How to stop bird feeder from spinning

While spinning bird feeders can prevent most birds from perching to feed, indeed it can be an hazard to vulnerable backyard birds, so it needs to stop spinning.

How to stop bird feeders from spinning relies on a rope tied firmly on the hanging point, or tie two or three lengths of rope evenly spaced on the feeder, to secure on an object independent of the spinning feeder. Better still, the use of bungee cord is to be considered for a more secure fit with hooks on the end.

Don't allow an unstable, persistent spinning bird feeder get in the way of feeding birds, as its a quick one to fix at little to no expense needed on your part.

To prevent a spinning hummingbird feeder or seed feeders for example is to hang it the best way you know how. Then tie two to three independent lengths of rope or cord to an area on the feeders you can get a hook over.

If there's no place to create a secure hook link, simply drill your own hole or use a suction cup shower hook to fix on a plastic feeder with a smooth flat surface.

Depending on the feeder in use, this can be avoided by tying rope around on both ends.

Connecting a bungee cord rather than rope creates a more secure spin-free feeder, with the cord stretching to the length that is needed, with no cut offs required.

Once you have figured out where to tie, knot or screw the hook onto the feeder of any type, the corresponding end needs to be hooked on at a 45° angle.

To which a tent peg, an heavy set of plant pots or a fence or railing is all that is needed.

How you genuinely stop a bird feeder from spinning around as many birds converge on it to feed, is only through the methods explained.

Reasons why birds are not using your bird feeder could be due to a spinning feeder, so it absolutely needs to be secured as best as you know how.

Bonus point: a secure, non spinning bird feeder can keep the yard mess free, while hummingbird nectar is prevented from spilling, which otherwise encourages insects.

Tie rope around hanging point

Pivotal to preventing a bird feeder of any type from spinning around as birds converge in their droves, is the use of a single length of rope.

Now the rope in question must be exterior grade but an unwanted shoelace is within reason, providing you replace it when it begins to wear.

Simply take a length of rope then - perhaps the length of a single shoelace - and tie it firmly around where your bird feeder of any kind is hanging off.

What you need to achieve this is a firm knot tied around the bird feeder hook for hanging, and its corresponding bracket on a bird feeding station or shepherd's hook - if that is what you happen to be using to hang bird feeders.

Similarly, if hanging a bird feeder off a tree branch that is prone to spinning during use, a longer length of rope may be needed if its a thick branch - as you'd need to compensate for more tie around's.

What you'd be left with is still a knot that can be undone, but its tightness doesn't allow the feeder to spin any more on the point where it hangs.

Loop rope ends around feeder

Alternatively, forget about tying a knot with a length of rope around the point of where the feeder hangs, while concentrating your efforts on tying a knot around the feeder itself.

What you need to do here is take two length of rope - so a pair of shoelaces will do it - to then tie an end to a corresponding object nearby, as well has looping the other end to the bird feeder.

It must be two lengths of rope minimum in order to prevent the feeder from spinning.

Feeders won't spin with one length of rope tied to a nearby branch, hook or bracket; but failing to create an additional tie point can see the feeder rock violently still, as the feeder is now taught due to it being tied up with one connection point.

To go down this route I will warn you the appearance of the bird feeder with two lengths of rope tied to it isn't really unsightly - but where you loop the rope around the feeder itself can appear out of place.

In addition to this, the loop around the feeder can cause an obstruction for feeding birds, thus its important to keep the length out of harms way, as it traps birds in the process.

Connect two bungee cord lengths

Now here is the more pivotal way of securing a bird feeder prone to spinning around, both in appearance and practicality.

I would say though it can be a little more costly and a little more complicated to setup.

Similar to what I explained on how to create two lengths of rope to a feeder to keep it still as it hangs - this method is basically that, and a little more.

Refer to the featured image about, you can see there's three lengths of cord connected to the seed feeder, via hooks on the end of the cord to hook on the actual feeder.

What you'll achieve now is fixing two to three lengths of what would be springy bungee cords in two to three points on the feeder, with a corresponding object that is needed but independent of the bird feeders you wish to stabilize.

Bungee cord is necessary to give you that extra length to create the ideal length of cord needed to stretch out across two connection points.

You will need two lengths of bungee cords with the hooks on the end for this to work, but a third bungee cord simply helps stabilize the whole thing even more.

