How does this compare with bottoms up feeder?
1535518
In our experience, everything that Droll Yankees makes is about the best product on the market. We have changed all of our many bird feeders over to their line and won't look back. Well made, bird friendly and the Finches love multiple perches. Hope this helps.
1535519
Feeder has worked well -- little spillage and the seed stays dry. Have been refilling it from the top all summer and the nyjer seed at the bottom seems to be OK. I plan to dump it out and check before refilling for the winter but I don't expect to have to throw out the bottom seed. Finches eat from it but so do other small birds. If you want to restrict feeding to only finches, buy an upside down feeder (holes are below the perches, not above). Took the finches a day or two to get the hang of it but they really do feed hanging upside down and no other birds do this so all the nyjer seed in this type of feeder goes to finches. Feeder has worked well -- little spillage and the seed stays dry. Have been refilling it from the top all summer and the nyjer seed at the bottom seems to be OK. I plan to dump it out and check before refilling for the winter but I don't expect to have to throw out the bottom seed. Finches eat from it but so do other small birds. If you want to restrict feeding to only finches, buy an upside down feeder (holes are below the perches, not above). Took the finches a day or two to get the hang of it but they really do feed hanging upside down and no other birds do this so all the nyjer seed in... » Read More Feeder has worked well -- little spillage and the seed stays dry. Have been refilling it from the top all summer and the nyjer seed at the bottom seems to be OK. I plan to dump it out and check before refilling for the winter but I don't expect to have to throw out the bottom seed. Finches eat from it but so do other small birds. If you want to restrict feeding to only finches, buy an upside down feeder (holes are below the perches, not above). Took the finches a day or two to get the hang of it but they really do feed hanging upside down and no other birds do this so all the nyjer seed in this type of feeder goes to finches. « Show Less
1535520
I've had great results with this feeder and very little waste. I would recommend this feeder to you.
1535521
Feeder has worked well -- little spillage and the seed stays dry. Have been refilling it from the top all summer and the nyjer seed at the bottom seems to be OK. I plan to dump it out and check before refilling for the winter but I don't expect to have to throw out the bottom seed. Finches eat from it but so do other small birds. If you want to restrict feeding to only finches, buy an upside down feeder (holes are below the perches, not above). Took the finches a day or two to get the hang of it but they really do feed hanging upside down and no other birds do this so all the nyjer seed in this type of feeder goes to finches.
250319
Well, not sure what you mean by "small", but if you're talking newly-hatched to a few weeks old, we've found this one to work quite well for us over the last couple of years: http://www.amazon.com/Miller-Manufacturing-806RED-1-Quart-Feeder/dp/B001D1KXGQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417563659&sr=8-2&keywords=chick+feeder Hope this helps answer your question! :)
805308
Yes. The bottom is flat. A wildlife museum outside Tucson with a walk-though hummer exhibit does just that with one or two similar saucer-style feeders, IIRC.
1380977
Can confirm reliability as well. Have had the feeder for about ~5 months. The only thing that you may have to worry about is the TIMER, which is separate from the actual machine. Our digital timer broke and our cats didn't get fed for 1-2 days. We have since bought an analog one and have had no problems. I'd still recommend it, however. The timer was a different product.
277436
certainly this is better than a flat feeder. The top is well protected from rain, but the bottom where the birds sit and feed is open somewhat to rain. We have little to no rain in LA, but tons of squirrels. The Squirrels never get on it. you might want to look for a feeder with a large canopy.
1082931
I have six Tidy feeders and they are GREAT. They can be lifted up easily for escape, but I use a small bungee from Home Depot around all of my feeders and the problem is solved. Just unhook the bungee and lift off the feeder for service; a quick and easy process.
1878869
I have one cats that has outsmarted my other feeders and she has yet to break into this one. When my smaller cat eats it opens up and then when she walks away there is a slight delay when it closes, and sometimes my other cat will get maybe one piece of kibble but then the lid will close and she can't get into anymore. I got them both a feeder so the bigger cat wouldn't feel left out. I also try to separate their feeding spaces by at least a couple of feet. This has worked great and I have noticed that the bigger cat has lost some much needed weight.
