Feeder Types II

A peanut feeder is a great way to save money on peanuts while still keeping Blue Jays and others around your yard. I would however hang the suet on it's own hook, I like to spread out the activity so the Downy Woodpeckers won't be scared off every time a Jay come into the peanuts. Also the suet tends to get pooped on when hanging right under another feeder.

There are various styles of wire mesh feeders ranging from wire tubes with the same top and bottom as their polycarbonate counterparts to very elaborate chainmail baskets. At first you’d think the seed would get awfully wet because of the open design, but I’ve found the seed actually stays dryer in a mesh feeder, provided the bottom is well drained and the all the seed is accessible, that is, the bottom deflects the seed toward the outside where the birds can reach it or the birds can eat from the bottom as well as the sides. Most birds, especially the small guys, will hang off the bottom of a wire mesh feeder and pick out seeds. The mesh allows the wind to blow through the seed keeping it dry, I’ve noticed in tube feeders the moisture sometimes condenses on the tube and runs down to the bottom where it often causes mold.

Most birds don’t prefer mesh feeders and they will empty the tube, hoppers and platforms before digging in to the mesh feeders, but there are a few species that would rather pick the seed through the mesh; chickadee, nuthatch and all the finch, will choose the mesh feeders over the others. Blue Jays, black birds and pigeons can’t gobble the seed down fast enough and will only bother mesh feeders if everything else (including your neighbours feeder) is empty. Some people only use sunflower mesh and nyjer feeders, getting a great array of small birds without the bullies coming around.

The first mesh feeder I came across was a peanut feeder for peanuts out of the shell. If you’ve ever offered peanuts to Blue Jays you’ll learn fast that you have to do something to slow down the intake. When offered free choice on a platform feeder, I’ve seen a Blue Jay stuff 13 peanut halves in his crop and beak, taking them away to hide and returning in moments to reload. Peanut feeders are made of quarter inch mesh wire, it’s just a little to small for a peanut piece to pass through easily. The jays have to work at it, pecking and pulling to get a nut. A scoop of peanuts that might only last an hour will often keep the jays busy for a week in a feeder.

Sunflower mesh feeders are the same as the peanut version but since the sunflower isn’t as likely to spoil, they can be larger. It’s not to say that you can’t feed sunflower seeds in a peanut feeder or peanuts in a sunflower feeder it’s just that you don’t want to fill the largest feeders with peanuts only, I usually add a few on the top of the sunflower, keeping in mind that this feeder will now be more attractive to jays and black birds.

One thing about mesh feeders is, you can’t feed mixed seed, those of you who follow this column know that I wouldn’t consider this a downfall as I don’t recommend mixed seed.

The scourge of the mesh feeder line has to be the nyjer mesh feeder (and nyjer stockings), this Saturday alone, I had 3 complaints and a return, (I was busy just before Christmas and didn’t get to warn of the down falls, when they brought it back for exchange the seed had to be chiseled out of the feeder). It’s the only nyjer mesh feeder that I haven’t talked people out of since last summer when I sold one to a couple from Arizona, I figured it’s dry there and even if it doesn’t work they’re unlikely to return it to me.

I’m not a physicist but I think the reason these don’t work while sunflower and peanut mesh feeders do, is the size of the seed. Picture a pile of sand, when you pour on water it stays wet and sticks together, you can even form it into sculpture. When you pour water on crushed stone, it runs through, the air circulates and the rocks dry off quickly. (If I remember my high school physics it has something to do with surface tension.) Sure, these feeders look great when they are packed with finch, but when the seed gets wet they are on to dryer pastures.

Peanut in the shell feeders can be made of wire mesh, perforated metal or metal bars. They too are designed to save you money on peanuts by making it harder for the jays who can take 3 peanuts in the shell at one time, and for some reason, they are even more expensive than peanuts out of the shell. With these feeders the jays have to break the shell open and remove the kernel, then they fling the empty shells out of the way to get at the full ones. These are the Blue Jay’s favourite and will keep them around all day without breaking the bank.

Suet feeders are usually made of wire mesh anywhere from quarter inch to one inch square, they can be made of all wire or have wooden sides. I find the wooden feeder easier to use but the all wire version is easier to clean. With wooden suet feeders I prefer models with wire bottoms over wooden, if the suet cake sits on the bottom for any time it stays wet and molds.

Window feeders come in three different styles, that I know of, an open tray with a roof, a small tube feeder and a small hopper. The open tray feeder often gets messy from bird droppings as the birds get right in the feeder to eat, also the empty seed shells are left in the tray so you have to keep a closer eye to notice when it’s actually empty. The small seed tubes have varying success, they are usually cheaper feeders and have a tray that catches water and snow. The Aspects Window Cafe is my favourite window feeder, it’s a small hopper with a roof that extends over the seed, this keeps the weather and the larger birds out. The roof attaches to the window with 3 good suction cups and the hopper/seed port remove easily for cleaning and refilling without removing the roof. (when you get a suction cup feeder to stick well you want to leave it there, especially in cold weather). The seed inside the hopper stays dry, I even use this feeder for the hulled sunflower seeds that require a very water proof feeder.