Feeder Types
Feeders with seed catcher trays
A tray solves the mess and creates a second feeder. It also creates a puddle if you buy the wrong one.
By Scooter M. · Published · Last updated
A seed catcher tray fits under a feeder and collects hulls and dropped seed. It cuts the mess under a feeder, gives cardinals and juncos somewhere to stand, and needs a screen bottom that drains — a solid tray holds water and turns dropped seed moldy.
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Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NWno photo Nature's Way Cedar Platform Tray Feeder (CWF3) 12" x 12" with a removable screen bottom — it drains and it lifts out to clean. | Best tray | |
| 2 | Wno photo Woodlink Absolute II (model 7536) Publishes a seed-saver baffle as part of the feeder, so nothing extra to fit. | Best built-in | |
| 3 | Lno photo Lyric Delite No Waste Mix Shell-free seed means there is barely anything to catch in the first place. | The alternative approach |
Rows link to the full write-up further down this page. The price button goes to Amazon.
“Best bird feeder with a seed catcher tray” is a common search and it is usually asked for one of two reasons: hulls are killing the grass, or seed is piling up somewhere it should not be. A tray addresses both, and it quietly adds a second feeder to your station.
What a tray actually does
- Catches hulls and dropped seed before they reach the ground. Black oil sunflower is roughly a third shell by weight, and all of it comes off at the feeder.
- Gives big birds somewhere to stand. Cardinals and jays that cannot use a tube port will happily work a tray under it. This is the underrated benefit.
- Reduces what is available to rodents. Less on the ground is less to attract them — the connection is real.
- Stops seed sprouting in a flowerbed, which is a specific and annoying problem in spring.
The one requirement
It has to drain. A screen bottom, or plenty of holes. Project FeederWatch says a platform “should have plenty of drainage holes to prevent water accumulation,” and a catch tray is a platform by another name. Nature's Way publishes a removable screen tray that drains and lifts out for cleaning, which is exactly the right shape.
A solid tray under a feeder is worse than no tray. It collects rain, seed swells and sours in it, and it sits directly below the feeder where birds are already congregating.
Tray, or no-mess seed?
| Catch tray | Shell-free seed | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | One-off purchase | Ongoing, higher per pound |
| Stops hulls | Catches them | There are none |
| Stops sprouting | Mostly | Completely — hulled seed cannot germinate |
| Extra benefit | Cardinals and juncos get a perch | Nearly all of the bag is edible |
| Extra chore | Needs emptying and cleaning | Spoils faster; buy smaller bags |
They combine well. On a balcony, do both — see balcony feeding. On a lawn, a tray alone is usually enough. The seed comparison is in no-mess bird seed.
Fitting one
- Check the fitting. Some trays clamp to a tube, some hang from the same hook, some are freestanding. Measure the tube diameter first.
- Size it wider than the feeder. A tray narrower than the feeder catches very little of what actually falls.
- Leave a gap. A tray pressed right against the ports blocks birds and traps damp.
The extra chore
A tray becomes part of the cleaning routine. It collects droppings as well as hulls, because birds stand on it. Empty and rinse it whenever you clean the feeder — every week or two — and more often in wet weather. A screen tray takes about a minute. Full routine here.
The picks in full
#1 · Best tray
Nature's Way Cedar Platform Tray Feeder (CWF3)
Nature's Way · Cardinals, jays, doves and anything that will not use a tube
An open cedar tray with a removable screen bottom, which is the honest answer for the big ground-feeding birds a tube feeder quietly excludes.
Published specifications
- Dimensions
- 12" x 12" x 2.25"
- Capacity
- 3 quarts
- Materials
- Premium cedar, stainless steel screws, powder-coated galvanized steel seed tray
- Drainage
- Removable screen tray for drainage and airflow
What it does well
- Cardinals and jays use it immediately; they often will not use a small tube port
- The screen bottom drains, which is the difference between a tray and a puddle
- Nothing to break, and it cleans in a minute
What it does not
- Completely open to squirrels, so this one belongs on a baffled pole or nowhere
- Seed is exposed to rain even with drainage, so put out small amounts
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: Nature's Way CWF3 published specifications.
#2 · Best built-in
Woodlink Absolute II (model 7536)
Woodlink · Big capacity and cardinals — the hopper answer to squirrels
A double-sided steel hopper whose counterweighted perches drop a shield over the seed tray when something heavy lands, and it holds twelve pounds so it barely needs attention.
Published specifications
- Seed capacity
- 12 lb
- Dimensions
- 16" W x 11.25" H x 13.5" D
- Feeding ports
- 6 (both sides)
- Mechanism
- Two counterbalanced perches, adjustable to three weight settings
- Materials
- Steel and acrylic
What it does well
- 12 lb capacity means refills measured in weeks, not days
- Perch tension adjusts for light, medium or heavy birds
- The long perch rail suits cardinals, which will not use a small tube port
What it does not
- Twelve pounds of seed is heavy, so the hook or pole has to be rated for it
- Seed sitting for weeks in wet weather is how mold starts; a big hopper needs the same cleaning discipline as a small one
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: Woodlink Absolute II published specifications.
#3 · The alternative approach
Lyric Delite No Waste Mix
Lyric · The genuinely filler-free no-mess bag
Shelled peanuts, sunflower kernels, pecans, pistachios and pumpkin seed: an expensive bag with no corn, no millet and nothing that ends up on the ground.
Published specifications
- Ingredients
- Shelled peanuts, sunflower kernels, pecans, pistachios, shelled pumpkin seed
- Crude protein
- 20% min
- Crude fat
- 35% min
- Crude fiber
- 10% max
- Moisture
- 12% max
What it does well
- No corn, no millet, no milo — nothing in the bag is filler
- Shell-free seed will not sprout under the feeder
- The highest fat content of any mix here, which matters in cold weather
What it does not
- Expensive per pound, though far less of it is wasted
- Nut-heavy mixes are exactly what squirrels want most
Specifications above come from the manufacturer's own published listing: Lyric Delite published ingredients and analysis.
Common questions
What is the best bird feeder with a seed catcher tray?
One with a screen-bottom tray that drains and lifts out for cleaning. A solid tray with no drainage causes more problems than it solves.
Do seed catcher trays work?
They catch most of what falls and give bigger birds somewhere to stand. They do not eliminate mess entirely, and they add a cleaning job.
How do I stop bird seed falling on the ground?
Fit a catch tray, use a hulled mix, and avoid seed blends full of ingredients your birds reject and flick out.
Will a tray attract more squirrels?
A tray gives a squirrel a platform, so on an unbaffled feeder it helps them. On a properly baffled pole it makes no difference.