Mesh baby feeder age

Ultimate Guide to Baby Feeders: Mesh and Silicone

You may have seen baby feeders, whether mesh or silicone, and wondered what they are for. They are a great tool for feeding babies and toddlers—and are especially awesome for teething relief. There are many on the market though, so today I’m sharing the best of the best.

Baby Feeder

A baby feeder is made up of an easy-hold handle and a little pouch with lots of holes. The idea is that the holes allow some of the flavor and texture of the food to come out, without the concerns that may come with larger pieces of food.

This means you can worry less when it comes to choking risks.

One thing to keep in mind: They don’t allow babies to have the full texture experience of the food—since the texture is mostly the mesh of the feeder. That means you don’t want to use one of these for every meal (or even most meals).

Lots of exposures to lots of textures helps babies and toddlers gain confidence in handling all sorts of foods, which can make feeding kids a lot easier over the long run.

But an infant feeder can be a handy tool to have in the mix, especially if on the go, starting to transition to baby food, or trying out a new food that has you a little nervous.

And they are a great way to offer cold teething relief to soothe baby’s gums.

Baby Fruit Feeder

Many people like to use baby feeders to offer fruit, either fresh or frozen, since the product is a safe way for baby to suck on and explore the flavor of a wide range of fruit.

TIP: Another name for this is Baby Fruit Pacifier.

Best Baby Food Feeders

Below are my top picks for infant feeders chosen for ease of use, durability, and ease of care (as in washing!). There are different materials listed, as well as specific information on each product.

Best Mesh Feeder

Munchkin Baby Feeder, sold in a set of two. (Or choose the ones that come with travel caps.)

This baby feeder has a streamlined, simple design of a mesh bag for the food and a ring for baby to hold onto. Small, digestible pieces of food come through so baby is getting some nourishment (and comfort if using for teething) without the risk of choking. It’s about $7 for two of them.

Best Silicone Feeder

Boon Silicone Feeder

This baby feeder, which is priced at under $6, is made from durable silicone and can be used with fresh or frozen foods. The interior stem forces food toward the tiny holes in the feeder and the small handle is sized just right for baby’s little hands.

Kidsme Baby Feeder

Baby Feeder Pacifier Combo

Kidsme Food Feeder

This popular Kidsme feeder has a replaceable silicone pouch that comes in two sizes, so you can adjust and replace as your child grows. It has a unique handle style that some babies may prefer and can be used as a pacifier too. It’s usually priced around $15 and is recommended for ages 4-24 months.

What baby foods should I put into a baby feeder?

Here are some fruits that are good to serve in a baby feeder:

Raspberries, fresh or frozen
Strawberries, fresh or frozen
Blackberries, fresh or frozen
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Banana
Mango, fresh or frozen
Roasted sweet potato
Roasted butternut squash
Ripe fresh pear
Fresh cucumber, skin removed
Watermelon
Cooked red meat such as steak
Frozen grapes (These are NOT safe served to a child this age in any other way as they are a choking risk. They are fine served inside the feeder, though.)

TIP: You can use frozen fruit or ripe fresh fruit that’s soft and easy to gum. Avoid any fruits or veggies that are very hard as baby may be frustrated by that texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age can baby use a mesh feeder?

Babies can use an infant feeder soon after starting solids around 6 months, or when they can easily hold it and bring it to their mouth.

How do I use a baby feeder to help with teething?

If you fill the feeder, whether mesh or silicone, with frozen fruit, you can soothe teething in infants who are eating solids or in toddlers. It’s cold and yummy, yet requires no real work for the child to suck on, so it’s comforting.

Are all of these baby feeders BPA-free?

Yes, if you choose a mesh baby feeder or one made from silicone, they are BPA-free.

What’s the best way to clean a baby feeder?

Try using a bottle brush or just running water to clean out the mesh. It should be fairly easy to clean if you avoid letting it sit too long with food in it!

Are baby feeders good for babies?

