Upside-down feeders have become common nowadays. If you are tired of your suet feeder getting dominated by bully birds, you can consider purchasing and installing upside-down feeders on your property. If you’re new to these feeders, you might doubt their efficacy. Let’s examine it in the post below!
What are upside-down suet feeders?
Upside-down suet feeders are ordinary suet boxes. However, they have some structural differences, like the access to the suet is from the bottom, unlike conventional suet feeders. So let’s understand more about the upside-down suet feeders in the upcoming section.
Starlings and grackles won’t consume all of your suet, thanks to the suet feeders that are turned upside down. They won’t stop every bothersome bird, but they will cut down on their numbers and typically stop them from taking over the suet completely, allowing other birds a chance.
The upside-down suet feeders resemble tiny houses and have a wire grid like the cage feeders on the bottom. The suet can only be accessed from the bottom. You may raise the entire roof and slide it along the hanger cables to insert a typical commercial block of suet into this feeder. Then, lay the fat inside, then slide the top back down to replace it. It’s that easy!
Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouses, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, and occasionally Pine Warblers will frequent the upside-down feeder after the birds figure it out.
European Starlings and Common Grackles are prevented from congregating on the feeder top and taking control of it by the smooth, solid, angled roof.
Do upside-down suet feeders work?
Upside-down suet feeders have high efficiency and they do work. They can prevent large birds, keep away raccoons, protect suet from squirrels, and also can be a playful way for birds to feed being upside down.
Although you cannot get 100% results, these feeders help you in many instances. Let’s analyze below!
Prevent large birds
Many times, large birds try to dominate a feeder. They become territorial and chase away smaller birds from the suet feeders. Such a behavior keeps the tiny birds hungry and craving for suet. However, the upside-down feeders keep the larger birds away to some extent as they cannot figure out the feeder’s mechanism.
Keep away raccoons
Raccoons are often accused of stealing the suet feeders. The conventional feeders are simple to open. So, the invaders have mastered their operation. In contrast, the upside-down suet feeders are new to them. Most of these species have no idea how these feeders work. Also, most upside-down feeders have strong cages to hold the suet. It makes it impossible for the intruders to take away the suet.
Protect suet from squirrels
Squirrels are clever animals. They can easily find ways to reach the accessible side of the suet feeder. However, since these feeders are upside down, it won’t be much convenient for them to eat the suet. Also, they cannot access the suet caged in the iron grill. Thus, your suet remains safe from squirrels in the upside-down feeders.
An exciting way for birds to peck on suet
Birds love eating from a challenging source. Since they are wild, nothing comes easy to them, not even food. So, if you hang an upside-down suet feeder in your garden, some birds will love eating from your feeder like the woodpeckers. Also, you can expect them to visit your feeder more often without worrying about the more significant, authoritative birds.
Precautions while using upside-down feeders
Although upside-down feeders are safe, it’s better to maintain additional precautions while hanging them in your yard. Finally, look at the things to consider when installing an upside-down suet feeder for the birds.
Keep it in the shade
Placing your upside-down suet feeders in regions with shade can help keep them fresher for longer, as moisture and heat may fast cause your suet to go wrong.
Keep it away from walls
Although the upside-down suet feeders can prevent most invaders, you can walk an extra step by keeping it away from walls and hanging the feeder from a pole.
Hang it in a visible place
The suet feeder’s placement is crucial, especially if you want birds to visit it and eat. To get the birds’ attention at first, you might need to put it somewhere open.
Don’t place it on the ground
Since the upside-down feeder allows the birds to peck on suet from the bottom, placing the feeder on the ground will block the passage and make the system useless.
Don’t place it near seed feeders
The distance between seed feeders and suet feeders should be kept to a minimum. Birds that eat suet are often shy and suspicious of their surroundings.
How to prepare an upside-down feeder?
Do you want to build a DIY upside-down suet feeder for birds? Follow these steps, and you are good to go!
- Take a flat plastic container large enough to contain the suet and the cage.
- Drill two holes in the bottom of the container.
- Place the suet cage inside the container and loosely tie a wire through the holes you drilled earlier.
- Now, pull down the chain of the cell and place the suet.
- Attach a hook on the outer wire of the container and attach the cage chain to fasten the gate.
- Hang the feeder on a pole or a tree branch and wait for the customers to visit.
These steps might be overwhelming for you. Don’t worry! You can refer to the following video to better represent the DIY project.
Conclusion
Upside-down feeders work and have high efficiency. You can buy them at affordable rates and ensure food for every creature on your property. So, it’s best to get a functional upside-down feeder, prepare it well, and install it in your yard. Although you can’t chase away all bully birds, the chaos will reduce, giving every bird an equal food share.
