Birds populations have been severely plummeting for many decades in a row. According to recent studies, we have lost about 30% of of breeding birds, compared to the 1970’s. The goal of this DIY project is offer a solution to balance this decline. By feeding the birds during winter, we can help them survive the cold and the lack of food.
This feeder allows to provide grains to feed small birds such as robins, tits, and sparrows. The design meets the following requirements.
- Bird safety : The feeder should keep the birds out of cats reach. It should also keep out birds of prey.
- Grain protection : It keeps grains dry by protecting them from rain and snow.
- Size : It is large enough to allow multiple birds feed at the same time.
- Cleaning : Although I expect to clean it only once or twice a year, still I wanted cleaning to be easy.
- Temporary fixation : This is important to allow removing the feeder it in case of strong wind and storms.
Video: Bird Feeding House Parts, and Assembling Process
Solution Mixing Wood and 3D Printed Parts
I’ve chosen to make a house shaped feeder because having a roof allows to hide birds from raptors. The roof also prevents the rain and snow from reaching the grains.
The bird house is attached to a single wooden stake that is 150 cm high. Cats will not be able to attack birds while they eat. The attachment relies on a simple sliding mechanism. It’s clearance allows it to stay firmly in place. So, I can remove the bird feeding house whenever needed.
The final result is 45cm long, 15 cm wide, and 25 cm high. It mixes wooden rods and boards, with 645 grams of 3D printed PLA parts, all glued together. Relying on wood saved countless hours of printing. It is also interesting to use wood because it’s rigidity. Still, the thin boards I used deformed. So, I’ve added two metal brackets to limit the overhanging length.
Since PLA parts were larger than my 3D printer plate, I’ve cut them during the design phase. I’ve ensured the rigidity of the assembly by drawing jigsaw-like junctions. A small clearance allows for a tight fit.