The one downside could be that if you rely on them too much, the child learns the texture of the feeder, rather than of the food. This can make it harder for a child to learn to move actual food around in their mouths and harder for them to accept a range of textures in the future when you don’t want to be using the mesh feeder as much.

Because of that, I recommend using this product at limited times such as when on the go at a restaurant or to help sooth a teething infant, baby, or toddler.

This is not recommended as a way to feed your child at every meal.

If you are worried about choking, review this information on toddler choking and trust that if you serve foods that are easy to squish between your fingers, baby is sitting down at meals, and you are with them, they will learn to eat like so many other kids who have gone before them!

Convenient & Easy to Clean

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Dr. Brown's Fresh First Silicone Feeder is an easy-to-clean alternative to the classic mesh feeder.
Available in a two-pack for $10, the silicone feeder is a bit pricier than mesh feeders, but it's worth it for the convenience it offers.
My 7-month-old daughter has tried a variety of fresh fruits using the feeder.
Because you can toss the Fresh First Feeder in the freezer, it's a great teething remedy.

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I used mesh feeders to help introduce all four of my older children to solids, and they loved them. They were a safe, easy way to introduce my babies to new flavors, and I didn't have to worry about them choking.

So, of course, when my fifth baby hit 6 months old and we began the process of introducing solids, I purchased the same mesh feeder I'd always used.

Unfortunately, I only got a couple uses out of it before it became caked with food that was impossible to clean out, even after multiple rounds of scrubbing and soaking. The biggest culprit? Bananas — I just couldn't seem to get those smushed bananas out of the mesh.

I resigned myself to prepared baby food, but wished I could still give my daughter the fresh food options that the feeder allowed.

But here's the thing: Times have changed since I first became a parent and innovative products like Dr. Brown's Fresh First Silicone Feeder now exist.

Dr. Brown's — maker of the best baby bottles we've tested — sent me their silicone feeder to test, and I was immediately impressed by how easy it is to clean. I've been using the feeder every day for three weeks, and my daughter loves it, especially when it's filled with bananas.

Dr. Brown's silicone feeder is designed like a bottle top and with a plastic handle for babies to hold

Made for babies 4 months and older, the smartly designed Fresh First Feeder resembles a nipple top on a bottle. To use it, fasten the silicone nipple portion through the base, then add food into the top, and screw the top onto the base, just like a bottle. With a cover that fits on top, it can also be taken on-the-go.

The feeder has a wide BPA-free plastic handle on the bottom, which has been perfect for my daughter to grip on her own, even though she still has a bit of a shaky grasp at 7 months old.

I'm a big proponent of baby-led weaning and love the fact that I can safely introduce my daughter to a variety of fresh foods and flavors with the Fresh First Feeder. It doesn't necessarily provide nutrition for your baby, as the holes are small and babies can't get a lot of sustenance from it. Rather, it's meant to introduce them to new foods and flavors. So far, my daughter has been able to try lots of fresh foods, from apples and frozen peaches from our orchard to strawberries and avocado.

It's easy to clean and doubles as a teether

The feeder is made of three parts that are dishwasher safe. Chaunie Brusie

By far, my favorite feature of the feeder is how easy it is to clean. Just unscrew the top from the base, remove the silicone nipple, and hand-wash it, or toss all the pieces on the top rack of the dishwasher. It's also safe to sterilize in a microwave or electric sterilizer or in boiling water. Compared to the multiple rounds of soaking and scrubbing required with mesh feeders, cleaning the silicone feeder is a breeze.

The feeder also does double duty as a teether. The entire thing can be popped into the freezer to make a super convenient and tasty teether to soothe your baby's gums.

The only con is that your baby might have to work at it

Because it is made of silicone, the feeder is a little bit tougher for my baby to chew on and get out those tasty juices as compared to mesh feeders. I've found that I need to squeeze whatever food is in the feeder to release the juices before giving it to her. Once she gets a taste of it, she is encouraged to suck on it on her own, and then there's no stopping her.

