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Post by hexenbeest on Nov 3, 2021 9:26:13 GMT 1
Hello lovely people. My annual reminder to please remove the fat balls from the netting before putting them out as the birds can suffer greatly, even die, if their claws get caught in the nets. Thanks.  |
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ajm
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Post by ajm on Nov 3, 2021 9:36:03 GMT 1
Hello lovely people. My annual reminder to please remove the fat balls from the netting before putting them out as the birds can suffer greatly, even die, if their claws get caught in the nets. Thanks. Quite right. We buy loose balls and put them in a feeder. |
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Post by manonthemoon2 on Nov 3, 2021 9:50:39 GMT 1
If we do buy balls with netting we cut it off to put into our hanging feeders.
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Post by spectrum on Nov 3, 2021 11:04:40 GMT 1
I don't cut the netting off and have never seen a trapped bird, most fat ball holders have wide gaps, so when partially eaten the ball will fall through onto the floor, how do you stop that happening?
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Post by captainmorgan on Nov 3, 2021 13:45:31 GMT 1
Leclerc now advertise fat balls un-netted.
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Veem
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Post by Veem on Nov 3, 2021 13:49:17 GMT 1
I can't remember when I last saw grease balls for sale in nets. Biggles made some hanging containers and the birds manage with those fine.
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Post by manonthemoon2 on Nov 3, 2021 19:45:24 GMT 1
I can't remember when I last saw grease balls for sale in nets. Biggles made some hanging containers and the birds manage with those fine. Sounds interesting Veem, do you have a recipe/picture of the home made ones Biggles makes please? |
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Veem
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Post by Veem on Nov 3, 2021 20:01:08 GMT 1
I can't remember when I last saw grease balls for sale in nets. Biggles made some hanging containers and the birds manage with those fine. Sounds interesting Veem, do you have a recipe/picture of the home made ones Biggles makes please? Motm - Biggles says he used some semi rigid small square grill, cut to size, wrapped around to make a cylinder, 'sewn' together with wire top to bottom to form a seam, with a bit of netting sewn to the circular hole at the bottom to stop the balls falling straight through. I'll take a photo tomorrow, and if I can find one of the many helpful posrs about posting photos on here, I'll have a go! |
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FFS
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As usual, in front of my laptop when I'm here
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Post by FFS on Nov 3, 2021 20:55:31 GMT 1
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Post by hexenbeest on Nov 4, 2021 9:34:06 GMT 1
I don't cut the netting off and have never seen a trapped bird, most fat ball holders have wide gaps, so when partially eaten the ball will fall through onto the floor, how do you stop that happening? You can tie a piece of thick garden wire across each gap and make the gaps smaller but still accessible for the birds. I have the ring feeders which look like big polo mints and have had to tie garden wire along the bottom of each one. The birds have had no problem and if smaller chunks still fall to the ground, larger birds will swoop down and gobble them up so nothing goes to waste.  |
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exile
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Post by exile on Nov 4, 2021 14:59:03 GMT 1
That does seem to be the one picture in the fat balls in nets are dangerous repetoire.
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Post by hexenbeest on Nov 4, 2021 15:54:28 GMT 1
One is one too many, and just because people don't stand around taking photos of birds caught up in netting doesn't mean it happens so rarely it's not worth doing something about.
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Post by Polarengineer on Nov 4, 2021 15:59:08 GMT 1
Just to add to your warning H. Please do not affix sticky sleeves to your fruit trees to keep baddy insects away (if they are still sold) I had a traumatic year once to see these small birds die being stuck to them while going for these trapped insects.
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Post by mangetout on Nov 4, 2021 17:32:19 GMT 1
I've used net fat balls for 30 years and have never had a bird trapped.
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exile
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Post by exile on Nov 4, 2021 20:00:14 GMT 1
In an ideal and idealistic world I fully agree but back to the reality where sadly our cats take many times more birds than any bird food netting*. Where we have bin type feeders I do remove the netting before loading with fat balls but a number of our feeders are not bin type and are specifically designed to hang a net from a spike. Why use them then? Well because these lighter weight feeders can be hung further out on the branches and make it a lot more difficult for a cat to attack. * Like Mangetout I have used the netted balls for many years and never found a single trapped bird let alone corpse. |
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