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I swear I've seen something like this in HD or Lowe's, but I can't think of which department or what to call it to even search for it.
I need something akin to a wide-mouth funnel (or some kind of upside-down e-collar looking contraption, for you dog owners) that I can place beneath my bird feeders and catch discarded sunflower seed hulls. Depending on the piece, I may be able to split in half and mount to the pole itself or, if it's something that could sit atop a shorter post in the ground, that would work too.
Maybe something in the A/C ducting department? I know it's not going to catch 100% of the hulls, because birds are messy as heck, but even a 50% reduction would be better than nothing. I'm trying to think outside the box to solve this problem. Sunflower hearts are too expensive; they're $65 for 35 lbs versus $20 for a similar size bag of regular black oil sunflower seeds.
I swear I've seen something like this in HD or Lowe's, but I can't think of which department or what to call it to even search for it.
I need something akin to a wide-mouth funnel (or some kind of upside-down e-collar looking contraption, for you dog owners) that I can place beneath my bird feeders and catch discarded sunflower seed hulls. Depending on the piece, I may be able to split in half and mount to the pole itself or, if it's something that could sit atop a shorter post in the ground, that would work too.
Maybe something in the A/C ducting department? I know it's not going to catch 100% of the hulls, because birds are messy as heck, but even a 50% reduction would be better than nothing. I'm trying to think outside the box to solve this problem. Sunflower hearts are too expensive; they're $65 for 35 lbs versus $20 for a similar size bag of regular black oil sunflower seeds.
Ideas?
What diameter? If it's a tree one time I took two sheets of plywood and cut semi circles on the two pieces and attached that below the feeders. However that was to discourage cats from getting to the birds. It did catch a lot of seed and hulls and made for a perch for birds awaiting their turn.
Yes, it does cost more, but you are also not buying a half a bag of sunflower shells. It is nice not to have to blow off the deck to clear all of the shells.
Remove the feeder, and stop buying feed!
This ain’t rocket science!!!
LOL...but the birds are nice to watch.
OP - have you considered planting sunflowers in the spring? Buy the end of the season you have sunflower heads that you can just hang up and the birds will feed directly from them.
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Originally Posted by lunetunelover
LOL...but the birds are nice to watch.
OP - have you considered planting sunflowers in the spring? Buy the end of the season you have sunflower heads that you can just hang up and the birds will feed directly from them.
Yep. There're all kinds of plants that look good in the garden and produce seeds the birds like to eat. Imo, it's more enjoyable watching them flit around the garden gathering seeds than it is to watch them at a bird feeder.
I swear I've seen something like this in HD or Lowe's, but I can't think of which department or what to call it to even search for it.
I need something akin to a wide-mouth funnel (or some kind of upside-down e-collar looking contraption, for you dog owners) that I can place beneath my bird feeders and catch discarded sunflower seed hulls. Depending on the piece, I may be able to split in half and mount to the pole itself or, if it's something that could sit atop a shorter post in the ground, that would work too.
Maybe something in the A/C ducting department? I know it's not going to catch 100% of the hulls, because birds are messy as heck, but even a 50% reduction would be better than nothing. I'm trying to think outside the box to solve this problem. Sunflower hearts are too expensive; they're $65 for 35 lbs versus $20 for a similar size bag of regular black oil sunflower seeds.
Ideas?
Where is the feeder now and what is under it? (deck, mulch, grass, pavement)
Take a picture of what you have so we can see what you're up against, I truly think my best idea would be trying to find a solution OTHER than trying to collect and handle all the husks.
Can it be moved somewhere that is either easier to sweep or vacuum under, OR - even better - the seed husks can stay and not bother you? What if you planted a big shrub under the feeder, or moved the feeder so it is over a big shrub that the husks would fall down into and disappear as mulch? What if the feeder were in a grassy area where normal mowing would pick up and disperse the husks in the grass? What if it were over a paved area where you could vacuum, sweep or hose the husks into a flower bed or mulch area?
Can you perhaps switch to another kind of feeder that doesn't cause the husks to drop? We use a flat platform feeder, and most of the husks stay in it. When we go to refill it, which we do daily, there are a LOT of empty husks in there (which we dump on the ground, and our chickens disperse them so they're not a problem). That may not work for you, but there has to be some solution that would.
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