How to hang bird feeder from gutter

Why you'd want to hang bird feeders on a length of guttering could be due to lack of space on the ground, pests, pets, or it could be to attract more birds to your bird feeders.

How to hang bird feeder from a gutter will rely on suspending the feeder off the more solid and secure bracket, end cap or a corner joint. Avoid the gutter sections unless its deemed safe, while using a length of wire or clothesline to hang bird feeders in a way you'll less likely to see bird feeders slide off.

With the dip in guttering being shallow as it is, simply hooking any bird feeder over any of these sections will not be a good idea.

How you can hang bird feeders from the gutter so its always safe and secure, would be to wrap wire or plastic coated wiring around the gutter. As a result, the bird feeder will be hung off the wrapped around all weather proof wire, as oppose to the actual gutter.

No need to employ squirrel proof techniques with bird feeders hung up on guttering, as the distance off the ground will make bird feeders impossible to access.

On a technical standpoint, is isn't safe to hang bird feeders from guttering by default, as dangers will lie ahead, unbeknownst to you.

Its entirely up to you to foresee any potential dangers, including any brittle plastic guttering that can result in a bird feeder collapsing to the ground.

Know your own gutters' limits by hanging multiple bird feeders in a way they are spread across a wider area on the gutter; all in an effort to avoid putting too much weight in one area. How you hang heavy bird feeders isn't on a gutter unfortunately.

I am being super cautious when it comes to hanging a bird feeder from guttering, although if your particular gutter system is made in metal than of course my over caution can be ignored.

To suspend bird feeders from a gutter will guarantee to keep squirrels off the bird feeders, including many other common backyard pests who will invade bird feeders on the ground - with bird feeders also far out of reach of cats and children.

With that, suspending bird feeders on guttering can be a quick and easy solution to hang bird feeders without trees or with no space to install a bird feeder pole.

Safely hang off bracket

I am not referring to the gutter brackets that secure the vertical section of guttering that runs up the side of the house, oh no... I am talking about each bracket used to connect each long section of guttering.

Expect the long length of guttering to be broken up into multiple sections, of which it will be reconnected using brackets to join either ends. What this results in is many hard wearing, made in metal brackets to hang bird feeders on.

Do avoid physically hanging bird feeders from the length of guttering - as its always going to be prone to breaking - thus the bracket to hang bird feeders will be your aim.

Similarly, brackets can refer to what is used to hold brackets up in place under the roof.

Better placement of all, you must use these brackets that are screwed on to the house or building if you can, as a place to hook bird feeders from a gutter.

Any risk of the guttering breaking at this point will hopefully provide you a fail safe with the bracket still holding up the bird feeders in place.

Hang on what is the 'elbow' part

Where the gutter runs vertically up the house or backyard structure, just as its bends at the point of connecting to the horizontal guttering - with this gutter section known as the elbow - of which becomes an additional hanging point, if not a little difficult one.

Elbow section is usually restricted to one point with it usually made in to an an astute angle, like up to 45° or more, so you will have to go diligently when hanging feeders at this point on a gutter.

What you must do to play it safe is first tie steel wiring around this elbow joint - or use a plastic coated wiring - which is the kind used as a clothesline.

Wrap either steel wire or a clothesline around the elbow multiple times to guarantee a safe and secure knot.

In the process of coming to the end of tying this knot on the gutter elbow, create a loop or loosen the knot at a lower point to allow any bird feeder to be hooked in.

Bird feeders will now be able to hook on this elbow section safely if not still a bit precariously.

Its up to you to avoid the wrap around wire or clothesline from sliding, or indeed if there's any possibility of not enough clearing for bird feeders to at least be able to swing or rock back of forth in a little wind - without bashing against the gutter, window or building.

Utilize end cap or corner joint

Where a Hummingbird feeder can be hung off the end cap or very tip of the gutter, it can result in the bird feeder itself becoming a silhouette in the blue sky.

Hummingbird feeder silhouette will be highly visible to Hummers, Orioles or other birds who use nectar-filled feeders - resulting in a lot of use of this type of feeder.

Alternative area to hang Hummingbird feeders on is the soffit, yet to hang any bird feeders on the gutter is going to be more visible and accessible.

Of course where this end cap on the gutter is placed can often overhang, or indeed only be accessible via your neighbors yard.

You must be sure you have full access to either end of the gutter, to be sure you can safely suspend any type of bird feeder at these end points.

Why I suggest you hang bird feeders off the end cap of the gutter as oppose other areas, is because its naturally a strong and secure section. With that, the plastic used on the end cap is usually tougher, yet is commonly made in metal.

