Embarrassing: don't know how peanut feeders work!

I've puzzled over this for awhile, and I'm embarrassed to say that I just don't understand how peanut feeders work! I like the feeder pictured: it looks incredibly sturdy and well made, and I'm definately tempted to buy it. But I'm stumped by it!

I look at a bag of peanuts (out of the shell) for the birds, and I look at the holes in this feeder, and I just can't figure out how the birds can get a too big peanut out of the too small holes! Can someone please enlighten me? And don't laugh too hard!

Not laughing at all, because I was curious too... it seems they peck away at the nuts and break them in pieces rather than pull individual nuts through the holes. I actually put sunflower seeds, etc., in mine, not nuts for that reason... they didn't seem to dig the peanut one.
I actually use a suet cake holder for peanuts... it works pretty good and the jays love it. Of course, it's under a baffler and I safety pinned it together to keep the squirrels from pigging out on it.
They make one with bigger holes that I can actually envision the nuts going through in one piece... I'll see if I can find a pic... the one I'm thinking of is silver.

Edited: Couldn't find the one I was thinking of.


This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 2:59 PM

Heres a pic of my Red bellied taking pieces of peanuts he's broken apart from this metal peanut silo. I love the silos's!

Pelletory: THAT's THE FEEDER I was talking about! I KNEW it was silver.

Yes, the metal ones also come in colors and different lengths. Mine is a 9" but I would prefer the12 or 15".

LOL, watch the comments please!

My typing finger was ready until I saw your LOL so I'll let it go THIS TIME

Haha, Thanks Judy!

I see the chickadees and Blue Jays on this feeder along with the Tufted Titmouse when they come around.

This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 3:23 PM

I am wanting on of those too for my WP's & Jays but I wasn't sure if the jays would use it!

Thanks for the explanations! Now it makes sense. Why didn't I think that they would break the peanuts into pieces? Duh.

Grackles are my nemesis so I have to ask, can they use these peanut silos?

They could I guess but I've mainly seen them at the Black oil sunflower seed feeder.

Oh, good, so there's hope. Thanks, Pelletory!

Yes, Lady Eagle, Grackles will use the peanut feeders. Blue Jays *LOVE* these feeders. I'm having to refill mine every couple of days. They like this feeder, too.

Carla

Thats the style I've seen the colored ones come in.

LOL, How many inches is yours Carla? ROTFLMBO

No really I'm serious. I know they come in a variety of sizes. I think the 9" is the smallest.

This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 4:10 PM

Full or empty?? ;-)

Carla

Does size matter?

I bought my hanging peanut feeder at Wild Birds Unlimited, and it's the "regular" size which holds 1-1/2 qts.

Carla

Haha

Your garden looks very pretty Carla!

Okay Judy :-). My Red bellieds seem fine w/ this size (9 inches) but maybe my Flickers would come in with the larger size. I'm really looking forward to winter (did I honestly just say that?) to see if the Flickers will use the new sandwich suet feeder I bought.

Sorry Carla I don't know them by how much they hold, just inches in length.

In all seriousness, I'd think the longer ones, like for big woodpeckers and such, would work almost like the wooden tail prop thing I have on my suet cake feeder... they love that thing.

This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 4:27 PM

Yes, thats what I was thinking.

ROTFLMBO

I was so concerned with reading the replies, that I didn't read "into" them. It took me a couple of times to figure out the size innuendo. Now I can't stop snickering!

I always wondered the same thing about those feeders, glad that was cleared up.
Glad I found this forum. I guess you can say I'm a novice bird watcher, but I love it.

Hey pelletory I'm going to be in your town on Saturday.

When I got mine, I felt guilty that the birds could see those tempting nuts and not get to them. What with all the rain here every day, I just took down my soggy open feeder and put back up the peanut feeder with shelled peanuts in it. I'll give it a try again, at least till this rainy season is over.

I think the peanut halves work best but let us know your results.

I guess in my "spare" time I can break the nuts into halves:)

LOL,,, very funny!

I'm sure your Red Bellieds will go after it.

