Crow feeders are the different types of containers used to fill the grains and attract crows in the yard. They are available in various sizes and shapes and are always kept outdoors, either hanging or placed on a table. Crow feeders can be a great way to connect with the crows and nature. In addition, you can attract more crows in your backyard or balcony in the winter season as they don’t wander to different places in search of food.
Do crows use bird feeders?
Crows mostly prefer open grounds to feed or satisfy their hunger as they are social birds and therefore observe the surroundings while enjoying their food. But, some crows prefer eating from bird feeders as they don’t have to put much effort in searching the food and get to eat it easily.
To attract the crows to your yard, you can keep the small branch of the tree near the bird feeder so that they can get the feeling of eating in the open ground.
What kind of feeders do crows like?
The crows usually like to sit in one place and have their food, be it fruits, grains, or dead animals. So they would prefer eating from the Tray feeder.
Tray feeders have a flat surface where you can put the grains or seeds. As the size of this feeder is big enough, they can sit on it and enjoy the food.
What kind of food does the crow like?
Crows are omnivorous, and they feed literally on anything. They hardly have any diet restrictions and hence can survive in any region.
The different types of foods that the crows like are:
- Fruits & Berries
- Nuts & seeds
- Corns
- Insects, worms
- Reptiles
- Dead animals
- Bird eggs
- Fish
You can make a crow corn feeder or seeds & nuts feeder in your balcony as these foods are easily available and can last in the feeder for a long time.
What should you not feed crows?
There are some food items that shouldn’t be fed to crows as they are harmful to them and can cause illness.
- Seeds of apples, peaches, pears, and cherries
- Uncooked or dried beans
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Sweet items
How to make a DIY crow feeder?
DIY feeders are an excellent way to showcase your creativity for attracting more crows to the yard. So, if you plan to create one for your garden or balcony, here are some of the ideas.
1. Tea Cup Feeder
This is one of the easiest ways to make DIY feeders.
Materials needed:
- Teacup and saucer
- Strong adhesive glue
- Gutter hook
- Seeds
Process:
- Ensure that the cup and saucer are cleaned before you use them.
- Put some glue at the edge of the saucer.
- Tip the cup to one side and stick it to the edge where you have put the glue.
- Leave it for 24 hours before you hang it outside in the balcony.
- After that, add the seeds in it and hang them in the balcony.
Advantages:
- The feeder can be made free of cost
- The unique design of the feeder
- Crow can comfortably sit on thw saucer and enjoy eating the food.
Precaution:
If the cup and saucer are made of glass, they might break if it falls from your hand or while hanging it.
2. Orange Cup Feeder
This orange cup feeder can be placed in two ways, first by hanging it with a hook in your backyard or balcony and second by spearing the bottom of the orange to the sturdy twig or branch.
Materials Needed:
- Oranges peel cut in half
- Nuts & seeds
- Big needle
- Thread
- Hook
Process:
- Put the thread in a needle and pull it down to the length you want the feeder to hang.
- Now take both the ends of the thread and tie a knot.
- Take a needle, put in the orange peel, and remove it from the other end. Similarly, take the threads and do this for the other 3 sides. Now, take all the threads and tie a knot.
- Place the hook where you want to hang the feeder, and then hang the orange peel with seeds in it.
Advantages:
- No fear of breaking or damage
- You can keep enough food or seeds in it for the crows
- Lightweight and requires less space.
Precaution
Be careful while putting the needle in the orange as it may prick your finger.
3. Wine Bottle Feeder
This is one of the attractive-looking bird feeders that one can have in their balcony or backyard.
Materials needed:
- 3 feet copper wire
- Glass water bottle with a screw top
- Spool of 20-gauge copper wire
- Ornament
- Jewelry pliers
- Soda-bottle feeder attachment
- Birdseed
Process:
- Take the 6 feet copper wire and make a curl.
- Insert the fabric in the copper wire and make a tight curl.
- Hold the curled part near the outside hotel.
- Now wind the wire around the bottle 2-3 tines with the big curls. The wire will support the bottle and help the bottle to remain firm.
- With the help of a small copper wire, secure the ornament you have taken for decorating the front side of the bottle. Then, you can twist the small copper wire in the large copper wire.
- Make tiny curls at the end of the small copper wire so that it doesn’t hurt the crow while eating the seeds.
- You can add the seeds in the feeder and hand the wire to the hook or nail in thr balcony or backyard.
Advantages:
- Very easy to make.
- Requires less space
- You don’t have to refill the bottle with seeds frequently.
Precaution:
Beaware while twisting the wire as the ends are usually pointed and may hurt you.
4. Lego Feeder
This is one of the fun ways of creating the feeder. If you or your child likes to play with Lego, this is an interesting and attractive feeder.
Materials needed:
- Lego blocks
- Seeds
Process:
- Initially, plan how you want the feeder to look like.
- Start building the blocks as per your preferred design.
- Fill in the seeds and place it on the table in the backyard.
Advantages:
- Easy to build.
- Doesn’t need more materials to make
Precaution:
Plan the design carefully, as you might have to rework on it.
5. Milk Carton Feeder
This is one of the unique ways of creating the feeder and can be made easily with the items available every day in the house.
