Suet Feeder Improvement

[Idaho Linda]

I love the little birds that come for suet. However, I do not like the flocks of magpies that devour all the suet in a couple of hours. So, I built this today.



The holes are 1.5 inches square. The front is secured with a snap so I can flip that side up and replace the suet. I hung the little suet "house" so it would lean forward a little, protecting the suet from rain. Then, I hung the whole thing up. I think it is going to work just fine.

The metal frame can probably be found at a place like Staples. The metal pieces come flat, with lots of plastic corner pieces so it can be assembled to hole books, make storage for sporting goods, or whatever you wish. I have made rabbit cages, chicken cages, separators for the freezer, and now a suet protector. They disassemble just as easily, so you can make something else.

[dl]

That looks like it will work great! I'm trying to imagine how my crows would foil that design..... Is it fixed solid in place or can the birds tip and shake it?

[Idaho Linda]

It is hung to a solid pipe with two caribiners, one on each end. I think the only way to get in there would be to chew the zip ties in two. And, if that should happen, I will re-do it with stainless steel wire. The birds can tip and shake this to their hearts' content. They can sit on top, along with the squirrels. It is sturdy and should work well.

[dl]

Cool!

[snelson]

I have trouble with neighborhood cats eating the suet I put out. We have a lot of those panels around our house...I will have to create a box and see those rotten kitties try to get in There is an old barn about a block away and the people who live next to it will put cat food out for the cats who live there....but my neighbor has a cat and she does not think it needs to be contained...so it messes in my yard, kills the baby bunnies and eats suet....rotten cat

[Idaho Linda]

I am thinking about making a second one to house the songbird mix that contains nuts and fruit. I bet it will last a lot longer in one of these boxes as well.

[Marci]

I put suet out here at this house the first winter and it turned black. NO one ate it. I was so surprised. So I haven't tried again. Maybe at the new place.

[res]

I have the same problem, but with Starlings, not Magpies. I've tried all sorts of things, and have finally given up and hung all the songbird feeders INSIDE the chicken run. The run in fenced like Fort Knox, ground to roof, with 2x4 woven mesh that keeps the bigger birds out. It's a big run - 12x24 feet, open on 2 sides and the roof slopes from 10' high to 8' high, so it seems to be "inviting" to the little birds. Plus, the chickens LOVE to clean up what the songbirds drop!

[Idaho Linda]

I hang all the feeders inside my deer fence around the garden. Those 4-footed things love sunflower seeds.