The bottom line

Dr. Brown's Fresh First Silicone Feeder is an excellent fresh food feeder. It allows me to introduce fruits to my baby with the same safety assurance of a mesh feeder but without the cleaning troubles. Plus, it's been great for soothing her swollen gums as she's teething.

Chaunie Brusie

Chaunie Brusie is a contributor to Insider.

Chicken feeding. Poultry

Chicken feeding. Domestic bird

WikiReading

Poultry
Vlasenko Elena

Contents

Chick feeding

Do not feed chicks (as well as adult birds) from the floor, as this contributes to the spread of infectious diseases. As the first feeder for chickens, you can use plywood with low sides. Day old chicks have no reflex to feed. It is easy to work out by tapping on the feeder with your finger, it makes the birds appetite. Up to 3 weeks of age, chickens can be fed from a bunker feeder made of boards 15 mm thick and fastened with nails or PVA glue (Fig. 26, a).

The length of the feeder determines the uniform feeding of the chicks and, consequently, their development. Figure 26, a shows a feeder designed to feed up to 60 chickens. At the age of 8 weeks, the recommended feeding front is approximately 8 cm. For fattening chickens at this age, the feeder shown in Figure 26, b is suitable. Figure 26, c shows a feeder with a protective net, thanks to which the chicks do not eat the contaminated food that has fallen out of the feeder.

Fig. 26. Chicken feeders

The last two types of feeders can be built from boards 25 mm thick. Above the bunker there is a spinner board, which prevents the feed from being contaminated with manure and its loss. For a steel mesh for the manufacture of the third type of feeder, the mesh size should be 25? 25 mm. For its manufacture, you can not use a chain-link.

This text is an introductory fragment.

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what types are there, what materials can be made of, what to fill, examples of feeders

It is very difficult for small birds to feed themselves in winter. One feeder can save up to 50 bird lives during the winter. In the article we will tell you how to make a feeder from improvised materials with your own hands with diagrams and photographs together with children. We will give practical recommendations for installing and filling the feeder with food.

Audio version of the article "HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BIRD FEEDER" The audio tag is not supported by your browser. Download. HOW TO MAKE A BIRD FEEDER WITH YOUR HANDS

Content

Why feed the birds in the winter of

What should be the feeder, when and where to install it

Sus
LOTKIC feeder or house

Wooden feeder
Plastic bottle feeder
Box feeder
Peeler net feeder

Ecological feeders

Poultry cookies
Cupcakes with gelatin or lard
Feeders made of vegetables, fruits and nuts

Original ideas of bird feeders: photo

Why fill the bird feeder

birds. It can be hung in a park, in a forest or even on an open balcony. You will be able to feed and visit your feathered friends all winter long. In the article we offer classic and original ideas for performing at home.

Why feed birds in winter

All birds have a very fast metabolism, which means that in winter, with high energy costs, they need to eat almost continuously. In one frosty night, a bird can lose up to 10% of its weight trying to keep warm.

But it is much more difficult for birds to renew their reserves in winter: insects have hidden, and seeds and berries are under snow and ice. In addition to this, daylight hours are getting shorter, so you need to look for food faster, but this does not always work out. Did you know that from 1 to 3 small birds out of 10 survive until spring? And this is due to lack of food. Small birds are especially affected: bullfinches, tits, sparrows. Large birds, for example, rooks, crows, magpies, endure winter much easier and get food easier.

You can significantly help the birds survive the winter by filling the feeders with grain and lard. Birds remember where the replenished feeders are located, settle nearby and fly to the "dining room" regularly.

Creating feeders with children is one of the classics. This is taught to boys in labor lessons, and before that - by parents. Such an activity develops empathy in children, they begin to take care of animals and birds, and take responsibility. For example, children can remind their parents to grab some bird food before every outing. In addition, by feeding birds, you can learn a lot about birds: which of them are migratory and which are wintering; what they eat; how they look; how they sing. If the child is old enough, then taking care of the birds during the winter can become a real project, during which he will write down all the results, draw conclusions. In addition, the manufacture of the feeder itself is a creative activity that requires perseverance and well-developed motor skills.

