Disaster with bird feeder

16 years ago

This summer i made a bird feeder/bath from a cup and saucer and glued it to a post. Winter came, some bird or animal reached my feeder maybe trying to get grains frozen in water in saucer and I found my beautiful cup without bottom far away from the post. Mess. Bottom of cup is still glued to the saucer. Do you remove you cup&saucer feeder for winter or do you keep it somewhere under the roof? Mine was under open sky.

Comments (11)

kirkus
16 years ago
I attached a copper cap to the bottom of mine so I can take it off the copper pole and bring it in. I bring mine in during the harsh winters here for fear of breakage during the cold weather. I have had raccoons go after one of mine. It was a really BIG cup and saucer (soup size), and they broke the saucer! So I pried off the saucer remains and glued the BIG cup to the cap and mounted it on the copper pole. Sorry about your cup! Kirk
nonacook
16 years ago
If we are going to have a hard freeze, I make
sure there is no water in anything that will break.
Just a little water will cause something like your cup, to break.
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Bright199
16 years ago
Yep bring it in. I had one brake like that and just glued it back to the base with GEII and still use it.
nmgirl
16 years ago
How irritating!
From your description it sounds as if there were no drainage holes drilled in the cup? Or were the drainage holes blocked? If that's the case, the expansion of the water freezing may have broken the cup and then the top was blown away. If the break is fairly even all the way around that's probably what happened. An animal usually leaves a more ragged edge.
Any type of clay or concrete item is vulnerable to winter damage. Cracking and sloughing are the two most common problems. If you can't insure perfect drainage perhaps you should consider using your cup'n'saucer feeders only during nonfreezing weather? It would save some frustration and disappointment on your part. I hate to lose my pretty stuff, the homely things seem to last forever.
Sigh.
kudzukween
16 years ago
Aww, I feel bad for you. I lost my butterfly bowl when we got into the teens. Doesn't usually get freezing cold and I was busy and didn't dump the water out. It cracked,but it's still holding water. Boy,that silicone HOLDS,doesn't it?? LOL Well,lots more orphaned bowls where that one came from!
Crafty Gardener
16 years ago
I have to take mine in over the winter due to the extreme cold and huge amounts of snow we get. I started making mine using a bud vase, or a small bottle would work, and they are so much easier to lift off the copper pipe to bring inside.

Here is a link that might be useful: tea cup feeders
nmgirl
16 years ago
I love the bud vase look and idea, I have to remember that one!
gardenlady58102
16 years ago
Wow! Bud vases for bases..what a grand idea! I've made a few tea cup feeders, but did find it a pain to clean them...not any more I guess! Bud vases here are about .10 each, so have many of them :0) Thanks for the great idea!!
njtomboy
16 years ago
Craftygardener thats a powerful idea!!! Thanks!!!!!!!
Crafty Gardener
16 years ago
Glad you liked the bud vase idea. Show us some photos
njtomboy
16 years ago
sure thing! ;)

Disaster with bird feeder

Comments (11)

kirkus

nonacook

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