Finest Chicken Feeders With Cameras, Examined and Reviewed (2025)

Odds are, at this level you’ve most likely seen or know somebody who has a wise chook feeder. They’re pretty recognizable from a distance with their clear housing, cameras, and photo voltaic panels, and maybe a good friend or member of the family has despatched you a photograph or video of a shiny goldfinch or good-looking woodpecker (responsible). The query at this level, then, is whether or not these items are actually definitely worth the $100-plus price ticket. Are they really sturdy? And what in regards to the squirrel drawback?

Fortunate for you we’ve been testing the most well-liked sensible chook feeder fashions, together with Netvue’s authentic Birdfy feeder ($135) and Chicken Buddy’s new Professional mannequin ($219), for months on finish—in rain, snow, and warmth, and in a yard with persistent squirrels. We’ve explored the apps and notification settings, put in any elective photo voltaic panels, and used Cornell Lab’s All About Birds—in addition to Google Lens and our personal native experience—to confirm the accuracy of AI identifications.

Up to date Might 2025 : We added Birdfy’s Polygon sensible birdhouse and Chicken Buddy’s Professional hummingbird feeder as picks; a hummingbird feeder from Harymor, seed feeders from Sehmua, IsYoung, and PeckPerk; and a brand new overview of the FeatherSnap Scout. We additionally added info on coping with squirrels.

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Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano examined some feeders on a balcony in Texas and one in a yard in Pennsylvania. In Texas, she set them up each on a desk in addition to secured to the railing with the included mounting straps. In Pennsylvania, she used the bracket mounts to connect to a pole. WIRED reviewer Kat Merck examined feeders in a rural-surburban neighborhood in southwest Washington. The feeders had been mounted immediately on the home or on a fence with the included bracket mounts, or hung from a shepherd’s hook.

After setup, we crammed them with chook seed (or, within the case of the hummingbird feeders, a nectar combination of 4-to-1 granulated sugar and water) and patiently waited for the native birds to seek out them. We checked out all of the included app options, seeing how typically we received notifications and noting whether or not they’re precisely choosing up simply birds or any kind of outside motion, and the way nicely they’re capable of distinguish chook species. We disassembled and cleaned them, returning them to their mounts after. We check every one for 2 weeks at minimal, however often for over a month.

Ideas for a Higher Chicken Feeder Expertise

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• Hold feeders tremendous clear. The very last thing you need to do to your feathered company is make them in poor health from consuming moldy seeds or unfold avian illnesses. Each two weeks, scrub feeders with heat, soapy water after which both soak them in a single half bleach to 9 elements water or one half white vinegar to 1 half water—each strategies are really useful by Audubon. Rinse and dry completely earlier than including extra seed (you don’t need bleach residue both). Regulate chook flu outbreaks and take note of what the birds appear like at your individual feeders. When you suspect one thing, you will need to take away the feeder till issues look higher.
• Solely get a hummingbird feeder in the event you’re devoted to maintaining it spotless. You must be much more diligent about cleanliness right here. You must clear a hummingbird feeder each two to a few days. Nectar sitting within the solar harbors micro organism development rapidly, which might trigger hummingbird tongues to swell and virtually at all times ends of their dying. Pink attracts these birds, however do not use pink nectar. There are not any research conclusively proving that dye harms birds, however at finest it is pointless and at worst may make them sick. As a substitute, go for feeders with pink items to get their consideration or keep on with planting hummingbird-friendly flowers and skip the feeder altogether.
• Add a water supply too. Birds want clear water for ingesting and bathing, so you can also make your yard extra of an oasis by offering it. The identical cleansing method outlined above goes for baths. You too can contemplate including common chook homes for birds to nest.
• Give birds time. You seemingly will not see birds at your feeder day one. Give them time to seek out it and belief it. If after a number of weeks you continue to do not have guests, it is perhaps time to reevaluate what sort of chook seeds you are utilizing or the place you have positioned it.

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{Photograph}: Kat Merck

As is the case with any chook feeder, squirrels like to eat at sensible chook feeders, which aren’t squirrel-proof, no matter advertising claims. Nevertheless, many of the sensible feeders we’ve examined are simply as sturdy, if not in some instances sturdier, than analog chook feeders. If the feeder is hanging, the worst that may most likely occur is that the squirrel’s weight will trigger it to swing wildly, spilling seed onto the bottom. If it’s mounted, the worst-case situation is probably going the squirrel consuming all of the seed, chewing the sides, and protecting up the digicam with its fuzzy butt.