What should be the feeder, when and where to install it

Birds can be fed all year round. If you are making a summer "dining room", then it can be open. In this case, you just need to remember to change the contents of the feeder in time, especially after rain. Here is an interesting option for decorating your garden - a mug and a saucer.

You just need to glue the mug to the saucer, tie the wire and hang the structure on a tree. Birds will be happy to fly into your garden for tea drinking and decorate it with their singing.

But wintering birds need feeding most of all during frosts. Colds come in central Russia already in early November and continue until the end of March. All this time it is worth adding food and keeping the feeders clean, as they can be covered with snow.

Where to place the feeder? If you live in a private house and want to attract titmouse to your garden, then choose trees that are tall enough with thin branches so that cats do not show interest in food. In the city, you can organize a dining room for birds in the park, in the courtyard of an apartment building, and even on your own balcony. However, think in advance about whether such a neighborhood will bring you trouble, because the birds may not be too neat. Try to hang the product in places where there are no drafts, and even better if there is a small visor.

Here are a few suggestions for creating a feeder:

Do not use too bright and shiny materials, they will scare away birds.
Food should be visible, not hidden deep, as birds use their sight to find food.
High sides, a roof and a few medium sized bird holes are features that will keep rain and other forest animals out. But sometimes you can deviate from this "classic", for example, if you plan to hang a feeder under the visor.
Feed should not spill too much on the ground, especially if you set up a feeder in the forest. This can attract ferrets and other predators, and birds will definitely not like this neighborhood.
For coloring, you need to take only water-based paints, they are safe for birds.

There are many types of feeders: from plastic bottles and from wood; durable and disposable; original and stylish and not very beautiful, but practical. Regardless of what design you decide to make with your child, most importantly, do not forget to pour food in time and clean the feeder from softened food and snow. And when spring comes, don't forget to take it off the tree.

We offer you feeder ideas in different materials. All of them differ in shape and method of attachment - suspended, stationary and others. Let's see how the main varieties differ.

Hanger

A mesh bag with food, a cone with fat and cereals or just pieces of lard - all these treats are hung on a branch. The easiest to make, short-lived, but effective for tits, bullfinches and waxwings.

Platform

Flat surface without a roof. The main advantage is that the birds see food from a distance. Great for sparrows, siskins, buntings, greenfinches and songbirds.

Tray feeders or house

Platform with sides and roof. If you make part of the structure out of plastic, then not only baited birds will fly in, but also flying by. If you make a house with a perch, then it is suitable for pigeons, waxwings, jays, nutcrackers

Peeler

The design assumes a net from which the bird will hatch grains. Suitable for crossbills, jays, nutcrackers.

Bunker

Small, solid base and roof, this allows for feeding one at a time. You can arrange automatic feeding. Tits, small spotted woodpeckers, buntings and other birds, except for sparrows, will be able to eat.

What can be used to make a feeder

Wooden feeder

A wooden house is the most durable version of a “dining room” for birds. If the tree is covered with paintwork, then moisture is not terrible for it. Typically, feeders of this type are installed permanently, nailed to a tree or pole. Such a house perfectly protects food from precipitation and sparrows. Sparrows are very shy, so at the slightest danger they fly up. If there is a roof, they first have to move to the side and then up, so sparrows very rarely fly into wooden houses to feed. The only disadvantage of a standard house is high ventilation, so it makes sense to make one or two sides solid.

When creating a house, you have a lot of variability.

Various materials can be used (see what you have left after the repair), for example, solid wood blocks, glued plywood, clapboard. The design can also be very different.

The photo shows a diagram with the dimensions of the most elementary wooden house with a flat roof, a wide platform and sides on all sides.

Here is another diagram, already made of plywood:

There are many ways to modernize the house. For example, make a gable roof. Or make walls with windows instead of open space. Such houses will better protect the birds from the wind.

