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23A Multipurpose Combination Bird Seed & Suet Feeder. This Gorgeously Designed Hopper Is Made With Rot Resistant Wood, Which Lends Strength & Character To A Wonderful Product.
Thanks for stopping by!
I believe you found your way to this website because you share a deep and abiding love for blue jays and all winged creatures. Am I right?
Or maybe…
You might be ready to dip your toes into birdwatching and realize that feeding your backyard blue jays their favorite tasty treats would be a good way to get them to come around more often.
Hopefully I’m on the right track.
Regardless, I’m here to tell you more about the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet. This well-built and affordable bird feeder is so exceptional that I awarded it the Best Combination Feeder for Blue Jays.
Care to discover why it achieved this great honor?
Actually, the decision wasn’t difficult at all. I thoroughly tested and analyzed this birdfeeder along with 9 others. And during the testing and analysis phase, I evaluated this product and the others based on 5 critical factors that include:
- Ease of Refilling
- Ease of Installation
- Cleaning & Care
- Aesthetics
- Durability & Warranty
Are you ready to learn the reasons why I consider this the Best Combination Feeder for Blue Jays? Continue reading to learn my thoughts and feelings as well as detailed analysis about how this product stacks up against the rest.
Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet
- Dimensions: 8.5 x 12.5 x 9 inches
- Feeder Type: Hopper / Suet Combo Feeder
- Capacity: 3 quarts / 2 suet cakes
- Material: Cedar
- Brand: Nature’s Way
Overall Score
Bottom Line:
All in all, the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet is ideal because it has a huge hopper that fits ample amounts of bird seeds. And the seed tray is removable, which means the seeds will stay fresher longer and waste is eliminated. It’s resistant to rot, made of premium cedar, and the windows are made of crack resistant acrylic, making this a durable feeder as well.
Biggest Benefits
- Crack resistant acrylic windows remain clear
- Ample room for larger blue jays to feed
- Rust free hardware
- Made from rot and insect resistant cedar
- Removable roof makes refilling the hopper a cinch
Top Disadvantages
- Squirrel damage
- Smaller than advertised
- Plastic windows
Our Verdict: Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Feeder with Suet
Personally, I’m happy to tell you that I finally discovered the perfect combination feeder for blue jays during testing and analysis and the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder definitely wins this prize hands-down.
What makes it so special?
The first thing I’d like to bring to your attention is the beautiful aesthetic design. I don’t know about you, but I certainly prefer it when my bird feeders look visually appealing and attractive.
And that’s exactly what you get with this bird feeder. The design is stunning to say the least and it has a simplistic quality that I simply find incredibly beautiful. Hopefully you will too.
Next up is how easy it is to install in your backyard. It has a black wire coming out of the top. Just connect it to a large hook and you can easily install it in a tree, a taut wire on your back deck, or any other place where you’d hang something from a hook.
Truly, the installation process is one of the easiest things you’ll ever accomplish.
Better yet, it’s also quite durable. They built it using cedar wood that is resistant to rot and insects. And although some people prefer glass, they used crack resistant acrylic when they added the windows, which I feel is a superior option.
The refilling process is also very easy. Instead of disconnecting the hopper and taking it down, they added a removable tray for fresh seeds. Just take out the tray, get rid of the old seeds, and add fresh seeds before replacing the tray in the hopper.
How simple is that? And adding suet cakes to the suet cages on the sides is easy like Sunday morning as well!
Care and cleaning aren’t very difficult either in my opinion. You will need to take down the hopper before wiping it down to clean it off. But this shouldn’t be a big deal because hooking and unhooking the hopper doesn’t take very long.
I confidently recommend the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet. Remember, I researched and tested it and it certainly passed muster.
Related: Best Bird Feeders For Blue Jays
Our Analysis, Comparisons & Test Results
At this stage of the game, you already know my overall feelings about this product because I shared a cursory overview in the section titled, “Our Verdict.”
But here’s the thing…
I put a lot of work into testing, comparisons, and analysis. I really go out of my way to make sure I fully know and understand the product before I write my overall review.
I compared this product to 9 others and tested them over a period of 20 weeks. As you can imagine, this took a great deal of time and effort on my part.
Why bother?
For starters, I love blue jays, other backyard birds and all of God’s creatures to be frank. I want them to thrive and lead good lives. This is often difficult in suburban areas like the one that I live in.
But most of all…
I was hoping to find the perfect blue jay bird feeder for my own use and purposes. And while I was at it, I figured I might as well share the results with the people who read this blog.
