Thistle Feeders?

First if there is a better forum to post this question, please advise.

I am looking for a thistle feeder to feed some finches around the place here and am finding them priced from 8.99 to around $50-$60. They all seem to function about the same.

Can anyone recommend a least cost feeder that will serve the purpose of feeding thistle.

Any tips on where to buy the feeder and thistle seed will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jerry

One point to bear in mind is that cheaper ones might be less durable, easily wrecked by squirrels, etc. If you have squirrels, then you might need to look for a tough feeder. If you don't, a cheaper one might be OK.

Resin

Hi Jerry, A few questions first please.

Do you have alot of finch around? Goldfinch or House Finch. Both?

Where are you planning on buying the thistle seed from?

Like Resin said the cheaper the feeder,the less quality you get.

Here's a page full at this site but you can also find more at wild bird stores,Petsmart and Lowes/ Home Depot.
http://www.rachelsrobin.com/shop/finchfeeders.php
Another consideration is ease of cleaning (which needs to be done every 2 weeks.) More will show up as you start feeding them so be sure to get something that will accommodate enough birds.

If you have any more questions please get back to us. :-)



This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 8:06 PM

The cheapest I've had is the sock thing that's nothing more than mesh netting... around $3 and you can refill them. Once I saw it hanging out of a squirrel nest in the top of a tree I realized I needed something more sturdy. So I got a metal one from Duncraft and hung a squirrel baffler over it.
ya'll stop me if you've already heard me b*($% about squirrels.

You might want to check the price of thistle seed in your area first. We don't have large pet stores in our area so I buy my seed at Walmart and it's pretty expensive-almost $19 for a 10lb bag.

I have a large screen feeder because I'm feeding over 30 Goldfinches and Pine Siskins year round.

That's so funny judy about the mesh netting in the squirrel nest! I could see that happening at my house.

I looked everywhere for the stupid thing, just knowing the wind blew it off the tree because it was about empty. But then when the leaves started falling, I looked up at a squirrel nest and there it was, blowing in the breeze.
Ya'll know how I rave about the Squirrel Buster... yesterday I called Brome's who makes the feeder and they are sending me FREE a replacement cardinal ring. I also learned they are making a Squirrel Buster Finch Feeder... which might be of interest to the thistle-feeding crew here. I know I'll invest in one when it goes on the market. I use the finch mix... not just straight thistle because of the high price of thistle. And, naturally, the squirrels do their part to empty the finch feeder. Knowing the Buster is indeed squirrel proof, I'll def. get the one designed for finches.

On squirrels - I have one of the all purpose bird feeders that uses a levered/spring perch that is adjustable to three weights of birds. The weight of heavy birds/squirrels, coons will cause the perch to move down which closes off the entrance to the feed. It worked well except I had it hung to close to the the limb above and too close to the trunk of the tree and I found it on the ground several times.

A neighbor suggested I move it further away from the trunk of the tree and hang it on a wire about three or four feet long from the limb above....no more problems.

Texas: that's how the squirrel buster plus works.

I Google squirrel buster. I like it.

Here is the one I have:

http://www.abadak.com/bichsqprbife.html

Birds can still flick seed out of this feeder on to the ground with their beaks. Due the high cost of the thistle seed, I was drawn to the thistle feeders. They seem to contain the tiny seed well.

Yup, Texas... I have one of those too! I went to WAR with squirrels a while back. If it's squirrel proof, or claimed to be, I tried it. That one works. But the Squirrel Buster Plus is GREAT and the cardinals love it. That one you posted , at least in my yard, the bigger birds have a problem perching on because the perch is so close to the feeder. The SBPlus has a cardinal ring that everyone can sit on and chow down. EXCEPT for the squirrels... it closes the ports when they sit their chubby butts on the ring.

Another problem I didn't mention in my earlier post is deer. If I don't get the feeder high enough above the ground the deer will stand on their hind legs and swat the feeder with their front hooves to flush seed from the feeder on to the ground. They go for the milo and sunflower seeds.

I am kicking around ideas that I used with my deer feeders and that is a rope and pulley system anchored far out on a limb that is high off the ground.

I know (now) that the feeders have to be at least 4' off of the ground for the squirrels, how far up for the deer? My dog snored so much this winter, that he rarely heard them in the yard. Boy-o, did they do some damage.

The bottom of the feeder needs to be about 7 or 8 feet up.

Maybe if I cut the bottom out of a 55-gal drum and attached flat on top of an 8' post and then put the feeder on top that would solve all my problems. I dunno.

OMG, I never heard of deer eating from the bird feeders! I'm always complaining about those stinking squirrels. My husband was talking about a BB guns for Christmas!

Does anyone know how low I can bring the resistance for the Squirrel Buster? I want it as low as possible, but I want to still allow the cardinals to use it. Will cardinal's weight trigger it if I bring it down to the lowest line?

I usually keep mine on the second line. (from the top)

Penne... it doesn't close the ports even for doves... I've seen them on my Squirrel Buster... one at a time but they still use it... And the cardinals love it... in fact, it comes with a cardinal ring that you can put on it that they can perch on... it slips onto the perches that come out from the feeder. So the cardinals would def. NOT be locked out!

The Squirrel Buster Finch Feeders are available now at Shaw Creek Bird Supply
http://shawcreekfarms2.stores.yahoo.net/sqbufi.html

That's interesting; I'll have to take a look at it sometime.

Thanks jmiley!