Here is a diagram of such a house:

Of course, tools and an equipped place are needed to create wooden feeders. If there are no such conditions, then it is problematic to make a wooden feeder.

Although, the masters offer this option. Instead of bars, take the usual packaging cardboard. It has crepe paper inside.

It is necessary to glue the sheets of cardboard so that the direction of the corrugated paper inside changes. Then you can do without tools only with scissors and glue.

This version of cardboard wood is less durable, but with proper paintwork treatment, the structure can last 2-3 seasons.

Sometimes you can find very beautiful wooden feeders, which obviously took a lot of time and effort to create.

Another option to make a wooden house without tools or shavings is to buy a kit. It has wooden parts that need to be assembled according to the scheme and, if desired, painted. A child can cope with such work even without the help of adults.

When assembling a wooden house, pay attention to the following. The closed design assumes that only baited birds will eat. If you want to attract the attention of birds, then you need to decorate the house. For example, you can put a branch of mountain ash on the roof, hang a rope from dried rose hips. Just don't overdo the decoration. Too bright or shiny colors and materials, on the contrary, repel birds.

Plastic bottle feeder

If you walk through the yards, you can conclude that this is one of the most common ways to feed birds.

Indeed, plastic bottle feeders have many advantages:

An affordable material that is easy to work with even for children. For manufacturing, special tools and building materials are not needed, the “dining room” will be ready within a day.
The lightness of the material, in connection with this, the feeder can be hung on thin branches.
Protected from drafts and precipitation.
Transparent walls give birds a good view, so they can see attractive food from a distance.
The material is resistant to moisture, wind and wear.

The main disadvantage of such feeders is that, unfortunately, they are often no longer replenished and left hanging on trees. Such abandoned and devastated feeders look very unattractive.

We offer several types of plastic bottle feeders. But first, let's give general recommendations when working with this material:

Plastic is slippery, making it difficult for birds to stay on the surface. The best way out is to equip the structure with wooden perches.
At least two through holes. It is best to make the holes large so that the birds do not perceive the feeder as a trap.
Cover the edges of the hole with adhesive plaster or duct tape. So it will be more convenient for the birds to move inside, and the person will not be cut on the edges.
If the bottle is lying horizontally, it is desirable to make the "roof" opaque so that the birds do not have difficulty flying out.

Let's take a look at some of the best plastic bottle feeder ideas.

1 variant: hanging classic feeder

If you have a 5 liter bottle, step back 7 cm from the bottom and cut out 2 windows on two opposite sides. The diameter of the holes is about 10 cm. During work, you can use a clerical knife. At the bottom of the jar through the holes, you can pour a dry grain mixture.

Use an awl to make a hole in the lid for the wire. From the inside, a wire can be hung to the lid, on which a piece of unsalted fresh fat will be put on. And outside the wire in the center of the lid will serve for hanging on a branch.

If only a one and a half liter bottle was at hand, then one large window can be made. Be sure to seal the edges with tape. You can attach such a feeder to a tree by the neck.

Option 2: hanging feeder with perches

The previous method of creating a feeder is the easiest and fastest. But if you want a more durable and bird-friendly design, add one or more perches. First, the wooden perches help the bird stay on the bottle. Secondly, they make the structure heavier, the container will not fly up from the wind and scatter grain.

Use a hot nail to make holes in the plastic opposite each other. Pass one or two perches through them. It can be bamboo sticks, pencils or ordinary branches. The perches should be 2-3 cm below the windows so that the birds can sit comfortably and peck.

To prevent snow from getting into the feeder, when cutting windows, you can leave the plastic and bend it like a visor. Such a roof also needs to be pasted over with electrical tape or adhesive tape.

Option 3: simple feed hopper

Ordinary feeders should always be filled with food. And if it started to rain or snow obliquely, then they need to be cleaned, the remnants of damp food removed so that mold does not appear. You can go the other way and make a self-replenishing bunker-type feeder. By the way, she looks very nice.

