DIY HUMMINGBIRD PERCH – MADE FROM A HORSESHOE

HOW TO MAKE A DIY HUMMINGBIRD PERCH MADE FROM A HORSESHOE

First, I prepared the horseshoe for paint by giving it a light sanding with the sandpaper.

Multi-Surface FolkArt craft paints work on many surfaces, including metal, so I painted my horseshoe with FolkArt Multi-Surface craft paint in baby pink. You could use a spray paint as well.

While I waited for the horseshoe to dry, I stained my dowel with Watco Interior Butcher Block Oil.

This step is optional, but it does look nice to have the darker dowel. I used butcher block oil becasue it is a food-safe stain and I figured it’s probably less toxic for hummingbird feet.

When the horseshoe was fully dry I took one piece of the 20-inch wire pieces and placed it through the lowest slot in the horseshoe and centered it equally.

After the wire was inserted I started to wrap the wire around the horseshoe adding one bead at a time as I wrapped.

I did this step on both sides of the horseshoe, then placed the dowel at the bottom of the horseshoe and wrapped my extra wire around the dowel.

I used eight beads on each side.

When the wire, beads, and dowel were all attached to the bottom half of the horseshoe making the perch area it was time to move on to the top half of the horseshoe.

This is where the 6-inch small chain, E600 glue, and faux suede cording come in.

I applied E600 glue to both sides of the horseshoe.

Next, I ran the faux suede leather cording through the ends of the chain and wrapped the cording around the horseshoe.

This was messier than I expected but I wanted to use a secure glue that would stick to the metal and last outdoors.

I let the E600 glue dry for twenty-four hours and ended up trimming the dowel down a little bit shorter. 

That’s it! The DIY horseshoe perch is complete.

I hung mine on my shepherd’s hook next to the hummingbird feeder, which is filled with my two-ingredient nectar recipe.