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Make a Hummingbird Feeder with Mason Jars

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

This post contains affiliate links.
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Make your own hummingbird feeder using small mason jars. These feeders are simple to make, loved by hummingbirds, and easy to clean.

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.

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.

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

Mason jar hummingbird feeder.

For each feeder you will need:

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

4-Ounce Mason Jars | Amazon

Red Daisy Lids | Amazon

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

Red Daisy Lids | Amazon

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.
  • 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.

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.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt â™›

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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 mins
Total Time20 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. 
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Hummingbird flying to feeder made from small mason jars with red tops.
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Comments

  1. Beth says

    September 23, 2020 at 10:00 pm

    My daughter found me a hummingbird feeder that is made from a Mason Jar. It’s red! I believe she purchased it at a hardware store.

    I have sat on my porch a lot this summer and have had the pleasure of watching God’s beautiful creatures eat out of that feeder and chase each other away!

    I was sitting on my step one day-quite aways away from my feeder. I was reading and heard that familiar “buzzing” but I thought it was a bee. I looked up and less then 3 feet away from my face a hummingbird was looking right at me!! It stayed there for at 15 seconds!!!

    Reply
    • Melissa J. Will says

      September 24, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Wonderful! I’ve experienced that as well. It’s magical. I don’t know if they are simply curious or seeking something. I’ve also had them sit on my shoulder and hat while pausing in the garden. And what a sound those wings make when they’re by your ear.

      Reply
  2. Jenny says

    August 26, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    Any ideas on how to turn a quart size mason jar into a hummingbird feeder

    Reply
    • Melissa J. Will says

      August 26, 2020 at 3:05 pm

      I don’t think there’s a really good way of doing it.

      The jar would need to be used upside-down to work, otherwise you would always be wasting a lot of sugar water because the birds could only get the top inch or so.

      There are chicken waterers that use mason jars: https://amzn.to/3gwbmal
      but this would leave the sugar water very accessible to insects.

      If you find a good idea, let me know!

      Reply

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