This message was edited Aug 2, 2007 9:13 PM

Yesterday I had a pair of Bewicks Wren coming to the peanut feeder. At first I thought they might be looking for bugs, but with binoculars I could clearly see that they were eating the peanuts. I've never seen a Wren eat peanuts before. Anyone else?

Carla

Hi Carla, I once had bought a bag of peanut pieces and would see the Caroilna Wren eating those.

You mean my Wrens aren't the first ever wrens to use a peanut feeder?? Durn it all!
;-)

Carla

I have one of the shorter ones, metal cylinder with round holes. Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse use mine a lot. The peanut feeder is right by the suet holder that the Woodpeckers use, mostly RedBellied and occasionally Downeys, but haven't seen the Woodpeckers interested in it. Lots of Wrens but haven't seen them interested either. Although we have Jays they rarely ever come to the feeders or birdbaths. The squirrels can work at the holes and get some out. I frequently see them wrapped around the peanut feeder. BTW... it has held up to several years of squirrel abuse. The crows can't get a good perch to get to it.

I'm thinking I'd better get one of those wire ones to lure the Woodpeckers to it. Problem is if it is too large the Crows and Jays might start disappearing, in no time, the expensive, shelled, unroasted peanuts DH gets at the grocery store. Until this year my Albertsons only carried them around Christmas so we loaded the freezer with them for the rest of year.

What does everyone use? I don't like to give them salted peanuts, and feel better about unroasted, and goodness knows, I don't have time to shell them. The ones we get are so very expensive.

BTW.... my 5 GIANT and large dogs (smallest a female Rottie) get one of the best, fairly expensive foods, and go through at least 15 lbs of Biscuit Bones a week (not kidding). We spend more money for wild critter food than we do for dog food. That doesn't include the people, chicken nuggets they get for "chickie time" (CT) every day, though; about 7 -8 lbs a week. Our older squirrels get obese and the rabbits grow to be giant, "super bunnies", who bully the crows and squirrels.

gg=alice

Wow! I buy the peanut halves at the bird store (of course their unsalted) they last quite a long time.

Petsmart also carries unsalted (out of the shell) peanuts in their bird section which are quite reasonable. Call them first before going because at least with ours, it's a hit or miss type of thing.

GG, I'm really surprised that your woodpeckers don't use it. Thats all my large woodpeckers come in for.

Maybe a fellow Texan can speak better about whats around your area.

Thanks pelletory. I've seen the ones in shells at PetCo but I'm not sure about the shelled ones. Maybe they have had them but I probably decided they were a better deal at Albertsons or something like that.

I'll have to make a special trip to a PetSmart that is a much further drive for me. I usually get most of my wild critter foods at Walmart and HomeDepot. Couldn't count on PetCo having Safflower all the time, whereas Walmart virtually always has it and HomeDepot just started carrying it. We go through more Safflower than any other seeds AND the squirrels don't like the Safflower. Used to be only Walmart that had the squirrel (and crow) corn logs but HD is now carrying those too. We go through one corn log a day and there is no mess like with whole corn.

I'm hoping that we will get a Wild Birds Unlimited out here in near future. Dallas is expanding south towards us and our shopping area, out at the highway, has become one of the largest shopping centers in Dallas county. A good chunk of the land at the end of our road (dead end), where you turn into our drive, was owned by a couple who owns two WBUs in Dallas. They host WBU birding field trips out here. They donated most or all of their land to Audubon Society when AS was acquiring as much land as possible out here. (Another couple, who live down the road, bought a piece of property that was for sale (one of the oldest "old timers" out here had to move into assisted living), just for the purpose of donating it to AS, or so I've been told.) Makes one feel good to know there are people close by like that. Anyway, I asked them once why they didn't live out here. Part of it was that it was just too difficult to manage the stores being so far away. Maybe they will put in a WBU now that our "one of Texas' best kept secrets" is becoming so popular. HOPE HOPE HOPE

gg=alice

I took mine down again, since I never saw a single bird go near it.

Was that the ones in the shell?

If so maybe another time if you come across the ones out of the shell give them a try.