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Sparrow feeding on seed feeder with additional feeder visible in background

How many bird feeders is too many

With safety in mind plus the need to cut down on bird food going to waste, there's really no need to use more feeders or bird food will likely go untouched.

Bird feeder poles on the market today have just five hanging brackets, thus you must have a maximum of five active bird feeders in use. Prioritize two seed feeders, two suet cages, plus a nut feeder. Bird feeder tray mounted to the pole is vital but doesn't count, while its vital to avoid bird food waste by overloading.

I have never personally used more than five bird feeders myself, although I do feel I can do better by actively filling up my mesh tray that is mounted to my bird feeder pole, but goes empty all the time.

With that in mind, I have never felt the need to extend my bird feeder range, nor have I seen so many wild birds come calling, I felt the need for additional feeders to be hung.

What you have hung off your bird feeder pole will absolutely be enough, even if its mean mounting a suet cage for example to feed birds who otherwise find it difficult to cling onto, or feed on any type of hanging bird feeder.

All common bird feeders must be hung together in order to attract birds to one spot, while too many bird feeders can only encourage too many birds, along with unwanted birds, plus critters and insects that arrive in a feeder area that isn't maintained very well.

Remember, in the wind your bird feeders will swing thus could risk crushing birds as they are distracted well they feed.

Prioritize space for two of the most important feeders on the pole - with the seed and mealworm feeder - along with suet and peanuts which do tend to be favored more in winter, or the colder months.

With your bird feeder pole overloaded with feeders, there's certainly no harm in finding, or making additional hanging space for those with busy with birds' gardens.

Never put a Hummingbird feeder next to regular feeders, while any trees must be utilized as a favorite place for birds to forage in.

Above five is too many

With the most popular bird feeders in use today, I can say for most of us, any number above five bird feeders, will be too many.

How I calculate that is with the most consumed bird feeder food - seed mix, wild bird peanuts and suet - will make up the bulk of feeders in use today.

Fortunately, you don't need a bird feeder for too much bird feed, thus two seed bird feeders plus an additional suet cage to two - and a peanut feeder is all that is needed which is hung up on a bird feeder pole, or a tree branch if you have it.

Fifth and final bird feeder you'll actively use more than any, is a bird feeder tray that is commonly mounted to the bird feeder pole.

In total then, you'll have two seed feeders, two suet feeders and one peanut feeder.

Now the bird feeder tray isn't quite a feeder but an additional place to put bird food, thus larger birds like Cardinals and Blue Jay's can safely feed. On the downside, too many bird feeders will make it easier for nuisance large birds to raid your feeders of its food. Rarely do crows come to feeders but its worth being prepared for unwanted birds.

With five bird feeders in use then plus your feeder tray, you'll bound to have too many bird feeders actively in use if the total is six or more hanging bird feeder, excluding any platform or mesh dish.

Only busy yards would need more

To go beyond five or more bird feeders then this will apply to few of us who happen to invite a large number of common songbirds on a daily basis.

Let me tell you to hang the bird feeders on a popular bird feeder pole commonly sold on the market, will limit feeders to only five - plus the feeder tray which will be mounted.

If you somehow manage to hang or even mount an additional feeder on the pole where it doesn't belong, consider yourself going overboard in your efforts to feed birds in your yard.

With that mind you can and probably should feed birds without a feeder holding them back, as certain bird species can't use feeders with others limited to only foraging on the ground, thus a ground feeder or throwing seeds on the lawn is vitally important.

Instead, be sure to situate a brand new bird feeding station elsewhere but still close to your original bird feeder placement. You don't want to spread feeding birds too thin as it becomes difficult to keep birds safe - with unused bird food rotting everywhere.

Busy yards full of songbirds like Chickadees, Finches, Robins, and Warblers can benefit with a loaded up bird feeder pole, plus an additional bird feeding platform on the pole, or if you like, even a dish on the ground or balanced on the deck railing.

You must organize your bird feeders in a way that allows birds to feed in safety, well at the same time not waste bird food by utilizing too many bird feeders.

Most of us see bird food waste

Regardless of how much bird food we use in any given bird feeder, most of use will experience wastage whether we like it not.

People will overload bird feeders early on with food but the waste will reduce the longer we feed birds - as people get an handle on how much bird food to use - before the bird food comes close to rotting in its feeder.

How many bird feeders will be too many for you, is if you can't replenish the feeders fully, or indeed can't afford to keep them topped up.

Bird feeders must be replenished with seeds, nuts, mealworms or suet of any kind with what you can afford, not what your visitors eat in a short time. Thus its vital you maintain fewer bird feeders as it will see far less bird food go to waste.

Quick note though, you can empty any seed or mealworms onto the ground to feed Blackbirds to American Robins, plus large birds who miss out with feeders if there's ever a chance too much bird food is about to rot.

Do fill bird feeders up a third of the way up only, to always save on bird feed waste, with an option to replenish feeders to the top at times of the year you know little bird food will be wasted in the process.

Conclude

How many bird feeders is too many for you, is basically above five because this is how much space you have on your bird feeder pole.

You can expand on different kinds of bird feeders off the feeder pole if you like of course, including a feeder like a tray to put on the ground or on a high surface to feed bird feeder-shy birds, like Bluebirds and Robins.

In all you should keep bird feeders in close proximity to keep wild birds safe in the corner of the yard, where you can observe them for their own safety.

Busy yards full of common backyard birds plus the occasional squirrel stopping by, can extend their feeders to six feeders or above.

You must still organize bird feeders in a way that keeps birds safe, with no swinging feeders bumping birds off - or indeed if you need to deter squirrels off an overload of feeders - could make that particularly difficult.

Many of use will see bird feed waste, with little we can do about it. Instead we can feed birds in as few bird feeders as we possibly can, to avoid cleaning barely touched feeders and the area around it.

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