They are very easy to make. We will need a plastic one and a half liter bottle and two wooden spoons for cooking.

Two holes need to be made for one spoon: one is narrow, the second is a little wider, here the “dining room” itself will be located, and the grain needs space to get enough sleep.

Arrange the spoons at different levels and exit in opposite directions. Don't make the holes too high or the food won't spill out too early, even if the feeder is half full.

The spoon has two functions. It is convenient for birds to sit on it, like on a perch. And also in its recess grain will accumulate, as in a plate.

If you don't have cooking spoons, use regular pencils. They need to “pierce” the bottle through, but both holes must be narrow so that the pencils sit firmly.

In this case, the pencil only functions as a pole. And the birds will feed themselves from small holes in the bottle.

Holes can be made with a heated nail. They should be very small so that the grains do not spill out spontaneously.

When the feed hopper is ready, fill it with grain mixture through the neck, tie off the thread and screw on the lid. The bottle can be hung from a tree.

The second option for a simple plastic bottle feed hopper is to use a plate. Tightly glue a plate of durable plastic to the bottom of a one and a half liter bottle. You can do this with liquid nails. At a distance of 2-3 cm from the bottom, cut centimeter holes in the walls of the bottle. Through them, the grain will spill out onto a plate, where wintering birds will fly to eat.

Feeders with a simple hopper system have two noticeable drawbacks:

Grain often spills onto the ground, which can attract a flock of sparrows and even small predators.
Snow and rain will easily wet grain left on spoons or plates.

Both of these problems can be solved by improving the design.

Option 4: complex silo feeder

The concept of this feeder is simple - one bottle contains feed and it is inside a second larger bottle. So the food gradually spills out, but at the same time it is always protected from precipitation and from spilling onto the ground.

For example, you can take one can of liquid soap or building primer. It must be rinsed very well from the inside and dried. One wide window is cut out on a wide wall. The bottom of the bottle is cut off, and 3-4 small holes are cut near the lid at the narrowing of the neck.

The bottle must be inserted into the large container so that it is exactly under the lid of the canister. Since the bottom of the bottle is cut off, the grain can be poured into it through the canister lid. To prevent the bottle from falling, secure it to the canister with a wire.

But more often two five-liter bottles are used. One of them needs to be cut in half, removing the narrowed part with the neck. Stepping back from the bottom 5-7 cm, you need to cut out several windows, process the edges.

The second bottle should be filled with grain, and a few holes should be cut near the cap itself. A whole bottle is inserted into the cut one with the neck down. The neck should fit snugly against the bottom of the cut bottle. Make perches if you wish.

It remains only to hang the structure. You can do it in two ways:

Wrap the ropes around the bottom bottle. The top will just fit tightly on top.
Fasten the cap and bottom of the second bottle with wire. In this case, to replenish the grain, you will need to turn the entire structure over to unscrew the lid. And for hanging, you can, for example, make two opposite holes at the bottom of the top bottle and stretch a rope through them.

You can use bottles of different sizes - 1.5 and 5 liters.

At the same time, the most common hanging feeder with high sides and windows, optionally with visors and perches, is made from a five-liter bottle. And a small bottle is inserted inside with the cut bottom up.

Bottles can be fastened with wire. You can fill the inner bottle through the neck of a five-liter bottle.

If a five-liter bottle was not found, a similar design can be made with any two containers, different in volume.

Here's how a liter bottle fits into a 2 liter bottle.

Finishing with plastic bottle feeders, it is worth noting that the main measure will remain the imagination. Decorate the feeders as you and the child want, but, most importantly, so that functionality does not suffer. A small selection of photos to see how you can decorate and upgrade a plastic bottle feeder:

Feeder from a box

To create feeders, boxes are taken from liquid products - from kefir, milk, juice. These cardboard boxes are sealed with polyethylene and foil, so they are strong enough to last through the winter.

