bird feeders

[dixie_belle]

So, yesterday afternoon I put out my feeders for the birds. We've been having some heavy rain and I don't leave them out when it's raining as the seed just gets all moldy. I have this one feeder that looks like an old timey lantern and it holds about 8 cups of sun flower seeds. I hung it out on the pole yesterday afternoon. This morning I was up, bright and early, at 5:00 am and the dang thing was empty. And do you know why? Because there was a HUGE RACCOON standing on the fence scooping out handfuls of seeds and eating them. Sigh. Oh well, so instead of a bird feeder, I have a raccoon feeder.

 

[Miniv]

Now that made me chuckle....... I'd rather they eat up our bird seed than kill our chickens! They sure are opportunists!

 

[amysue]

I have a raccoon problem here. With cows and a corn pile on the property. ..coons are everywhere. At night, if you shine a flashlight onto the tree line next to the corn silos, all of the critter's eyes shine and it's creepy. I found that putting the birdseed with hot pepper coating keeps the coons at bay. It doesn't affect the birds, as it is sprayed on the seed shell outer coating, which the birds crack away with their beaks, but coons, squirrels, chipmunks and mice won't eat it. Had that problem in the winter with my homemade suet. Coons and bears were carrying the suet cages right off into the woods.

 

[dixie_belle]

I have a suet feeder out, as well. I know better than to leave that puppy out overnight because it disappears. Not just the suet, but the cage as well. I buy the cages six at a time because I have been known to forget to bring it in and when I wake up in the morning...well, you guessed it. It's gone. I am assuming that in the woods behind my house there is a pile of wire suet cages. Years from now someone will find them and wonder why I would stack them all in the woods. Well, it's not me. LOL