The yard the place I check sensible feeders year-round is awful with the massive and protracted rodents, and the squirrel injury I’ve sustained on check feeders has been minor. With the Birdfy Professional Duo, under, the animals chewed off the sides to higher get on the seed provide when it was low, and the FeatherSnap Scout had its mounting bent. High of thoughts is the 5-7-9 methodology of siting a chook feeder—no less than 5 ft off the bottom, no less than 7 ft away from any buildings, and no less than 9 ft away from something a squirrel may leap from (branches, fences, roofs).

An alternative choice is an aftermarket baffle added to feeders hanging on shepherd’s hooks, or a pole with a built-in baffle, like this one supplied by Birdfy. An alternative choice is utilizing seed handled with capsaicin, or scorching pepper. Birds don’t have capsaicin receptors like mammals do, in order that they’re not affected by the style. That mentioned, I’ve discovered capsaicin solely retains squirrels away for a few days, whether or not as a result of they’ve gotten used to it or the pepper loses its efficiency when uncovered to the weather. As a final resort, you would at all times simply be taught to reside with the squirrels and dedicate a feeder to them, though my neighbor does this and I am of the thoughts it brings much more squirrels to the world.

What Are We Testing Subsequent?

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Finest Total

This cheery blue and white feeder, from safety firm Netvue, is the primary sensible feeder former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano examined, again in 2022. At the moment she gave it a 6/10 score for its value and wonky AI. Each metrics have improved since then—I used to be impressed with the Birdfy app’s AI after I examined the upgraded 2 Duo (see under), and this feeder may be very typically on sale for $200 or much less. When you pay $20 extra, you get a lifetime subscription of AI identification, which is a stable deal. With out it, it will value you $5 a month. Medea examined each this and the Birdfy bamboo feeder (under) and located the AI recognition did not at all times determine birds appropriately. That is the feeder I purchased my dad and mom for Christmas throughout an Amazon Prime Day sale, and so they’ve had an analogous expertise. That mentioned, I’ve examined feeders from a number of manufacturers and, given the broad variability in lighting, shadows, and digicam cleanliness, no AI goes to carry out flawlessly. Not like some manufacturers’, Birdfy’s AI nonetheless works extra typically than it would not.

Medea discovered that the 1080P wide-angle digicam picks up much more motion from non-birds, so you might find yourself with a ton of notifications relying on the place that is positioned. When you’re hoping for a bird-feeder/security-camera hybrid, although, this might be precisely what you need—particularly because it gives coloration night time imaginative and prescient. The IP65 plastic building additionally makes this feeder sturdy and simpler to wash, and the 50-ounce seed reservoir is way simpler to fill than the Chicken Buddy with its handy flip-up high. Not all bundles include a photo voltaic panel, however you may purchase it individually. Not like different feeders, the photo voltaic panel just isn’t in-built and should be mounted and related individually with the included 9.8-foot charging cable. (The Birdfy comes with a pole mount, wall mount, and tree strap.)

Finest-Wanting

Birdfy has a number of feeders we advocate. This bamboo one is the very best trying, however it comes with a little bit of repairs. It would not have plastic elements like the remainder of the feeders on this record, and with its black and pure wooden hues, it appears prefer it belongs in nature. An extendable perch lets a number of birds collect and examine, and it has two giant bins for both various kinds of seeds or the identical. The bins mingle within the tray on the backside, nevertheless. The FeatherSnap feeder under makes use of separate bins and trays in the event you choose that.

Like many of the different feeders on this record, it may be mounted on a pole or tree or hung from a hook. It additionally comes with a photo voltaic panel which you can mount as nicely, so that you by no means have to consider charging the digicam battery.

As stunning because the bamboo feeder is, it does require upkeep. Birdfy notes that the feeder has a water-resistant score of IP65 and that it is mold- and rot-resistant. Nevertheless, the consumer handbook states that it must be sealed. By way of Reddit, Birdfy recommends sealing utilizing a bird-safe wooden sealer. I am unable to remark immediately on its sturdiness, since after I examined this feeder I used it on a desk on my lined balcony. —Medea Giordano

Finest Good Hummingbird Feeder

Chicken Buddy is thought for its user-friendliness and considerate app, and its new Professional Good Hummingbird Feeder is not any exception. Every thing about its use is intuitive and straightforward. AI identification, 5-MP photographs, HD 2K video with slo-mo, all the pieces you want is included out of the field—no subscription wanted. There’s no auxiliary photo voltaic panel to fret about, because it’s constructed into the roof. Pairing together with your telephone is a cinch, integrating it into the Chicken Buddy app with different feeders is a snap, and even filling it’s no drawback—in contrast to different feeders which have weirdly cavernous capacities and/or must be crammed the wrong way up, the Chicken Buddy’s backside screws off and holds an inexpensive 1.75 cups of liquid. That is extra vital than you’d suppose, as Cornell Lab of Ornithology factors out that the simpler it’s to wash a hummingbird feeder, the extra seemingly you might be to do it typically and nicely.