Box feeders are especially good because they can be made by the child himself from start to finish. After all, to work with cardboard, you need not the most difficult tools to use - scissors, pencils, a ruler. The second advantage is that cardboard boxes are easy to color with felt-tip pens, which makes the process of making a “canteen” even more fun.

Feeder making steps:

Wash and dry a milk or juice bag.
5-7 cm should be set back from below. This height of the sides is enough so that the food does not crumble and does not get wet.
Use scissors to make an oval or rectangular hole. You should get one or two windows opposite each other.
Finish the edges with duct tape.
Use a plastic or wooden stick to poke through the box to make perches.

Such a feeder can be painted with felt-tip pens and covered with a layer of adhesive tape on top so that it does not lose its appearance and remains even more durable. Photo-ideas of feeders from the box:

Can be adapted to feeder and other larger boxes, for example, from under shoes or household appliances. The manufacturing technique remains the same, just the "dining room" will be much larger. And you need to think about the fact that most packaging boxes are not designed for contact with water, so they must be taped or painted.

Mesh Peeler Feeder

This feeder provides constant access to food, but it must be taken out of the net with the beak. The design is successful in many ways:

Feed does not fall on the ground, and we have already told you how harmful it can be.
Two or three birds can peck at the feeder at once, but this does not form a flock, as happens with sparrows.
Pleasant appearance – concise, even stylish.
Durability.
Feed does not need to be constantly replenished. A full grid will last for several months.

The disadvantages include the fact that not every food is suitable. Usually sunflower seeds or peanuts are poured there. Both must be without roasting and without salt. Peanuts can be left in their skins. And if the mesh is large, then for the peeler you need to make special compressed layers of feed. Small grain will simply fall out of such a feeder.

The most common version is the cylinder. The design is similar to a lantern, it looks very good in the garden. You need to take materials and tools for work:

Choice of two clay saucers, old plates or plastic lids from round containers. Diameter approx. 15 cm.
Metal construction or plastic garden net with meshes 5 mm in diameter.
Ties.
Rope or heavy rope.
Tools: wire cutters, drill.

Roll the mesh into a roll that fits the flat inside of the saucers in diameter. Connect the sides with ties, and process the edges at both ends with wire cutters and turn inward. Drill holes in the center of the saucers. Now string the first saucer, net, and then the second saucer onto the cable, wire or rope. From below you need to make a strong knot. Above is not required. The top cover can be opened to pour grain.

If you take a grid with a larger mesh, you can make feeders for fat. So cats or other predators will not be able to encroach on them. You can also put nuts or homemade cookies from grains and gelatin in such mesh houses, we will talk about them below.

But the simplest version of a mesh feeder is a bag made of a string bag. You can put apple slices or nuts in it.

Eco feeders

Eco feeders are not durable. They "end" as quickly as the appetite of birds is great.

But, besides this shortcoming, they have solid advantages:

They do not harm nature. Only edible or rapidly degradable materials are used. No plastic, paint, metal or glass.
They do not spoil the appearance of the garden or yard. A big problem for the city is abandoned, neglected feeders made of bottles or boxes. They spoil the view of the trees and add work to the janitors.
Easy to do with your own hands, even with children. Bird biscuits may be the first self-made "baking" without baking for a child.
It is convenient for birds to peck at such hanging feeders.
The ecological feeder does not need to be removed in the spring, especially if you use ropes made of completely natural fibers, no synthetics.

The simplest, fastest and most beneficial option for birds is hanging lard. Any animal fat will work, including natural butter. But fat is cheaper, so it is more often chosen. Make sure that the lard is raw and without any seasonings, including without salt.

Animal fat is a very high-calorie food, and this is exactly what you need in winter. Pieces of lard can simply be planted on tree branches. Or make a “kebab” out of them on a bamboo stick. You can hang a piece on a rope, nail it to a tree trunk - there are a lot of ways to fasten it.

But there are vegetarian birds, they prefer grains and berries. For them, you can hang a dried sunflower hat or an ear of corn on a tree. Corn is better to take with small grains.

