I thought I'd share the instructions for the feeder cages I made for my suspended feeder & tray feeder. Someone might find them handy and somewhat cheaper (around £5 - £8 per cage) than the ready made ones. They work perfectly -so far- to keep the squirrels and pigeons off. I'd searched everywhere to find some baskets large enough to be useful, and only found suitable ones at Wickes DIY. I'm sure there'll be more elsewhere in-season in summer.
I've not entirely starved the unwanted critters as there are other feeders in the garden they're ok to take from ;-)
Video of a squirrel having a hard time, here .... photos.app.goo.gl/jHJyKCTnx9kZoVdy8
How to make the cages.....
Two 14 inch hanging baskets for the tall feeder with x2 cable ties holding it together - only at the top, so it's easy to open it at the bottom, slide it up and off to top-up the feeder. Don't pinch the ties too tight or it'll be difficult to release the cage from the feeder hoop (best to attach the ties with feeder hoop in place).
Two 12 inch baskets and parts of the supplied chains to suspend around the tray-feeder. Again, just two cable ties to hold the cage together as a hinge.
Removable chain links & clips used to support the base of the tray-feeder so that the lower cage doesn't drop down.
I used the chain clips with two links either side; three links to the far end, to suspend the bottom cage from the edge of the tray.
Best to add the clips & links to the feed tray before you attach the top cage, to make it easier to fiddle about and get the bottom cage to hang reasonably level.
Go Canaries!
Hi Kerri, For the baskets I bought - the starlings can get in. There might be other hanging baskets with narrower wire spaces, but most I could find were all pretty similar. I bought a cage feeder which keeps all but the smallest birds out (starlings not allowed ) Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules by posting a link, so here it is -Selections Deluxe Heavy Duty Squirrel Proof Hanging Bird Seed Feeder
Hey Kerri Marie
The RSPB Guardian seed feeder This One keeps starlings out (and it is amusing watching them trying to work out how to get into it... you can almost hear their cogs turning!) It is, however, quite expensive. We've had it nearly a year, and there is no visible damage to it so long term may be a better investment than the cheaper ones you can get
And I also have This One for suet pellets/mealworms which also keeps the starlings out (although one recently fledged one managed to get in for a couple of days until it grew!) There are other vendors, so look for cheapest price.