1301010
I always take the feeder down to clean and fill it. It is easy to do. The previous answer was well written.
2061955
You should be fine with this feeder. There is a little sliding "door" that adjusts for the size of the food and the amount you want to fall out per feeding. The big button in the back will allow you to test the food quantity that is dropped before you have to wait for any timer setting you have set. I've used this with very tiny turtle pellets and with the turtle sticks. It does well with different types of food. The only thing I didn't like it with was fish flakes.They tend to stick because of the moisture. But pellets and sticks work just fine in my experience.
676125
It can be flipped up, for easy cleaning etc., but if you don't want it it would be cheaper to just buy a feeder without it.
1695988
I didn't notice any difference in activity, even with the feeder that is close to a window. Most of my feeders are around the edge of the deck or just beyond it. I do not feed during the summer since I'm told it's better to have them find food on their own, so I don't have as many birds close by now as I did earlier.
1040719
After a couple of different heights I settled on 34 inches to the lower part of the baffle to the ground. The feeder is 36 inches away from the bottom of the baffle and 20 inches higher than the bottom of the baffle. Feeder is 54 inches off the ground to bottom of feeder. When I first installed the baffle, the squirrels could not get up the pole past the baffle and thus tried to jump from the pole at the bottom of the baffle to the feeder but gave that up after a day or two. The whole installation has worked very well with the feeder not being so high that I can refill it easily from the ground and most importantly the squirrels are really "baffled". After a couple of different heights I settled on 34 inches to the lower part of the baffle to the ground. The feeder is 36 inches away from the bottom of the baffle and 20 inches higher than the bottom of the baffle. Feeder is 54 inches off the ground to bottom of feeder. When I first installed the baffle, the squirrels could not get up the pole past the baffle and thus tried to jump from the pole at the bottom of the baffle to the feeder but gave that up after a day or two. The whole installation has worked very well with the feeder not being so high that I can refill it easily from the... » Read More After a couple of different heights I settled on 34 inches to the lower part of the baffle to the ground. The feeder is 36 inches away from the bottom of the baffle and 20 inches higher than the bottom of the baffle. Feeder is 54 inches off the ground to bottom of feeder. When I first installed the baffle, the squirrels could not get up the pole past the baffle and thus tried to jump from the pole at the bottom of the baffle to the feeder but gave that up after a day or two. The whole installation has worked very well with the feeder not being so high that I can refill it easily from the ground and most importantly the squirrels are really "baffled". « Show Less
457242
Hi Leanne, Thanks for your question. Actually there are several important differences between our "Skinny Squirrel" Proof bird feeder and the others on the market. The main ones are that: 1.) The "Skinny Squirrel" model is made of extremely durable and heavy duty metal vs the cheap plastic that you'll find on other lesser models, which break / crack / and become unusable after one season typically. 2.) The "Skinny Squirrel" model is also EXTREMELY easy-to-use, even if you've never used a bird feeder before, and comes with detailed instructions to show you how to setup your feeder in less than 2 minutes. 3.) Honestly, I personally, have never seen a bird feeder thats better at keeping the squirrels away, forever, than the "Skinny Squirrel" model. It really works great, and when we do field testing with the other competing models, ours always gives the squirrels the most trouble, and they eventually stop coming vs most of the other models where they learn a "workaround" to get to the food.. I encourage you to check one of our "Skinny Squirrel" bird feeders yourself and let us know what you think... I know that you're going to love it, just like all of our other customers.. Have a blessed day, Mark
1889154
I haven't had any problems with it. I have had it for over a year now. I use it for my dog. If your cat is trying to get the food to drop down, you can try fastening the tray with tape underneath or something. I picked this feeder because it had the best reviews and the large container.
368079
I have 2 Australian Shepherds with the largest of the 2 begin very active. Our feeder has never been knocked over in the year we have owned it. It works very well for our dogs.
1398927
I have a conventional tube style bird feeder and it holds up extremely well. I can't see the product deteriorating any time soon. It's very sturdy. I highly recommend it.
1473441
It is suppose to automatically feed itself....but half the time I have to undo the bottom and pull the feed out.My suggestion is that you get the 12 inch (so wish I had).