How to build a simple peanut bird feeder.

Simple to make, and provides hours of bird viewing fun.

all you need is a few simple tools and a few supplies and you can make one too.

Here is what you will need.

Hardware cloth~find it at your local feed store you can usually buy it by the foot for around $2.49. 36 inches tall is more than tall enough for a couple small projects.

EZ cage clips~also found at your local feed store. make sure they are the kind you can close with pliers or they will not work.

2 lids mayo lids work best but you can use just about any lids even 8 oz tub of butter lids

twine/jute or some other heavy string

peanuts

The tools are If you need to see them there are photos up in the corner box of what i used.

hand held wire cutters

sissors

needle nose pliers

drill

First cut the wire in a rectangle. You can make this as big or as small as you want it as long as when you roll the wire into a cyliander the lids will fit over the top and bottom of the feeder. Mine was cut to 26 holes L X 16 holes W be careful with this wire it can be sharp.

Roll the wire slowly into the shape of the body that you see in the photo below of the finished feeder. Line up the wholes as you do this and use the easy cage clips to close the back of the wire, pinch them closed with the needle nose pliers its easy to do. This can be seen in the close up of the feeder

Drill a hole in each of the lids in the center, if you end up using two sizes of lids put the smaller one on the bottom and the larger one as the top. run the end of of the twine threw the hole of the lid that will be on the bottom. Tie a knot in the end of the twine. make sure that the lid rim points down so when it rains the water will not stand on the peanuts.

Now slide the body of the feeder onto the twine and then add the last lid with the rim also pointing down to protect the peanuts from the weather. This feeder is held together by gravity the body is free floating untill hung and the lid and the bottom can come off when being filled when not hung up.

The first time i filled it I set it on a stand and slid the top lid up the string filled with nuts and then slid the lid back down and took it out side and hung it up.Make sure to keep the twine held in the center of the feeder when filling. I tied a loop in the end of the twine at the top to hang it from a branch . The next time I fill it i will just fill it while its hanging. by sliding the lid up the string and just put the peanuts in and let the lid drop back down when finished.

Its a simple project and the birds were on it before i could walk a few feet away. wood peckers and titmouse so far are enjoying it. Hopefully the blue jay will like it too we will see in the moring that is when he shows up for breakfast.

How to build a simple peanut bird feeder.
January 23, 2008
Angela M.
Gather.com

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