Updated at: 18-06-2023 - By: Jane Brody

If you want to hang your bird feeder successfully, don’t rely on the hoop or ring that comes attached to it by default.

For the majority of people, the best place to hang a bird feeder is on a sturdy yet moveable bird feeder pole, while for others, hanging feeders from various branches inside a tree may be the best alternative. Trees complement a wild birds natural feeding environment, however a bird feeder pole of any kind can open up feeding time to all.

Best Way To Hang Bird Feeder-2

A bird feeder can be hung using the hoop that comes with it, or an additional length of wire, rope, or even a hanger can be used to keep the feeder from spinning.

Depending on your situation, you may need a hanger or a chain to secure your bird feeder to a pole or branch, respectively.

As to why the best way to hang feeders The reason it isn’t as easy as you may think is that the ring attached to most bird feeders is too narrow to accommodate a branch or the typical thickness of a bracket hook.

The length at which you hang the feeder might affect its stability and whether or not it attracts pests.

Not all bird feeders come with a hanging mount, and those that do usually require an additional chain or wire.

Make use of a metal hoop similar to a hanger to prevent a swaying bird feeder and to better support the feeder in any location around the yard.

The best approach to hang a bird feeder is at a convenient height, which can be attained by using a suitable length of wire, rope, or chain.

A bird feeder pole should not be placed near a window, as this could result in birds flying into it, but it can be placed in the middle of a lawn and moved over toward a tree or bush for further protection and shelter.

Reliable bird feeder pole

Hanging a bird feeder, if it is one that must be hung, is best accomplished with a traditional bird feeding station or Shepherd’s Hook.

A bird feeder pole allows you to hang bird feeders in the middle of the grass, when you would otherwise have no choice. This is because no other location in your yard can accommodate numerous recommended hanging places.

If you have trouble attracting wild birds to your bird feeder, you may simply uproot the pole and move it to a new area.

As not all birds prefer to roost in trees, a low-hanging bracket put on a pole can attract a wider range of typical backyard birds than would be possible if the bracket were mounted higher.

Best way you can hang any bird feeder of the seed, suet or peanut feeder kind is on the end of the bracket; where you thread the feeder hoop or use the ring on the end of the chain or wire, if it depends on that kind of device to hang.

Since a too-long chain or wire can bring the bird feeder’s food within reach of bothersome bugs, using the shorter hoop on top of a bird feeder can be useful.

You can rely on a sturdy bird feeder pole for all of your hanging needs, and you may use extra feeders by suspending them from a branch or mounting them on the wall.

Wall vs fence bracket

Best Way To Hang Bird Feeder-3

It never hurts to contemplate putting what can be a real yet lovely wrought iron bracket to a wall or fence which must be employed in addition to a bird feeder pole or tree branches.

A bird feeder suspended from a bracket attached to the wall provides an alternative feeding place for birds who choose to avoid competition for food at a single feeding station.

With that, a higher up site can be spotted by specific birds who may otherwise overlook the feeders placed up a little bit off the ground in your yard.

Keeping bears away from a bird feeder requires a very high hanging point.

Similarly, squirrels, raccoon’s or other typical backyard pests can be kept off feeders as they tend to miss or don’t attempt to climb so high to access bird food.

If possible, install the bracket at a height of 10 to 20 feet from the ground, with the possibility of installing it at a lower or higher height.

You can get this height by perching on the side of the house or a shed, or you can get down lower if you don’t have any pests in your yard.

If you don’t have to worry about common backyard pests, you can keep feeders out of harm’s way by mounting a bracket on a low fence post, shed, or garage.

Hang off tree branch

Most typical backyard birds can be found foraging high in trees for berries, insects, and bark, or lower in shrubs.

The best place to hang a bird feeder, with the possible exception of a hummingbird feeder, is from a low tree branch that is already within a safe area that birds frequent.

If your yard has a suitable tree, you can hang the feeders from its branches; otherwise, a bird feeder pole can be used.

It is still preferable to use a branch, even if that means hanging a feeder from a limb that extends into your yard from a neighbor’s.

If you want to attract birds from far away, you should hang your feeders from a shady branch of a tree that also provides some protection from the elements.

In their natural activity, birds will visit a tree specifically to forage, thus stumbling into a bird feeder is a pleasant surprise. In order to attract birds, the bird feeder must remain clear at all times, and you don’t want to miss this opportunity.

The bird feeder should be hung from a sturdy, mature tree branch with a gap in the foliage large enough for birds to settle and perch.

Birds often dive under the foliage of trees rather than fly into them because low-hanging branches provide excellent visibility.

Understanding how to hang a bird feeder from a branch is the first step toward attracting a variety of birds to your yard. The standard hoop is too small to fit over most branches, so you’ll need to add an extension of chain, wire, or rope, or make your own.

Bird feeder hung off line

Best Way To Hang Bird Feeder

If you want to keep the birds from destroying your bird feeders in an effort to get to the food inside, you’ll need to put the feeders high enough where the neighborhood varmints can’t reach them.

While hanging a bird feeder from a bracket 10 to 20 feet in the air is an effective deterrent against pests, this may not be high enough.

Bears are strong and agile climbers, so they understand that if they break the point that keeps the bird feeder suspended, the feeders will fall to the ground even if the bear doesn’t touch them.

Equally, nothing you can do will prevent squirrels from accessing and ruining feeders because they are great climbers.

Actually, there is, and it entails securing bird feeders to long lengths of wire that you then suspend from the branches of trees, from the roof to the top of a shed or other outbuilding, or from the house to a pole.

With the bird feeder strung so high above the yard, there’s no chance a bear could reach it to damage either end and pull it down.

They could use squirrels to traverse the wire, but the wire is too thin for the animals to climb without being injured.

If you don’t have a pest problem, you can instead rely on hanging bird feeders from a basic low down clothes line.

Summarize

For the birds’ benefit, how should one ideally suspend a feeder? Do birds flock to a feeder at a specific time, or do they eventually find one anyway? A bird feeder, as you may discover, is useful for birds not just in one specific area in your yard.

The first step in using your Shepherd’s Hook or bird feeder is to put it in operation by placing the pole in the middle of the lawn and impaling it in a well-lit spot that will attract birds that land or fly overhead.

If you have a yard, you should use a bird feeder pole to hang all of the feeders you already own and provide different types of bird food.

Because different species of bird have different nutritional requirements, it’s important to provide a variety of bird feeders filled with different types of bird food (such as common seeds, suet, peanuts, or dried mealworms).

Since birds are more likely to congregate around food sources, it is helpful to have a bird feeder pole that can hold up to five feeders at once.

In the wild, birds typically visit trees and shrubs to feed, so it’s important to take use of any trees you may have access to.

Hang bird feeders at various levels within the tree, but make sure the birds can see them and get to them easily.

If you don’t need to hang bird feeders with the goal of keeping pests off them, you can hang feeders higher up on the side of the house or outbuilding using a real wrought iron bracket, or you can hang feeders lower down on a fence post.

Hang bird feeders on a piece of thin steel wire tied between two points, high enough off the ground so that squirrels and other critters can’t reach them without stooping or climbing.

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