My testing and analysis results determined:
Aesthetics
In the category Aesthetics, I rated this product with a score of 7 out of 10. I personally think this blue jay hopper feeder is definitely on the more attractive side, but it has one or two minor flaws that took away from the overall score.
For context, I rated the Woodlink Deluxe Cedar Bird Feeder with a 10 out of 10. Although similar in nature, I think the Woodlink feeder is more attractive because it’s wider and it looks more symmetrical and I like that the entire bird feeder retained its natural beige cedar wood color.
On the other hand, I gave the Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray a score of 5 out of 10. Although this tray is very effective, it basically looks like a small version of a pig’s feeding trough.
As you can imagine, it’s not very pretty.
Even better…
The Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet is quite visually appealing if I do say so myself. What I don’t like is that it isn’t as wide as the Woodlink feeder, which somehow takes away from the overall visual appeal.
And, I personally don’t like that they painted the roof black. It almost ruins the overall look, but not quite. It’s still nice looking but I would have preferred the beige cedar finish on the roof too as well as the base of the hopper.
Other than that, I think this is really an amazing looking bird feeder even though I knocked a few points off of the overall score. The suet cages seem like they belong on the sides of the bird feeder and do not detract from the overall visual style whatsoever.
How the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet stacks up in the aesthetics ratings:
Ease of Installation
With Ease of Installation being the next category that I reviewed, I gave the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Feeder with Suet an above average score of 8 out of 10. This is definitely a good score but I had to knock a couple of points off for one glaring misstep.
Before I get to the pertinent details…
In this category, I gave the Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray a perfect 10 out of 10 score. This bird feeder is simple to install, if you can even call it that.
It’s basically a small rectangular tray on four legs. Just put it in your favorite flat location and blue jays and other larger birds will visit and eat their fill.
Next…
I gave JC’s Wildlife Large Poly Hopper Bird Feeder a run-of-the-mill score of 6 out of 10. Although it looks similar to the Nature’s Way Hopper Feeder, it’s somewhat longer and definitely built with an awkward design. This makes it more difficult to hang because the awkwardness could potentially make the feeder lose its balance and tip over.
Now:
I actually think the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Feeder is pretty easy to install. You can add a hook to the top of the black wire and hang the feeder from just about anywhere.
I don’t like that it doesn’t come with hardware to attach it to the top of a pole. This additional hardware would have expanded the installation possibilities by a wide margin and made it a lot easier for us to install it using a more effective and more stable method.
Like me, some people just don’t like hanging a bird feeder from a branch or a hook. It’s too potentially unstable and it can easily get knocked down by a squirrel, an owl or other large bird, or a raccoon during the day or the middle of the night.
How the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet stacks up in the ease of installation ratings:
Durability & Warranty
In the Durability & Warranty category, I gave this product a perfect rating by scoring it a 10 out of 10. I really think this blue jay feeder is incredibly compact, durable, and built to withstand many of the worst outdoor elements.
On the bottom of the scale…
I rated the Squirrel Shop Picnic Table Platform Feeder with an average rating of 6 out of 10. Although I truly love the overall aesthetic appeal and design, it’s quite obvious that this product wasn’t made with durability in mind.
Even though it’s sturdy enough, it’s relatively small and it can break easily. There are many smaller wooden parts that make up the bench and the table legs can snap off in no time at all.
And even worse, because it’s so small you could accidentally trip over it or step on it and you’ll do serious damage to the very fragile Picnic Table Platform Feeder, which is unfortunate because it’s such a fun and appealing design overall.
The Nature’s Way Feeder delivered everything I wanted and more in a wooden hopper feeder of this variety.
First off, I love that they used materials that were designed to last for a really long time. In particular, they built the wooden hopper using rot and insect resistant premium cedar. They secured it together with rust free hardware.
And to top things off, they made the windows using stay clear crack resistant acrylic. Some people would prefer glass, but I’m not one of them because I know how easy glass can break. The crack resistant acrylic is going to last much longer in my opinion.
How the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet stacks up in the durability & warranty ratings:
Ease of Refilling
I gave this feeder a very respectable above average score of 8 out of 10 for the category Ease of Refilling. I would’ve scored it higher but the Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray and the Woodlink Deluxe Cedar Bird Feeder are both easier to refill for various reasons.
On the one hand, the Amish Poly Ground Feeder is probably the easiest bird feeder in the world to refill. And because it’s a wide-open tray, you just refill seeds, mealworms, suet balls, and anything else whenever your heart desires by placing or pouring them in the tray.
On a side note, you should clean the tray whenever you refill it though. This will prevent unwanted harmful build up and eliminate bacteria overgrowth and excessive mold.
The worst feeders to refill scored at 6 out of 10. They are both peanut wreath feeders from Songbird Essentials and Pacific Bird & Supply.
