How to fill a peanut wreath
Peanut wreaths certainly do have the appearance of a complicated mess of twisted wire, yet you'll be glad to find out you only need to unhook the wire to open it up.
How you fill a peanut wreath of most popular brands, will involve opening the feeder in two ways - or fill the wreath without opening. To open the peanut wreath, unhook the twisted wire or the single wire frame near the top. Better yet, you can simply stuff the wreath with peanuts via both ends without unhooking.
How you open a peanut wreath to fill it with peanuts still in their shells, is certainly far less complicated than it appears.
What is comes down to is that you simply unbuckle the wreath wire, or what is the single length of wire acting as a frame/spine - which holds the whole feeder together.
Opening and closing the peanut wreath will involve hooking the buckle back again, which should provide you a safe and secure connection.
Whether you have to unhook the twisted wire or the wire frame, it all connects back on the length of wire that is used to suspend the peanut wreath on a bird feeding station pole, or a tree branch.
Don't be intimidated with this kind of feeder, its a solid, no fuss bird feeder that is made up of a flexible, tough metal frame.
If you go too hard it is unlikely to break, which will provide you plenty of flexibility when you attempt to open the feeder, as many times as you like.
How you feed wild birds peanuts in their shells can be in an open tray; only to suspend peanuts in this device, will keep wild birds safe and peanuts out of the way of pests.
To keep the whole peanuts accessible to as many wild birds as possible, fill the peanuts only a third of the way, which will see them sit at the bottom. In doing so, this will allow less able birds to perch in the center, while the more agile but smaller songbirds can cling beneath it, in the middle of the ring.
Open/fill peanut wreath three-ways
Filling up a peanut wreath bird feeder will of course involve opening it to do so, and how you fill this type of bird feeder will be made available in three different ways.
It will depend on the model and brand, yet it will always come down to unhooking the wire or frame - which will allow the wreath to open up - like when you put on a necklace.
- Fill without opening - rather than actually open the peanut wreath fully, which would require unhinging the twisted wire or the frame its connected to: you can simply fill the wreath feeder by pushing in as many peanuts as you can.
- Unhinge wire - some wreath bird feeders will require you to unhook/hinge the wire that twists around before coming to a stop at the top point, where the peanut wreath feeder hangs: simply unhook this part of the wire to provide you space to slot in more peanuts.
- Pull apart wreath frame - you won't open the peanut wreath to fill via the twisted wire this time, but rather you will unhook the single wire that is threaded through the wreath, which essentially acts as a frame to keep the feeder together.
Peanuts in shells that go in this peanut wreath aren't really that big, although the two-sided re-fill areas are both generally wide enough to slot in as many peanuts as it takes, to fill it to the edges on either side.
Fill without disconnecting
What I like about a peanut wreath is that you can replenish it with as many peanuts as it takes, without actually opening the feeder to re-fill.
How you do so would simply depend on you pushing in peanuts on either side of the wreath, where it nearly connects on the top section.
Bird feeders can begin to wear when you actively open/close them on a regularly basis, which means you can prevent too much wear and tear if you avoid opening it. Peanut shells can get scratched up, but really that will fine.
Of course that is unless you decide to fill this peanut wreath feeder with fat balls; they will fit and are made accessible to wild birds quite well - thus you can use this bird feeder in two ways - for peanuts in shells or up to twelve standard size suet fat balls.
Filling a number of whole peanut wreath bird feeders without disconnecting, can also avoid complications later.
Bird feeders can become faulty with a lot of use, thus not disconnecting the hook where you're suppose to will delay any potential issues down the road.
Unnecessary to fill wreath to top
When filling a peanut wreath bird feeder, its worth noting you don't have to fill the wreath to the top.
Waste is a big reason not to yet to over stuff a peanut wreath like this, will see peanuts drop out on either ends of the wreath.
I would focus on filling the peanut wreath with peanuts in their shells, only a third of the way. Pop peanuts in the wreath by using either ends or the one side, until peanuts sit mostly on the bottom [as pictured in the featured image above].
Not only will you avoid peanuts going to waste but now any wild birds like Blue Jays or Cardinals can feed on peanuts as they perch in the center, on the top side of the wreath.
What birds eat peanuts in their shells, and some who will eat peanuts out of a wreath feeder, can include: Chickadees, Nutcrackers, Grackles and many Woodpeckers.
Woodpeckers especially like to cling on the wire bird feeders in an upside down position, thus to fill the wreath feeder with peanuts made accessible at the bottom section, will ensure you can feed Woodpeckers upside down or facing up.
Conclusion
Opening a peanut wreath bird feeder isn't all that complicated, it usually boils down to unhooking the wire that winds around with a basic clip; or similarly you can unhook/hinge the actual length of wire that acts as a frame.
How you reconnect the peanut wreath will be similar to putting on a necklace, as you bring it back into a hoop to connect the hook.
As its happens you can fill/open a peanut wreath in three ways, with both mentioned, yet will always rely on unhooking the clip.
What is the best way to fill a wreath feeder like this one, would be by simply pushing in as many shell peanuts on either end of the wide open gaps.
Gaps that lead into the center of the wreath are wide enough to pack peanuts in, without opening the peanut wreath at all. Benefits to this method is it quick and easy technique, and will save you any issues later - as faults develop when its overused.
Never fill a peanut wreath to the top as you are guaranteed to waste a lot of peanuts.
What you must do is only fill the peanut wreath a third of the way, which will see the whole peanuts pile up on the bottom. What you end up with is an area for less agile birds to feed while perched on top, or where common bird feeder birds like Woodpeckers or Chickadees can hang on underneath.
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