Make a DIY hummingbird feeder with small mason jars. They’re easy to assemble, simple to clean, and hummingbirds approve.

The recipe for how to make sugar water for hummingbirds is here.

Hummingbird landing on mason jar feeder.

DIY Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbird flying to feeder made from small mason jars with red tops.

I like to try a lot of different bird feeders to see which ones work best both for the birds and to clean.

This project starts with a simple jar feeder.

If you just get one hummingbird at a time in your garden, the simple single feeder may be all you need.

I get several—and they like to guard their territory—so I like to have a few small feeders spread out throughout the garden to minimize territorial battles.

If you live somewhere where they feed in flocks, provide a bunch of jars together for a communal feeding station.

Along with feeders, it’s important to provide nectar flowers, trees, and shrubs, so they have places to nest and rest. And never use harmful sprays—they rely on insects as their main food source.

Why Mason Jar Feeders Are Recommended

Very easy to clean
Inexpensive
Use a low volume of sugar water (to avoid spoilage)
The hummingbirds like them
But it’s not so easy for other critters like squirrels to drink from them

On the downside, because they have larger openings on the lids than regular hummingbird feeders, some flying insects including bees may get in the sugar water.

I still use them because it doesn’t happen too often here, but keep this in mind if your garden is buggier.

How to Make a Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder

Supplies and Materials

The three main supplies are small mason jars, red daisy lids, and something to hang the feeder.

The red daisy lids are not always available on Amazon. You may have to try various searches to find them from an online shop.

Before getting the red daisy lids, I tried drilling holes in plain mason jar canning lids but that created sharp edges that would be unsafe for the birds, so it’s worthwhile to order the red daisy lids instead.

Supplies for making hummingbird feeder including small mason jar, daisy lid, chain, and plate. — Supplies for making mason jar hummingbird feeder

Hummingbirds find food sources by sight. The color red is attractive to them so be sure to use red lids but never use red sugar water as food coloring is not good for them.

I’ve listed the specific supplies below for each type of feeder.

1Single Hanging Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder

For each feeder you will need:

Red daisy lids with small mason jars. — Red daisy lids with small mason jars

One mason jar
One daisy lid (try searching “red daisy lid canning jar” on Amazon or your favorite supplier)
One (or more) chains with hook latch
If you have a dollar store nearby, check the garden section for hooks and chains used to suspend small hanging baskets.

Assembly

Attach the chain using existing holes in the daisy lid.
You could also suspend several single jars from a piece of pipe or a small branch to form a nice row of feeders.

2Multi-Feeder with Eye Bolt

Mini mason jars with daisy lids on hanging tray. — Mini mason jar hummingbird feeders

Several mason jars with daisy lids
Eye bolt with two nuts | 5/16 x 8-inch
Thick plastic plate (red) with drainage holes

Assembly

If plate isn’t really sturdy, use two or more
Drill drainage holes in plate(s)
Drill 5/16-inch hole in middle of plate for eye bolt
Secure eye bolt in place using one nut on either side of plate(s)

3Multi-Feeder with Chains

Mason jar hummingbird feeder made from jars. — Mini mason jar feeders filled with sugar water

Several mason jars with daisy lids
Thick plastic plate (red)
Chains with hooks (3) for hanging

Assembly

Drill drainage holes in plate plus 3 holes in lip (equal distance apart) for attaching chain latches.
Use more than one plate if one alone is not very sturdy.

Hanging mason jar hummingbird feeder in garden. — Feeders ready for hummingbirds

Once the hummingbirds are using your feeder after arriving in spring, be sure to wash out the containers regularly and replenish the sugar water. You may need to do this once or twice a day as the weather warms. When it’s hot, you should remove the feeders to prevent mold. This has tips on washing your feeder.

For more budget-friendly garden ideas see 10 Surprisingly Good Dollar Store Finds for Gardeners.