DIY Bird Feeder For Under $5!!

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.

 

Now you just need to find a place to hang your feeder and fill it up.

Trust me, the birds will love it!!!


48 thoughts on “DIY Bird Feeder For Under $5!!

  1. 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!

  2. What a great idea! Perfect Spring project! Thanks for sharing your creativity at Making Memories Mondays! 🙂
    Cathy@three kids and a fish

  3. 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.

    1. 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.

  4. 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 😉

    1. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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 🙂

  7. 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!

  8. 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! 🙂

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