Another simple version of the eco-feeder is a “barbecue” or beads made of berries. In winter, birds especially like twigs with rowan berries, dried hawthorn, and pieces of fresh apple. You can alternate berries with nuts and dried fruits. Shelled peanuts are great.

Bird biscuits

Don't be afraid, you don't need any baking, but the birds also want something sweet. Honey will help us with this.

Take your packing (corrugated) cardboard and draw and stencil shapes, eg bagel, heart, star. Make a loop with a needle and thread.

Make a glue mixture by mixing 1 egg, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 tablespoons oatmeal and a pinch of flour. Let it swell for half an hour. Coat the cardboard blank with this mixture on both sides. Add the rest of the mixture to the grain. Grain mass stick around the workpiece and put your cookies in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

By the way, instead of a mixture of honey and eggs, you can melt butter and mix it with grains. Such cookies will be even more high-calorie.

True, butter is not cheap, but it should never be replaced with margarine, it is dangerous for birds. In cold weather, the butter will harden quickly and will attract birds.

Gelatin or lard cupcakes

If you have silicone cupcake liners in your kitchen, you can do without cardboard. The recipe for gelatin cupcakes is simple. You will need to dissolve 30 grams of gelatin in 300 ml of water. When the gelatin swells, add 500 grams of the grain mixture with crushed nuts and oatmeal to the bowl.

Pour this mass into molds, do not forget to attach the rope for fastening. Or you can stick a straw for drinks so that a hole remains, and only after drying, insert the thread. The mixture needs at least 2 hours to set in the refrigerator. Then you can pull the cupcakes out of the molds.

Melted lard can be added instead of gelatin. Such a feeder will be more high-calorie, but at the same time it may begin to melt at a positive temperature. If your weather in winter is about zero, it is better to choose gelatin.

You can also coat an ordinary pine cone with this mixture. Perhaps this is an even simpler and more environmentally friendly option. And it looks very pretty. You can even make a structure out of cones or hang them like a garland on trees.

Vegetable, fruit and nut feeders

The same grain mixture with the addition of lard or in dry form can be placed in a natural container. A simple open hanging feeder can be made from a pumpkin, an apple or an orange.

By the way, pumpkin seeds and pulp are very useful for birds. But they don't like citrus. But if you use only the peel, carefully removing the pulp, then the smell will not prevent the birds from eating. An apple, like a pumpkin, will also be eaten completely.

Coconut shells are suitable for grain mix. The main problem is to carefully split the coconut itself. Then the shell can be filled with a mixture of grain and butter, it will harden, which will prevent the food from spilling out.

Nutshells nailed to a flat vertical surface look very interesting. First, the nut itself will be in the shells, and then you can fill them with a grain mixture with lard.

Original ideas for bird feeders: photo

If you start creating a bird feeder with imagination, you can use a wide variety of materials. Literally everything that is at hand, for example, excellent bunker-type feeders will come out of a transparent glass bottle.

In general, any old utensils can be used as a feeder - a kettle, a tea set, spoons, ladles, pots, a flower pot and tin cans, everything will be used. Here's what it might look like.

Here are some more feeder ideas made from scrap materials: ice cream sticks, corks, egg tray. You certainly wanted to throw them in the trash!

How to fill the bird feeder

The main principle is to feed, but do no harm. Therefore, first we list what is absolutely impossible: everything is salty, smoked, with the addition of preservatives, dyes, any food additives. Rye bread can also cause intestinal upset in birds. It is better to give white, and dried, and even better to do without bakery products at all.

Can be poured into the feeder:

Fresh unsalted lard.
Butter, full-fat cottage cheese (not milk or margarine).
Wheat, rice, oatmeal, millet, barley, corn, split peas.
Sunflower, pumpkin, flax seeds.
Apples, dried fruits, mountain ash, hawthorn, wild rose.
All nuts except almonds.
Meal worms.

If you hang up a feeder with your child, you have already done a good deed. But you also took responsibility. Birds get used to the hospitable place and regularly come to eat.