The most important thing to remember about these suet feeders is that you must be patient. Larger woodpeckers, due to their flexible necks and long bills, are able to reach through the cage to eat at the suet while the smaller downy simply climbs right in.Īn upside down feeder lets our suet eating birds, who have no problem hanging upside down, feed easily while keeping ones who don't like that position, like starlings and squirrels, away. The wire screening of the cages is 1"x 1", allowing the smaller birds to fly in while preventing the larger birds and squirrels from gaining access. You can either purchase a suet feeder that is inside a covered cage (great for keeping rain out as well as squirrels) or different size cages that can hold your existing suet cage. And while we don't mind sharing our bird food with all, sometimes these "problem critters" just take advantage of our kindness! Thankfully, there are ways to stop them in their tracks simply by using either a cage or an upside down suet feeder. Squirrels, Jays and Starlings are the three creatures that can devour your suet at one sitting, leaving none for your chickadees, woodpeckers or bushtits. Unfortunately, songbirds are not the only ones who love suet. You can also buy a tail hook that can hold two suet cakes with an even longer tail brace - perfect for pileated woodpeckers.Ĭlick on the link below for a video of the birds enjoying one of these feeders. We carry several styles in recycled plastic. This "prop" gives the woodpeckers a tail brace so they can hang onto the feeder easier - just like they would hang off a tree while feeding. This is a wire cage that has a longer piece hanging down, making a perfect feeder for woodpeckers. One of the more popular suet feeders is the tail prop. If you do want it to be protected from the elements, a weather dome with a small hook will work well. They hold either one or two suet cakes (depending on the size) but usually do not have a roof to help protect suet from the elements. The most basic suet feeder is just a wire box. They also come in different sizes to fit any size yard or bird. Some are made specifically for a special type of suet, like suet plugs or Bark Butter while others may be made for a specific type of bird. Suet feeders come in many shapes and sizes. So give cylinders and stackables a try - our chickadees can't be wrong! Stackables are now all we feed in our front yard (no mess for my flower beds!) and we have more birds there than in our many feeders in the backyard. But don't worry, if you have birds in your yard they will love your stackables. Like any new feeder or food, it may take a little time for the birds to discover it. Here are some other cylinder feeders that we have found to be successful. But whatever feeder you choose, your birds will love them all!Ĭlick on the link below to watch birds enjoying a cylinder feeder. You can either baffle your pole, use a Holscher cage to place around your feeders or try a large dome. Squirrels will also appreciate these foods so you may need to protect your feeder from their voracious appetites. But the best ones offer a cover as well as a tray such as the Aspects Dinner Bell. The simplest feeder is simply a "stick" that holds the food. There are several ways you can feed cylinders and stackables. Most cylinder feeders allow you to use up to 3 stackables at one time, letting you feed the birds all their favourite foods (like nuts, seed or suet) at the same time. Stackables are just small cylinders but their small size (10-13 oz) means that you can easily mix or match flavours in a single feeder. You can purchase most in two sizes small (up to 2 lbs) and large (4-4.5 lbs). You can also offer Nutty for Nuts cylinders (are a great favourite of woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and bushtits) or a No Mess Cylinder that leaves no shells behind and is the a hit with all the birds. But that is where it ends.Ĭylinders are available in different types - from suet doughs to seed - and flavours, like Woodpecker, Supreme or Cranberry Fare. About the only similarity is that they are both held together with gelatin and are hung in a tree. That is why using cylinders and stackables are such a great idea.Ĭylinders and stackables are a far cry from the bird bells we all used at some point in time. And usually that means an easy (easy to take care of) and clean (little mess on the ground to attract rodents) feeder. No Mess, No Fuss Cylinder FeedersĮveryone is always looking for the best way to feed the birds. They both feed very clean (with little or no mess on the ground), both have minimal work to keep the birds fed and both attract the same variety of birds like woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches. These two groups of bird feeders are very similar.
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