These feeders are difficult to maneuver, have a very small opening to dump the whole peanuts into, and can be really frustrating if you have a hard time keeping your hands steady and perfectly still when you refill it.
Refilling it isn’t mind numbingly difficult but it is a challenge for some people every so often.
Now:
The Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder is very similar to the Woodlink feeder because the roof is on a hinge and it easily opens up to create a wide-open space. And the suet cages aren’t covered at all, so they’re very easy to refill too. It’s the hopper that causes potential problems.
You see, because the Nature’s Way feeder is smaller than the Deluxe Woodlink feeder, the hole at the top of the feeder is smaller which makes it more difficult to refill with mixed bird seeds or sunflower seeds or anything else for that matter.
Is it impossible? Absolutely not. It’s just a tiny bit harder than the best blue jay bird feeders that I reviewed along with this product.
Do you see where I’m coming from?
How the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet stacks up in the ease of refilling ratings:
Cleaning & Care
For Cleaning & Care, I gave this product a score of 8 out of 10, which isn’t the best but it certainly isn’t the worst by any means either.
The easiest product to clean and care for in my opinion is the Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray. I gave it a perfect 10 out of 10 score.
Remember, it’s simply an 18 x 12 x 6 tray that is simple to refill, easy to dump out, lightweight and easy to pick up, and something you can quickly wipe down with soap and water or spray down with a hose.
The Songbird Essentials and Pacific Bird & Supply peanut feeders are the most difficult to clean in my opinion. They’re made of wire, so it can become tedious perfectly wiping down each individual wire strand that makes up the wreath. It’s not impossible but it certainly isn’t fun and it takes a little longer.
On the other hand:
The Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet is fairly small and relatively lightweight, so cleaning it will not require too much effort. But you will need to pull out the tray and wash it off, wipe it down with soap and water, and ultimately make sure that it remains clean and free of spoiled food.
At the end of the day, it shouldn’t require too much effort to keep the Nature’s Way Hopper Feeder clean.
How the Nature’s Way Hopper Bird Feeder With Suet Cages stacks up in the cleaning & care ratings:
Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet FAQs:
Will Cardinals Also Eat From The Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet?
The answer to this question is both yes and no.
How so?
Well, cardinals can certainly manipulate the hopper and easily eat the seeds. But they are a bit smaller than blue jays, and as we know blue jays are better known as bully birds.
Larger birds tend to scare cardinals away because they’re small and definitely on the timid side. You may find a cardinal eating from this bird feeder from time to time, but it likely won’t happen when larger birds are hanging around.
What Is The Maximum Amount Of Bird Seed That You Can Fit In This Hopper Feeder?
Personally, I never actually weighed my seeds before filling up the bird feeder, so I’m going to answer this question by sharing information that I’ve discovered online.
One previous owner said that they basically fill up the bird feeder using 1 pound of bird seeds at the time, and they can fit 2 pounds of seeds in total into the hopper feeder.
So, 2 pounds of birdseed seems like the maximum amount that you’ll fit in this feeder.
Is The Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet Squirrel Proof?
I know that it would be really nice if this bird feeder was squirrel proof, but I have to, unfortunately, tell you that it isn’t.
After putting it up in my backyard, I regularly noticed squirrels eating from the hopper feeder. And they can also get to the suet cakes easily enough as well.
Do you have an overabundance of squirrels in your backyard? This might not be the best feeder to meet your needs in this case.
Our Final Verdict: Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet
I’m really excited to see that you’ve finished the bulk of this review. I think it’s great and I hope you found a lot of value from learning about this particular blue jay bird feeder among others.
I put my heart and soul into this blog and always go out of my way to share the most pertinent and up-to-date information about bird related products, seeds, and info about the various species and more.
To recap today’s highlights regarding the Best Combination Feeder for Blue Jays, the most important things to know include:
- I find this bird feeder aesthetically pleasing
- I also think it’s really easy to install but they should’ve made it capable of installing on a pole too
- I find it incredibly durable because they use high-quality treated cedar wood, scratch resistant plastic, and hardware that will never rust
- I think it’s easy enough to refill although the opening is smaller on this bird feeder than some of the others that I’ve shared
- I know this model is really easy to clean, it’s lightweight and easy to carry, and it doesn’t require much care or maintenance
What else would you like to learn?
To check out a complete review of the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder and 9 others, I recommend reading my overview article that’s located here: Best Blue Jay Feeders: Top 10 Review Of My All-Time Favorites
Even better…
Go directly to the source and read the latest customer reviews while learning about the current price of the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Feeder with Suet by visiting the following link.
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