Similar to the end cap, any outside corner of the gutter can be used to hang bird feeders, because again its tends to be stronger than the regular long sections.

Avoid long gutter section

Anyone who thinks about your basic guttering system will mostly have the long sections that stretch across the width of the house in mind.

And I bet its these long gutter sections you've thought about hanging your bird feeders on, although I assure you it isn't that easy.

Well, you absolutely can but first you must 'inspect the long gutter sections' for any potential weaknesses, that will result in a collapse.

Guttering that hasn't been replaced since you moved in should probably be left along, as its unlikely to be able to hold the weight of a bird feeder.

Sections of guttering where the water flows when it rains will become brittle, and as its the cheapest section to replace with brand new lengths of guttering - its an area that will need to be made safe.

Certainly the only way to be sure the sections you intend to hang bird feeders from, isn't brittle or unlikely to break under pressure, is by you simply pulling on it by hand.

If you feel it can hold a bird feeder then that should be good enough for now.

To be extra careful, I would suggest tying a clothesline around the section you intend to hang bird feeders on, so you can hang bird feeders directly on the clothesline as oppose to an untested sections of gutter.

Buy a hanging solution

How you can hang a bird feeder from a gutter can actually come down to buying your way out of a difficult dilemma.

Absolutely where you hang one or many bird feeders on a gutter with safety in mind is paramount, thus how to hang bird feeders can hold you back.

Well, how you string Christmas lights up around the gutter of your house - such as under the eaves or soffit - will rely on what are called Gutter Light Clips.

Do be sure to check them out on Amazon to understand what I am talking about and what they look like.

Of course they are all weather proof and wind proof with no chance of them coming off the gutter if fixed correctly when following any instructions.

Made in plastic but they won't become brittle unlike old guttering that applies to many.

Instead, Gutter Light Clips are hard wearing and long lasting - while often made in the USA - and therefore guarantee quality. Buy your way out of finding ways to hook a bird feeder on the gutter itself, when the bird feeders can be hooked on a Gutter Clip.

How to use them I hear you ask... well, you slide any one clip on to any section, end cap or bracket of the gutter, in a way you can guarantee it won't pop off as soon as you go back down the ladder and go indoors.

Weight of any bird feeder will help secure each clip as its hook over the edge of the gutter, and therefore becomes a little safer to use.

Re-purpose a coat hanger

How you'd hang bird feeders not so much directly off the gutter, but rather suspend bird feeders on a more secure hard wearing clothesline or steel wire wrapped around any part of the gutter - can also be done with an unused metal coat hanger.

With this method alone, it will lesson the chances of the gutter collapsing when the bird feeders weight is distributed across a wider area.

How you'd use a metal coat hanger to hang bird feeders on any part of the gutter is easy.

First, you need to unscrew the hanger so it becomes more of a long piece of wire.

What you will do then - possibly with help of others or a pair of pliers - is to wrap this length of wire around a section of guttering you deem safe. With plies, you can end the wrap around by creating a hook to hang a bird feeder from.

Multiple coat hangers will be needed as I recommend one bird feeder per hanger.

Re-purpose an unwanted metal coat hanger by using it instead as an additional place to hang bird feeders from a gutter.

Summary

Admittedly, it isn't necessary safe to hang bird feeders from guttering without some due diligence. You'd need to guarantee the gutter still has some life in it, and isn't the decrepit, tired old brittle gutter most will become.

Do that by pulling on part of the gutter you intend to hang the bird feeder off, to get a feel of the strength and durability.

Regardless, I would still favor the end cap, bracket or a corner joint to hook a bird feeder over, as oppose to a long section part that is the weakest part of a gutter system.

How you'd hang a bird feeder off an end cap, corner joint or a regular bracket that secures the gutter to the building, is usually with the default hook attached to the feeder.

I will say 90% of the time this won't be a suitable hook or hoop to hook over a gutter, thus you'd need to make some changes.

Wrap a length of steel wire or a short length of hard wearing clothesline around the gutter where you wish to suspend the bird feeders on - then the bird feeder can be hooked over the wire or clothesline, as oppose to the gutter.

If you find your too big bird feeders don't provide enough clearing between feeder and guttering, a length of clothesline or steel wire will help.

Tie the wire or clothesline on the guttering by wrapping it around the gutter section multiple times, then proceed to tie up the end but not before allowing an extra length to dangle up to a foot with a hoop on the end.

And just like that, a wider, much larger bird feeder can be hung without interfering with the house wall, window or guttering.

Worst comes to worse, you can use a simple Gutter Light Clip to clip on to your gutter, of which your bird feeder will be hooked on to the secured clip - that are commonly used to string up Christmas lights.

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