Can a Finch Mix feed be used successfully in this feeder ?
318522
You can but you must make sure that any seeds, sunflower chips, etc., are small... the size of red or white millet (max). Anything bigger will clog the openings.
731813
Michelle, The feeder did not work for me at all. It is solid plastic with four very small holes in it. The holes are positioned between the perches. If you ever watch a finch eat, this is not the way they do it. Save yourself the grief and wasted money. Get a mesh sock feeder and then just refill it. They work great. If you want something that looks more like a regular bird feeder. then get a feeder that is mesh not plastic with four holes. They can be messy so keep that in mind. This feeder is worth nothing, nada, zero.
1991112
Hi, absolutely...I have a pair of Zebra Finches and one Orange Weaver, I just fill the bathing area about half full for the smaller birds. They love it and it is easy to use and clean.
331463
It works very well with sunflower seed. That is what I use exclusively. the Cardinals will go to the perch of the feeder and eat from there.
2137684
My finches will use this before flying over to the finch feeder. If this feeder is crowded, the finches will move over to their own feeder.
1502107
As has been mentioned, thistle seeds could be put in this feeder, but they are for feeding gold finches and not all other birds. The thistle seeds are small, and work much better in a regular thistle feeder that is designed for the finches to hang upside down to feed. This feeder is great for sunflower seeds and the mixed bird seed. Many different birds come to feed at it, and it is very well made - sturdy.
576315
Yes. The size of the wire mesh around the feeder tube is far too small to allow grackles or anything larger than the smaller hedge birds; chickadee, wren, finch sized birds. I've had to replace the center tube as the plastic died from three years of UV exposure. Not hard to do and a $7 tube from Lowes was an almost perfect fit. I also created a coroplast cover to keep off the rain and discovered it gave some immumity to the smaller birds from a local Kestrel. Zero squirrel access.
2191197
I just use a mix of seeds in my feeder. We only get small birds in our feeder ( larger birds cause it to close). Maybe the smaller birds don't like the bigger seeds.
2235851
Not sure about those particular birds, but the holes are big enough to allow larger birds to access the feeder. The finches and other birds can eat through the whole container in a day and a half this spring.
1718464
No, in fact I've had a female Cardinal go in it at times with Gold Finches on the other side. Most of the time my larger birds will go to the other feeders.
939029
It seems to. The finches take a bit of time to start using the feeder because of the 'cage'. I would buy another.
2053057
It works good for me, I have finches. I don't have directions but I'd send you some photos. You can contact me via phone if you want also
377442
As long as it is a similar weight and size, you should have no problem at all. My feeder works great.
1111327
I am using a premium bird seed I bought at Tractor Supply. I add about 20% sunflower seed to the mix. We are covered up with Chickadees, Wrens, Eastern Towhee's, Cardinals, Finch, Downy Woodpecker, Indigo Bunting and many others I cannot identify. None of them seem to have any problem feeding at the small trough. Have you added the 1/4 inch plastic tubing to the perch as I outlined in my review? That gives the small birds a much better grip on the otherwise slick metal perch. Sometimes I add some Niger seed to the mix but it really does not seem to make much difference. I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina where we have many varieties of small birds. My land is covered with Pine trees so there is lots of spaces for birds to rest. Hope this helps.
1954130
It's a very wide mesh so that any small seed tends to fall through the mesh unless it's held in place by bigger seeds, like sunflower. So, if I'm understanding what a thistle feeder is, then it wouldn't work. The mesh is too wide for only small seeds. However, I do a mix of seeds and I get a variety of birds including finches, cardinals, red-winged blackbird, and sparrows. Most of those eat from the seeds that spill to the ground but the finches tend to cling to the ball and pull out the seeds.
1061399
Yes, I have cardinals that eat from my feeder. Although, I think they prefer flat feeders (trays), this has worked very well for me.
2250758
It sounds like you are doing everything right-- offering a water source and trees and shrubs for shelter. Timing could be the issue here. Birds can be pretty suspicious of anything new, and it will take time before they will eat from the feeder (especially since their natural food sources are becoming available as we get further into spring). Just please make sure you are keeping the seed in the feeder fresh-- maybe keep a little less seed in the feeder and change it every few days until you start to get some visitors. Also, are you seeing Finches at any of your other feeders? If not, you may attract them to your area by planting some milkweed or composite plants.