Do It Yourself!

Coffee Can Feeder

Coffee Can Overhang Feeder

A feeder with an overhang is another way of keeping large birds away. You can use a coffee can to make a feeder with an overhang. A three-pound can is good for this type of feeder. Cut away half-round sections from both ends of the can as shown. Cut the plastic can lid in half and snap it in place as illustrated. The overhang protects the seed from weather and from larger birds. Dowels can be added as shown, as can the wire hanger.

Be sure to have an adult put tape or plastic over any sharp edges of the can. You don't want to cut yourself when filling the feeder and you definitely want to make it safe for backyard birds.

If squirrels are a problem, the feeder can be suspended from a wire on which you have strung a number of spools, short lengths of conduit pipe, 35 mm film canisters, or plastic tubing. These spools rotate as the squirrel crawls along the wire, and the animal is dumped to the ground.