Materials needed:
- Milk Carton
- Hook
- Decorative paper
- Scissor
- Adhesive
- Box cutter
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Screwdriver
- Twigs
- Seeds
Process:
- Wrap the decorative paper to the milk carton.
- Take the measurements and make a window on the front side of the carton. Ensure that the window size is big enough for the crow to put the head in it to pick the seeds.
- Add the seeds to it.
- Make a small hole on the upper side of the carton to insert the hook and hang it.
Advantages:
- Require less time to make it
- Lightweight
- You can add more seeds to it.
Precaution:
You have to carefully take equal measurements of the carton before cutting it as it may spoil the design, and the seeds may fall.
How To Attract Crows?
If you have created the feeder and waiting for the crows to come to your yard, then here are a few tips for you:
- Create a roosting ground
As crows are social animals, they always observe what’s happening around them. And for this, they prefer sitting on the horizontal roosting poles. So, to attract them, you can arrange one if you don’t have it in your backyard.
- Make water sources available.
Crows need water for drinking, bathing, and cleaning their feathers. So, if you create a water bath for the crows, they might come into your yard.
- Remove noise
Crows get spooked when they hear a random noise nearby. So, if you have a bell or windchime in your balcony or garden, you should take them off to attract crows.
- Place decoy crows
Crows are social birds, and therefore they follow each other. So, if you keep a decoy crow in your balcony or garden, then the other crows will also come to your yard or garden.
Here are a few more ways to attract crows to your balcony.
Crow Puzzle Feeder
This is one of the unique and fun ways to feed the crows. As the name suggests, you have to create a tricky way for the crow to reach the food. Below is one of the simple puzzle feeders that you can create at home for the crows.
Take a long flexible wire and turn it round to make a basket (Vertical). Ensure that the length of the basket is long and the width is small (not too small for the crow to get stuck inside) so that the crow doesn’t go directly to eat the grains. Now blunt the sharp edges with the help of flush cutters so that it doesn’t harm the crows.
Now, hang the wire with the help of an S hook and watch the crow eating the food placed inside it. You can see the crow vertically going inside the wire basket and eating the grains.
Different Types Of Crow Feeders
There are various feeders available online that you can buy as per your choice and requirement. Here are some of the types of feeders that you can buy and attract more crows to your balcony.
1. Ground Bird Feeder Tray
Product link: https://www.amazon.com/Gray-Bunny-GB-6889-Feeding-Platform/dp/B07FR78SD7/
This type of feeder is more suitable for the crows as they prefer feeding on a flat surface. It has a durable mesh tray made of steel and coated with rust-resistant black powder to make it suitable for all weather. It measures 7×7 inches and can fit anywhere like the tabletop, garden wall, rooftop, etc.
Benefits:
- Easy to clean & wash
- No mess
- Durable
- Robust
- Compact
2. Hanging Feeder Tray
Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/WOSIBO-Platform-Decoration-Backyard-Attracting/dp/B082B6KZZ2/
It is a rectangle mesh tray made of steel and coated with rust-resistant powder. It has long chains used for hanging the feeder in the balcony. It will help you to attract the crows in your balcony.
Benefits:
- Durable
- Robust
- High Quality
- Easy to clean
- Lightweight
3. Clear Window Feeder
Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Hangout-Weatherproof-Feeders-Watching/dp/B00YSU3WG2/
If you are a nature lover, this feeder is the perfect fit for your balcony. It is transparent and two sections where you can add 2 differnt types of food items to attract crows. In addition, it has suction cups that make it easy for you to stick it to the walls.
Benefits:
- Transparent
- Easy installation
- Removable tray holds
- Built-in drain holes
- Easy refill
- Easy cleaning
4. Panorama Feeder
Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/HARXING-Panorama-Hanging-Outside-Decoration/dp/B08R6QJ5S9/
It is one of the fancy feeders having a beautiful gazebo design and hence can be used as an outdoor decoration as well. It has an inclined roof to protect the crows from the hot sun and heavy rain. It has a circular perch that lets the crow feed from all angles.
Benefits:
- Large capacity
- Easy to refill
- Easy to clean
- It can be used as a decorative item in a balcony or garden.
5. Detachable Deck feeder Tray
Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Deco-Attracting-Detachable-Adjustable/dp/B07TYK52FH/
This is a multipurpose feeder tray used to feed the crows from one tray and provide them water source in another water tray. This can also be used as a flower pot holder, where you can remove the tray which you don’t want and put a flower pot there. It is made of heavy-duty thick steel and coated with rust-proof bronze powder.
Benefits:
- Easy installation
- Durable
- Rust-proof
- Multipurpose use
- Easy to clean
- Easy to refill
Conclusion
Crow feeders have become a trend these days, and therefore most of us like to install different types of feeders in our balcony or garden. There are various types of feeders available on the market or online, and hence selecting the one that most suits your requirement is a challenging task. But, after taking the feeder, adding healthy and preferred food items of the crow is the basic thing that we must always consider.
I hope this article has given you some idea of the crow feeders and how to make it at home if you are a bird lover.
If you know any other feeders that are suitable for the crow, let us know in the comment section below.