{Photograph}: Kat Merck

It additionally comes with additional plastic flowers and a brush, and the app sends reminders as to when it is time to clear. As with the Chicken Buddy Professional seed feeder (7/10, WIRED Recommends), the sensor doesn’t at all times choose up each chook that visits, which might undoubtedly be a bummer once you see one thing attention-grabbing out the window however it doesn’t present up within the app. Hopefully that is one thing that may be remedied on subsequent app updates.

Finest-Wanting Good Birdhouse

{Photograph}: Kat Merck

It is easy to combine with the easy-to-use Birdfy app, which is prepared and ready to assemble a chook’s shareable “story,” from meeting of the nest to hatching to fledgling, and eventually “the tip,” when the nest is deserted for the season. Notice that the digicam does emit an audible click on each time it is triggered by motion or the app, and the within is a bit of bigger than most birds would naturally gravitate to. Our check home hasn’t had any chook guests but this yr, however a mission director for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch mentioned it ought to solely be a matter of time.

Finest App

The photographs aren’t almost as spectacular because the Birdfy Duo’s, and the digicam, frustratingly, solely captures a handful of the birds that go to. (The non-solar model is at the moment flagged as a steadily returned merchandise on Amazon as a consequence of each this and charging points, so I like to recommend the photo voltaic model.) However the app is a standout, with a user-friendly design and loads of useful alerts, like if a cat is detected close by, or if it is time to clear the feeder. It additionally serves you insights gathered over time, like what time sure species appear to choose to go to. (Finches apparently like to go to my yard each day at 10 am). The Chicken Buddy additionally “sleeps” at night time and doesn’t appear to emphasise capturing photographs of individuals, so it would not make a sensible choice to double as a safety digicam. Each Chicken Buddys work with 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi solely.

Screenshot courtesy of Kat Merck

Set up choices embody a hanger or common mount for a standard-size pole (not included). When you reside in an space frequented by squirrels, I extremely advocate abiding by Chicken Buddy’s “5-7-9” rule for siting your feeder: 5 ft off the bottom, 7 ft away from timber or buildings, and 9 ft of clearance above it. Squirrels have not proven curiosity in chewing my Chicken Buddy Professional, which is hanging from a shepherd’s hook close to a tree, however they are going to swing on it, spilling a lot of the seed.

One of many greatest downsides of each Chicken Buddys is the infuriatingly small, hinged opening for filling the 4 cups’ value of seed. The feeder comes with its personal spouted cup, however I’ve but to fill the feeder with out making an unlimited mess. I even have the 3-in-1 Vitamin Set ($40), which features a screw-on tray that may variably develop into a water fountain, jelly dish, or fruit stake for fruit-loving species like orioles. I’ve used it as a jelly dish and water fountain and located that it blocks sufficient of the perch space that birds are inclined to shift out of digicam view to keep away from it. Total, this improve over the unique could also be value it in the event you plan to benefit from a number of the app’s sharing options, particularly Premium’s capability to share your feeder livestream with others.

Really helpful With Reservations

Birdfy’s flagship improve for 2025, winner of this yr’s CES Innovation Award and an American Good Design Gold Award, has the very best picture and video high quality of any chook feeder I’ve examined, bar none. There’s one dual-lens front-facing digicam (2-MP/1080p broad angle and 3-MP/2K portrait) and one 2-MP/1080p aspect digicam, and each seize sharp, extremely detailed video with high-quality sound. The front-facing digicam will even pan and crop to make sure it is centered on a chook. (Notice that there is additionally a less expensive, single-camera model of the Feeder 2 that we have not examined.) The feeder’s IP66-rated plastic physique, which has held up very nicely to date in Pacific Northwest winter climate, is wall-, pole-, or tree-mountable. An auxiliary photo voltaic panel and lifelong AI chook identification are each included.

The reservoir holds barely much less seed than the unique plastic Birdfy, at 42 ounces vs. Birdfy 1’s 50 ounces, which is simply as nicely, as this feeder appears to be a magnet for squirrels who wish to chew on it and steal the seed. I had fixed hassle with the rodents chewing off the perimeters and compartment dividers throughout my two months of testing. (I had marginal success mixing Audubon Wild Chicken Meals with habanero-based Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Sauce, $16, however the squirrels did come again finally.)