Show Us Your Feeders Vol. 7

Deb what did you use to make this? What size is the cage part?

Thx TJ! The mw becomes a
Litter Beetle, aka
Black Bug aka
Darkling Beetle

Yep they are a problem if they get to maturity, but keeping them in the dish and the birds eating them takes care of that. I make sure none can escape. (The dish has straight sides aboutt an inch deep.)
I buy them from the local Wild Bird Center, but I am going to start ordering them in bulk since I have a way to put a lot of them out for the little birdies. Before I was doling them out very frugally.

Pelle~ I bought a desk letter tray at Dollar Tree, along with the ceramic dish I placed inside. The dish slips in through the opening on one end at the bottom. I can also pour them in from the top.

The rest is common chicken fencing, about a nickel's worth from a three dollar roll. I shaped it and sewed it all together with 20 gauge wire... Took about an hour.

Very nice Deb...what size chicken wire did you use?

We crossed posts Deb...thanks for the info...note to self...go to Dollar Store! LOL!

Very crafty, Deb!
Remember when we were just starting out birding and went all out and bought the Mac Daddy feeders, etc.
When you realize the birds don't much care what you put their feed in as long as you're feeding 'em, you take matters into your own hands!
My boyfriend has a construction company. He took counter tops out of someone's house and put new ones in and bought the bar counter top to my house. VOILA! I turned it over, found that it had a ledge on all four sides... it's now used as a ground feeder in my backyard... I pour seeds in it and the seeds stay off the ground, dry and the doves, et al can feed out of it

Thanks Judy!
Cool counter idea!

Thx Rose~The chicken fencing has the standard 1" x 1-1/4" holes... Here is a closer look..

This message was edited Jan 23, 2008 10:16 AM

Here is a shot of the end with the slot for sliding the dish in.. I have a little wire there to keep it from sliding out if the wind sways it.

Thanks for the info on the litter beetle, Deb! he reason I asked is because ever so often I find them in my dirt at home. I feed them to my yardbirds(chickens, turkeys, guineas) and I wondered if I was helping myself out by getting them out of my soil. What do the mealworms/litter beetles eat?

Carrots are a great thing for them and they don't get moldy like potatos.

Yep Pelle!
they'll eat a variety of vegetation...

I found this too, TJ~

Bob made two new feeders, one which is hanging here...it's the one without snow on top....the other one has not been hung yet......we're considering putting it on a driftwood pole.....Deb

Very good job on Bobs part making the fly thru feeder!

So they(mealworms/litter beetles) are not harmful?

I've got a few home made feeders that my husband made, these are made out of those columns that they put on the front porches, he's in construction and had alot of scraps of this, so he made some feeders and some houses for the birds since I love to watch the birds. I keep meaning to get him to make me more, but my feedbill is high dollar now as it is

their a little bent up, but work great. they are old . Been around for several years.

They have a little chimney on them like ahouse, that 's where the sunflowers go. the other feeder inthis picture has a wild bird seed in it.

some finch feeders, I bet I have a hill under that feed station full of empty hulls

I know this is for feeders but thought i'd post a picture of one of the houses he built

or do we have a thread for bird houses? cause I have a complete train set that is a bird house all 7 or 8 pieces of it. tht my dh made, it's so cute. would love to post a pic of it

This one is full of nuts and sunflower seeds.

I also have some meal worms in a little dish sitting on a squirl feeder , had no where else to put it right now. DH is going to build me a meal worm feeder too. I have a whole lot of honey dos Hope he gets the time to get them done.

Kathy, why couldn't you just start a new thread? those are all wonderful!!!!!! would love to see the rest...Deb

Yes you can start your own thread if you have more bird house pics. :-)

I may later on, but only have the train house bird house left.

Great feeders Kathy!!

And whatever ya do...........Keep Bob!!


debnes

Bob?

I think she was speaking to Depsi. :-)

LOL yep ... sorry kathy............. Pelle's right!

I was scanning up to see if you posted your DH's name and "Bob" caught my eye.. oops!

Keep YOUR DH too!! By all means!

LOL, I guess I'll keep him.

Here is a link for a heated water bowl like dellrose has. Great pictures btw of the birds at the bowl. Does anyone know where one is cheaper, I think I would like to get one.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1277&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&pc=1&N=0&Ntt=heated%20water%20bowl&Np=1

Great Mealy cage too Debness!!

Sheila, I got one of mine at the local feed store for $22 and one at Wal Mart for $20. I have seen them at other stores too but can't remember where. At least you can save shipping if you can find locally!

Rose

Should I ask for my money back? :D

This new feeder also allows house finches and non-acrobatic sparrows to "reach up" and around to the holes and eat. Perhaps the design team should have measured the length of these other birds!!

LOL! Mrs. Ed...too funny!

Wow, I've never seen any of my House Sparrows do that!

You have one smart guy there!

he can't stay very long. I'll try and get a movie next time.

Dellrose, I checked out the ones at walmart. They have a bucket and a bowl. The bucket is blue and the pan is off-white. I am wondering about putting big rocks around the pump and a plant saucer on top of the pump and rocks to raise the level so that the water will not be too deep. There is a blue plant saucer that might fit.

That might work Frank, as long as they can't get into the deep water. We know they will always come to water (farming taught me that) and the main thing is to keep them safe. Show us a pic when you get it set up so we can see what you come up with! :0)

Rose

So bathing birds displacing the water won't short out the bowls?
Thanks for the tips on where to buy Rose and f_C.
Sheila_FW

Hi Sheila, we had one at the dairy farm that I left outside for the cats. It was also used by the birds, dogs, raccoons, possoms and the occasional meandering cow. It was stepped on, left out in the rain and turned over and it is still there being used by the new owners. I think it is at least 3 years old and I bought it at the feed store. I hope the new ones hold up as well as that first one did. :0)

Rose

Sounds like a great recommendation then! LOL! I have a pond, but it doesn't have a low spot for birds to drink. Then in the fall I cover it with a net to catch leaves from an oak tree. A couple birds have gotten trapped under the net when they fell in at the waterfall I guess. I hadn't thought about looking at a feed store for one. I need to check that out, thanks.

Busy day at the feeders today. When I first put up my bird feeders my neighnor said the Cardinals wouldn't use them as they were strictly platform or ground feeders. I'd better not tell the Cardinals around here!

This Male Cardinal had this all to himself and then the American Goldfinches invaded him. He wasn't too happy about it either!

Here is another on the Blue House feeder.

Here is the Red Barn feeder. Sorry for the poor quality...no sun today and taken thru a window!