Picking the right seed feeder can appear tricky at first glance, but our helpful tips below will help you decide on the best feeder for your garden.

In 2022, of those with an outdoor space, 57% of those have been feeding our lovely UK garden birds. It’s a hobby that has increased hugely over the past few years. The result is that the bird population has also increased, and so has the range of species that we see in our garden!

So, there’s no better time to start! But before you do, you need to ensure you're getting the right seed feeder to complement your garden!

Choosing the right seed feeder

• Hanging feeders for seed mixtures

Using hanging bird seed feeders is one of the most common ways to feed garden birds; they are easy to use and require no assembly. If you are new to feeding birds, these are great options to start out with.

Typically, you can find them hanging from branches, trees, bird feeding stations or hooks in the ground. To find an optimal spot, follow our 4 tips for hanging a bird feeder.

Hanging bird feeders are available in all sizes and colours but usually in a tubular design. You will also find that each feeder will have a different amount of port holes and dispensers. Most seed feeders will be suitable for holding a range of bird seed mixtures. But, if you’re hoping to attract a particular bird family, you might want to consider a seed-specific feeder…

• Seed specific feeders

On top of having an all-rounder seed feeder, you will also find that peanut and Niger seed feeders are also available. These will only work for one specific seed as they have been carefully designed to ensure that the birds can feast easily with minimal wastage or damage to your feeders. Due to their tiny size, niger seed feeders include smaller dispensers to keep all of the seeds inside the feeder. On the other end of the size scale, you have peanuts! Their large round shape makes them unsuitable for generic seed feeders, so with peanut seed feeders you will notice a wide mesh being used on the outer casing. This allows birds to peck away at the peanuts without falling out or getting stuck in a smaller feeder.

• Squirrel-resistant seed feeders

It’s not uncommon for squirrels to be spotted at your bird seed feeders from time to time. And they can cause a bit of havoc while trying to get your bird food! They are known for stuffing their cheeks with bird food and causing damage to your seed feeders. So, if squirrels frequently visit your garden, we recommend using our squirrel-resistant feeders.

Picking the right bird feeding stations

If you have started to build up a range of bird feeders, you might want to consider a bird feeding station. Designed to hold a range of feeders at once, feeding stations can be assembled and placed anywhere in your garden. To discover more about bird-feeding stations, read our blog on the best bird feeding stations.

Caring for your bird feeders

Now that you have chosen your bird feeder, you should familiarise yourself with how best to look after it. Caring for the birds goes beyond feeding them, you also need to make sure that you are looking after their eating spots and ensuring that they are regularly cleaned. Skipping the cleaning stage can create a build-up of old food in your feeders, which will quickly get spoiled and run the risk of bacteria growing, enabling feeder-borne diseases such as Trichomonosis to spread to your birds.

The good news, cleaning your bird feeder is pretty easy to do. If it is your first time, or you want to brush up on some tips and tricks, make sure that you follow our 5 tips on how to clean your bird feeder.