I love feeding the birds and the country kids love to sit at the window and watch them. I swear our back window is like a television to them. And with some of the programming on today, well I would rather they sat at the window and watched birds!
Every spring, the stores fill with shelves of either cheap plastic feeders (in our price range) or high end models that, while more durable, I just can’t choke down the price. So what is a mama to do for her bird loving kids? Make our own bird feeder!! And I did it for a fraction of the price!
I wandered our local mom and pop hardware store, looking for inspiration and this is what I came up with. For just a few buck, I bought some hooks and chain, but even if I had had to buy the planter bottom, our cost would still have been under $5. And the great thing about shopping local, is our store employees go above and beyond for their customers. The person helping me with the chain cut it to the lengths I needed, thus leaving me to simply assemble my feeder in minutes when I got home.
So how do you make this cute little feeder? Simple really……. You are going to need some S type hooks (make sure the chain link opening is big enough for the thickness of the S hook to go through), chain which needs to be cut into 3 parts (the two shorter parts should be of equal length and together be the same length as the longer chain) and a terra cotta planter base. And the best part is, there is no drilling required! Which means no chance of breaking your terra cotta planter base.
To begin, I grabbed a flat head screwdriver in order to open the hooks just enough to slide the chain pieces on. It took a little bit of downward pressure to do. The nice thing about using a flat head screwdriver is the tip is smaller and as you work your way down it thickens, thus opening up your S hook.
Now it is time to put your chains on your hook. Start with the longest piece of chain. This piece is going to be in the middle of the S hook. Next attach to two shorter chains to the S hook ends. Once it is together, use a hammer to close the S hook loops back up so it all stays together. See the photos below.
Now comes the “hard” part. Use another S hook to collect all your chains together. I found that if you pick the terra cotta base up upside down, with the chains hanging down, it is much easier to collect them all together and get them the same length. You will know all the lengths are the same because when you hold it the right way up, all the chains fit snuggly to your pot base, thus stabilizing it as a feeding platform for the birds.
That is a great idea! I like it! Do the squirrels manage to get into it? My mom tore my dad's bird feeder out of the ground because it was attracting too many squirrels that were also eating her flowers!
I haven't seen one in it yet. It is rather small and swings so I don't thing our big butt squirrels will try. LOL
Great idea, and I would add some strong adhesive to glue the chain to the base… just in case 🙂
It is amazingly stable when you have the chains spread out.
What a great idea! I love getting creative with everyday items to make new things!
Thanks! 🙂
These are super cute, and I bet your local birds just love you!
Thanks…. they seem to.
How fun! I think I'll give this a try. My dogs would love to watch the birds flying around the yard! Thanks!
Our silly dog tried to get the little flocks of sparrow to play with her. She is such a nut.
What a great idea! Perfect Spring project! Thanks for sharing your creativity at Making Memories Mondays! 🙂
[email protected] kids and a fish
Thank you! It is an easy spring project 🙂
What a great idea and so quick and easy. Thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays, Blessings
Thanks for hosting!
Coming by from the Homestead Blog Hop, and love this idea! I'm always on the lookout for new feeders too, thanks!
You can make lots of them for cheap. You will be the talk of the birds!
So easy! We love mom-n-pop hardware stores too. It's great to see folks supporting local businesses.
I love our little village. We may not have much, but what we do have is friendly, so I want to see it stay!
This is fantastic! I love how it is cheap, simple and that you don't need any tools other than a simple screwdriver and hammer. Thanks for linking up at Mum-bo Monday
I am all about keeping things simple. Why work harder, when you can work smarter!
this would be a fun mothers day project! Thanks for linking it up with us! I think I'll do this with the sunday school kids! Country Fair Blog Party.
It is easy enough to do as a group project. Just make sure and adult opens the S hooks. The last thing you want is for a kid to slip with a screwdriver and stick it in their leg.
Hello!! Just wanted to let you know I will be using this in a round up (posting soon) from the Teach Me Tuesday party! Very much appreciate you linking up with us 😉
Thanks for including me!
Fab idea. Thanks for linking up with the Frugal Family Linky. You have been featured in my round up for the new linky up tomorrow. Hope to see you over there again. http://www.multicraftingmumy.com
Awesome! Thank you!
Such a great idea. I love watching the birds too- but I don't have a bird feeder. Thinking of making one. Thanks
My youngest was following a male cardinal around today LOL He said he couldn't stop because it was the most beautiful bird EVEH! LOL
What an awesome, inexpensive DIY! Thanks for sharing, Mindie 🙂
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Glad you like!
Such a cute idea!
Would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, and tips: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks!
Our birds would love this! (Our squirrels probably even more, lol!)
I don't think the squirrels would care for the swaying too much
Great idea for a bird feeder. Love to feed the birds too.
Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon Party,
Bev
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This bird feeder is cute, clever AND thrifty! I also love that you talk about shopping local for better customer service! Thank you for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
We love local! It may cost a bit more, but you save on gas, so it is a wash, really.
Great idea, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning.
Thanks for the pin!
Well done, Mindie! What a lovely, frugal, fun bird feeder! I've featured this post at the Hearth and Soul Hop this week. Hope to 'see' you there soon 🙂
Thank you so much for the feature! You know I wouldn't miss your party for anything 🙂
This is so adorable and I love how easy it to make! 🙂
I am all about easy!
Love this idea and pinned it! 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us each week on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth!
Thanks for the pin!
Good morning! This is just a little note to let you know that this post has been *FEATURED* today on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! Thank you for sharing and we hope to have you link up this week! 🙂
Thank you!!