Critical to making it work is making sure the hooks on the end are both big, but with a deep hook as to prevent it coming loose. Believe me when I say if a cord fails on you, the bird feed will go everywhere - and so will your feeder break in the process

Position cord on 45° angle

In addition to setting up two to three lengths of bungee cord on two to three evenly spaced links on the bird feeder, you do need to prevent the cords getting touched on.

Benefit to that is if the bungee cords are not perched on by birds, the bird feeder will remain more stable, in addition to birds not edging the cord connection points loose.

It can be hard to connect your two or three bungee cord lengths to any object that is made available to you, but you will need to position them all on a 45° angle, or thereabouts.

To put it bluntly, a 45° angle is made harder for birds to perch on, while continues to keep the heaviest unwanted birds off the cord at all times.

As it happens, a 45° angle is far more safer than say a cord positioned horizontally, as the hooks can stay connected far better at this angle, without coming loose.

Again, I refer you to the picture as featured above to get some idea of how the cord or rope should be angled while in use.

While you need to connect the cord to a secure point, let's take a look at what that means.

Creating own link points

In order for the cords to be positioned at a safe 45° angle, its vital you setup the connection via the bird feeder to an untouched, secure two to three point link lower down.

Creating you own link points nearer to the ground is the way to go, but you would need to buy additional equipment to make it work.

• Tent pegs - is simply the best idea as the bungee cord hooks would hook on with ease, as the tend pegs remain firmly in the ground
• Shepard's hook - can be used with two to three needed to act as support, these are quite tall so you'd need to impale them further into the ground
• Ground plant pots - with some weight to them they can be used to tie rope around, or why not trap the cord ends underneath the two or three plant pots
• Railings - belonging to decking would be idea for a hanging bird feeders situated, or placed on an actual wooden deck
• Fencing - bracket or hooks can be nailed or screwed to a fence, making life easy for you to stop a feeder spinning, but feeders must be in a corner of a fence.

WARNING: Don't believe you can depend on a pile of rocks, bricks or even weighty garden furniture, as the bungee cord has a lot of force that can come loose unless its actually hooked on.

Alter bird feeder type link points

Now that I have completely covered where the link points can be connected to via a bird feeder, the bird feeders themselves can assist you or indeed make things more difficult.

You see you need to hook one end of a bungee cord to the feeder two to three times, with not all feeders offering this possibility, so you need to improvise.

• Seed tube feeder - drill in cup hook into the base of this plastic tube feeder, if hole is unnecessary created, then its a bonus as moisture can still escape
• Mesh peanut feeder - wire cutters are needed to open up the steel gaps to hook on up to three bungee cord hooks, but it can go wrong
• Hummingbird feeder - certain hummingbird feeders allow for you to loop over the hooks on the perches intended for the hummingbirds
• Oriole feeder - pass the bungee cord hook through the perches that often surround an oriole feeder body
• Coconut feeder - prevent a coconut feeder spinning by simply drilling in a screw at two points, then tie rope to this screw and a corresponding object opposite

• Dried mealworm feeder - lengthy mealworm feeders are often made with twin perches that can be used to hook your bungee cord over
• Suet feeders - be it suet feeders for blocks, fat balls or if its made into wreath, the large steel cage gaps offer an abundance of hooking opportunities
• Hexagonal or panorama feeder - both equipped with open perches for hooking, but if not make use of suction cup shower hooks to secure to clear plastic window
• Squirrel proof feeder - pests such as squirrels are sure to make a feeder spin, but the cage design allows for cord hooks to be snapped anywhere

To summarize

How to stop a bird feeder from spinning with genuine success is to tie rope or cord from two to three points on the bird feeder to a nearby object.

Feeders can give you an abundance of areas to hook a cord onto, but where it fails you, you'd have to drill to create a hoop for a hook of your own, or indeed simply use a temporary shower hook.

I would say to tie two to three lengths of rope to and from the spinning bird feeder will stabilize it with ease. Instead, you'd need to make sure the corresponding tie ends don't come loose, or are tampered with.

To avoid the fuss of this method, simply tie rope firmly around the point of which the bird feeder hangs off, via a bracket or branch for example.

My personal favorite to stop a bird feeder spinning is with the use of bungee cord. It follows the method of tying two to three lengths of rope on the feeder to an object independent of the feeder.

Bungee cord gives you extra length if it comes in a bit short, but an additional two points for linking elsewhere would secure the whole thing.

Create your own linking points with use of tent pegs, heavy plant pots or railings; while making sure the length of cord or rope is at a 45° angle.

Share this article: