Hi I’ve just come across your post and I had exactly the same problem. I love feeding the birds but saw a few rats in my garden which I definitely didn’t want. They would feed on the food that had fallen down from the feeders so my husband made hanging trays for underneath each feeder. This has completely solved the problem and the rats haven’t been seen since and the added benefit to the trays is ground feeding birds like robins, chaffinchs and dunnocks fly into the trays and eat the fallen food. I’ve attached a photo and hope I helps. Sorry the photos are sideways!!
That's a fantastic idea! Will definitely look into this for my round feeders.
I'm trialing various anti-rat/wood pigeon/magpie bird feeders. It's a very rickity Moroccan bird cage as old and I am, from Marrakesh in the heady
Beetle days. I've added wire and taken out wire and hung a regular bird feeder inside (fluke that it fits perfectly).
I've tried similar set ups before but had no luck enticing small birds inside, so I have made some holes bigger. They are very nervy with all the cats about. I'll leave the feeders up for the summer and hopefully the birds will feel confident before the food rots or the whole thing falls apart.
In some previous attempts wood pigeons sat on the edge and rocked it until the food fell out; that's the outcome, if not the intention. This feels like a last attempt at trying to find a solution. It's all a bit ornate but I do not want to be defeated!
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