a pumpkin feeder is not complicated. All you need is a desire and, of course, the pumpkin itself! First, take a knife and cut a round hole in the middle of the pumpkin, and another one symmetrically in the back.

Next you will have to get all the contents; you will decide for yourself what to do 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.

You need to make a perch at the bottom of the pumpkin - to do this, 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 the birds. You can hang such a table by the tail of a pumpkin, or 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 trash that we often want to throw away can be reused in this way, one feeder in winter can save dozens of bird lives, and besides, such decoration will be an excellent decoration for your homestead.

Photo of bird feeder