Last Updated on October 13, 2020 by Nancie
This unassuming Backyard Boys Platform Feeder was popular when I used it in my yard. It is simply a screened tray on legs. Its frame and legs are made from recycled materials rather than wood, so it will last out in the elements far longer than one made of wood. It’s simple to fill, simple to clean and popular with many ground feeding birds. There are some down-sides to this type of feeder, but you can get around some of them. The trick is finding the right spot for it in your yard.
The Backyard Boys Feeder Is An Easy Feeder to Use
I have two of these feeders purchased at different times from Amazon. I wanted something to keep seed off the ground so it won’t mold and rot or germinate in the lawn. When each one arrived, I simply pulled it out of the box, plopped it outside and filled it with seed.
The metal mesh bottom is fairly fine, allowing water to flow through, but most seed doesn’t slip through. (Tiny white proso millet can make it through the holes but sunflower seed and safflower seed does not.)
Con: Seed Exposed to Weather
The biggest issue with this type of feeder is that the seed is completely exposed. If it rains or snows, the seed gets wet and clumps up. Wet seed can mold and rot, so during a wet period, you can waste seed.
For a while, I would put black-oil sunflower seed in this feeder, making it popular with all kinds of birds . . . and squirrels. When it got wet, if the rest of the day was going to be warm and dry, I would spread the wet seed on a sidewalk for the birds to eat before it went bad and would re-fill the feeder.
I’d clean the sunflower seed shells off the sidewalk the next day. It was a hassle. You can use sunflower hearts (hulled sunflower seed) but without any protection from a shell, it breaks down to mush in the rain. Yuck. Safflower seed does a little better and is also slightly less popular with squirrels.
Con: No Protection From Predators
Another issue is that, these feeders are completely open. Birds eating here are a target for Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-Shined Hawks that haunt bird feeders. Placing the feeder a few feet from some cover gives birds a chance to get to safety when the hawks swing by. Hawks have to eat too, but when they hang out in your yard all the time, other birds are not happy.
Placement: As a Feeder Catch Tray
So, what is the best way to use these feeders? The first of my two feeders is on my back step. It is positioned under another hanging bird feeder. The back step is partially covered, giving this ground feeder some protection from the elements as well as from hawks.
The feeder above it is popular with House Finches who are pretty messy eaters. They seem to drop as much as they eat. So now they drop it into the ground feeder where other birds eat it instead of on the step where it makes a mess. It doesn’t catch every stray seed, but it’s a lot neater.
It also is a handy feeder for those snowy days when birds seem frantically hungry. You want to put something out for them right away, but you want to get a cup of coffee down before suiting up to clear off the other feeders. Being right next to a busy door is not an ideal location for a feeder, but the benefits in this case seem to outweigh this.
Placement: Covered Location Under Table
The second feeder is also protected and is probably the most popular feeder in the yard. I pulled an old unused picnic table over within several feet of a tangle of wisteria that is popular with birds. Then I put a piece of heavy plastic over the top of the table so rain or snow wouldn’t creep between the boards of the table, weighing down the plastic with pieces of wood. I put the feeder underneath. The birds absolutely love it. (You might do something similar with a large chair, a garden bench or some other type of table.)
Filled Feeder With Safflower
I fill this feeder with safflower seed. It is rare to see it without a cardinal in it and there is usually half a dozen with more waiting their turn in the wisteria tangle. The Mourning Doves also like it. When they show up, there is usually at least a dozen in and around it.
White-Throated Sparrows, House Finches and Carolina Wrens are also daily visitors. Red-Winged Blackbirds and Brown-Headed Cowbirds also show up in force to use it when it snows. Because it is filled with safflower seed, the squirrels mostly stay out of it except when they are really hungry.
Because the feeder is hidden under the table, it makes birds using it a much less appealing target for the neighborhood hawks. It also is less exposed to the elements and doesn’t get wet quite as quickly as a feeder out under the sky.
What I Like About The Feeder
The two feeders I have were both purchased from Amazon. (Backyard Boys Platform Feeder on Amazon). They are well-made and should last a long time. They are large (17” x 13” x 6”) and so can accommodate several birds at a time.
The metal mesh bottom is attached to the frame and not removable, but I actually like that. I have another similar feeder with a removable screen and seed creeps out along the edges, making it more trouble to clean. Sometimes simple is better.
To clean this one, flip it over and knock any clumps of seed out. A quick hard spray with a garden hose is usually the most it needs. These feeders are sturdy but not at all heavy (about five pounds.) So they are easy to move around to wherever you want them. I’m using them for seed, but they can be used to offer other food as well, like fruit or mealworms.
2019 Update
I no longer use these feeders on a regular basis. The squirrels in my yard unfortunately got used to safflower seed over time. They like sunflower more, but will still eat their fill of safflower if that is what they can get. Ground feeders like these offer no protection from squirrels, so I eventually had to put all my feeders up off the ground so they could be protected by baffles.
I still pull these feeders out every now and then for specific purposes, like offering something to birds when I’m sitting nearby. For example, I put some mealworms in one for Eastern Bluebirds visiting or some peanuts to entice a Blue Jay to come close for pictures.
Nancie
More Bird Feeder Reviews
Birdseed & Binoculars Bird Feeder Reviews (Click on this link to see the blog stream filtered to show only my bird feeder reviews.)
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