Cedar wood is known for its durability and resilience, making it an ideal material for bird feeders.
Cedar is the best wood for bird feeders and bird homes because it is durable and easy to work with, especially when shaved into thin strips for a more attractive appearance. Cedar is naturally insect-repellent and can resist extreme climate conditions, so the bird feeder can be used year-round, albeit it must be maintained.
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You can get great results from treating or painting cedar, and it will still give off that pleasant, natural perfume that deters insects when used for general purposes.
Staining a cedar bird feeder keeps the grain visible, but because it stores bird food, it must be nontoxic and have no lingering odor or fumes.
Any kind of bird feeder you can imagine, whether it be a hanging hopper feeder or a platform feeder, may be constructed from cedar wood and treated to a lovely sheen.
You may get cedar from either a hardware shop or a timber trader in your area. All of which would result in planed cedar boards that are ready for use.
A pallet or two lying around the yard, most likely made of red oak, can be easily dismantled and repurposed into a natural, rustic bird feeder.
Even while you can use oak to construct a bird feeder, I strongly advise using cedar instead.
Cedar best wood for feeders
The same logic that leads people to use cedar wood for bird homes also applies to using cedar for bird feeders, as it is the best material for usage in outdoor settings.
Cedar is a type of wood that has been modified for usage in the outdoors. It is commonly seen in places like decking, railings, flower baskets, and garden furniture.
The reason is that cedar is far more durable than other types of external wood and is therefore preferred.
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Cedar is durable enough to survive weather ranging from cold and damp to hot and humid. That’s great, because the weather inside your cedar bird feeder will constantly fluctuate and will put a strain on your feeder.
The fact that the wood is constantly in contact with bird food… sadly fairly often allowed to rot and decay…means that you should expect a quality supplier to offer you cedar planks that will resist bacterial and fungal growth.
Cedar, on the other hand, does not warp or bend as the weather changes because of air pockets in the grain that act as insulators.
Cedar is always the best wood for bird feeders, as long as they are occasionally cleaned up, maintained, and conserved.
Need to treat Cedar
An untreated cedar wood feeder can be used to create a platform feeder, or a feeder for hanging seeds or peanuts.
Even if you treat your bird feeder with oil, preserve it, or paint it, you should expect it to weather over time.
As the feeder ages, it can look great alongside your other weathered outdoor decor, so there’s no need to worry about keeping the wood in pristine form if you’re not a stickler for pristine condition.
Nonetheless, an exterior grade preserve is required to keep the cedar bird feeder in pristine shape.
This preservation will be marketed as a treatment for cedar used in outdoor or garden furniture, and is meant to be brushed deep into the grain. Cedar will absorb the treatment excellently.
Choosing a paint finish from a palette might assist the bird feeder fit in with the aesthetic of your yard, but ideally, you want it to complement the landscape rather than detract from it.
In order to preserve a cedar bird feeder, you’ll need to do so both on the exterior and the interior, but only the interior that will be in contact with the bird food if you know for sure that the preserve you’re using is nontoxic and won’t rub off in the variable weather.
Red Oak is an option
For the most part For outdoor projects in general, oak is the wood of choice, so if you’re not set on using cedar for your bird feeder, you’re in good hands.
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In the event that cedar is in low supply, red oak might be used for exterior applications as a substitute; however, I must admit that I personally prefer cedar.
However, using planks of red oak for general purposes is not an issue because a red oak finish may be obtained by applying a coat of tinted preserver.
A color preservation or treatment is still recommended because the red finish is not very obvious.
Red oak will provide you with the much-needed bird-seeking color by providing a striking contrast to the surrounding landscape. Therefore, you may add color to your bird feeder without the hassle of figuring out which paint or preservative will work best.
If you’re looking for a more rustic bird feeder, you could want to consider using red oak instead of cedar because it is more suited for pallets and similar goods.
To summarize
Cedar is the best wood for bird feeders since it can be used for everything related to birds outside, including bird houses.
The width of the planks you purchase, or the strips of cedar you rip to get a more desired finish, will determine how you construct the feeder.
Cedar wood can resist all climates, no matter where you are in the globe, and seasonal climatic fluctuations have little impact on a wooden bird feeder manufactured from cedar.
The cedar bird feeder should be treated with preserve or a paint with wood treatment included to at least slow down the natural weathering impact that is unavoidable with outdoor wooden decor.
Cedar is commonly used in the construction of outdoor garden furniture, making it easy to maintain with varnish, stain, or other finishes.
Because the bird seed in the cedar bird feeder will come into touch with the preserve or paint, you must be sure that neither is harmful or has a strong odor.
Red oak, which is frequently more rustic but does keep up well in the outdoors, is the next best wood for bird feeders after cedar, however it is not necessarily the best wood.
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Category: Birds
