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DIY Hummingbird Feeder with Mason Jars

Published on June 25, 2019Last updated November 18, 2021 โ™› By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
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Make a DIY hummingbird feeder with small mason jars. Theyโ€™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 severalโ€”and they like to guard their territoryโ€”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 spraysโ€”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 itโ€™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 doesnโ€™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 itโ€™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.

Iโ€™ve listed the specific supplies below for each type of feeder.

1Single Hanging Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder

Mason jar hummingbird feeder.
Mini 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 isnโ€™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.

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Hummingbird flying to feeder made from small mason jars with red tops.
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How to Make a Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder

Use mason jars with red daisy lids to create an easy-to-clean hummingbird feeder.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Makes: 5 feeders
Author: Melissa J. Will
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Electric drill
  • 5/16 drill bit

Supplies & Materials

  • 5 4-ounce Mason jars wide mouth jars
  • 5 Red daisy lids to fit 4-ounce jars
  • 1 5/16×8-inch Eye bolt with two nuts
  • 1 Plastic plate thick, strong
  • 1 Chain with snap hooks or similar fasteners to hang feeder

Instructions

Drill Plate and Install Eye Bolt

  • Drill several drainage holes in plate.
  • 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).
  • Drill three or four holes in lip of plate to attach snap hooks.

Set Up Feeder

  • Fill five mason jars with sugar water, attach daisy lids and place on hanging plate.

Notes

  • Get the right sugar water recipe here.
  • Clean your feeder frequently: this may be twice a day in hot weather.ย 
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Hummingbird flying to feeder made from small mason jars with red tops.
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I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
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