DutchCrafters Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray: 2024 Ultimate Analysis

For Aesthetics, I only gave the Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray a measly 50 out of 100, which isn’t terrible, but certainly tells you that it isn’t the most attractive blue jay feeder in the world.

For further reference, I gave the Woodlink Deluxe Cedar Bird Feeder a 100 out of 100.

Why such a big disparity between the 2 scores?

The Woodlink feeder has a very sleek, angular, and attractive design that really looks pretty hanging up from a tree or a pole in your backyard. It actually adds to the beauty of your outdoor decor.

On the other hand:

The Amish Blue Jay Feeder Tray looks more like a miniature pig trough. While it certainly isn’t the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen, it’s aesthetically basic looking more than anything else.

Some of the brighter colors like Aruba Blue, Lime Green, and Bright Red make it stand out a little bit, but not by much.

And if you look at the dimensions of this bird feeder, you’ll see it’s your basic 18” x 12” x 6” rectangle. There aren’t any sleek angles or design flourishes that really make it stand out and look pretty.

If you’re the type of person who wants their bird feeder to double as an outdoor ornament for their property, then this most likely isn’t the right feeder for you.

Or…

If your sole purpose of buying a blue jay feeder is to provide a large and easy to access receptacle to hold many types of bird seeds, suet cakes, and mealworms, then this feeder will be the ideal choice because it’s large, simple to refill, and very easy for backyard birds to access.

As far as the Ease of Installation category is concerned, I’m happy to say that the Amish DutchCrafters Bird Feeder Tray received a perfect 100 out of 100 score, which will not surprise anyone after I explain my reasoning.

To put this rating in better context, I scored the blue jay feeder named JC’s Wildlife Large Poly Hopper Bird Feeder with a 60 out of 100 ranking.

The JC’s Wildlife Feeder consists of a relatively large and somewhat awkwardly shaped hopper. It can be difficult to get it properly balanced if you intend to hang it up on a branch or a shrub using the gray cord that sticks out of the top of the feeder.

You’re better off mounting the JC Wildlife feeder on top of a pole because it’s sturdier and remains more stable this way.

The Amish Poly Ground Feeder Tray, on the other hand, doesn’t technically require installation. It doesn’t need to be installed on top of a pole, and it doesn’t need to be hung up from a shrub, a tree branch, or a hook.

As I said, it’s basically a feeder trough and nothing more.

Find a nice spot in your backyard with plenty of blue jays and other large backyard birds and place it on the ground, on top of a table, or put it on top of any other flat surface that seems like a good place for the birds to eat and enjoy a tasty meal.

For the category Durability & Warranty, I ranked this product with a score of 70 out of 100. This isn’t the worst score on the list and it certainly isn’t the best by any means either.

One score below is the Squirrel Shop Picnic Table Platform Feeder, which only scored a 6 out of 10. And quite frankly, although it has a really attractive and fun overall design, it isn’t made with the sturdiest and strongest wood on the planet. A bigger selling point is the Unconditional Money Back Guarantee, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

On the opposite end…

I ranked the Nature’s Way Cedar Hopper Bird Feeder with the coveted 10 out of 10 score. I love the fact that they built it with treated wood. They used cedar made of premium quality material that’s both rot resistant and resistant to damage from insects.

They also built it using high quality hardware for the screws, hinges, and suet cages. This hardware is designed to last for a long time without ever rusting.

The Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray scored a 70, which isn’t bad but it certainly isn’t the best score in the world. It is made of poly lumber plastic using high quality Amish craftsmanship, so don’t get me wrong. But if a young child or adult accidentally trips over the feeder, they will likely crack off one or more of the legs if they aren’t careful.

Even better, DutchCrafters, the company that produces the Amish Poly Bird Feeder, stands by their work and offers all of their customers a one-year residential use warranty against material defects and workmanship problems. So, this is certainly good information to know and it should help you feel more confident when purchasing this feeder.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that in the Ease of Refilling category, I gave the Amish Bird Feeder Tray the best score possible with a perfect 100 out of 100.

On the other end…

I gave the Pacific Bird & Supply Green Ring Suet Ball Feeder a score of 60 out of 100, which is tied with a very similar peanut wreath feeder from Songbird Essentials.

Why the low scores?

If you look at the overall design of the wreath round feeders, you’ll see that it isn’t the easiest bird feeder in the world to maneuver and manipulate when trying to refill it.

It hooks together at the top, so you’ll need to unhook it and then take a scoop of whole peanuts and begin filling the spiral tubelike area for refilling. You’ll need a peanut scoop that’s the perfect size to fit the opening, because otherwise your whole peanuts will likely fall all over the floor and things can get messy.

The Amish Poly Ground Bird Feeder Tray is the complete opposite style of the peanut feeders from Songbird Essentials and Pacific Bird & Supply.

As I mentioned earlier, the basic design is a rectangular feeder trough. The area to put the bird seeds and other tasty food is a large and wide-open space.

Look inside the feeder and see if it’s empty. If it is, take a moment to wipe it down and then dump a new bag of black oil sunflower seeds, mealworms, striped sunflower seeds, or even line it with suet cakes or suet balls.

Refilling the Amish Bird Feeder Tray is one of the easiest things in the world to do.

And lastly, for the Cleaning & Care category I also rated this tray feeder with a full 100 out of 100 score. The simplistic design makes it very easy to clean and you’ll have no trouble keeping it in excellent condition.

Like last time, the worst scores in this category were the wreath peanut feeders from Songbird Essentials and Pacific Bird & Supply. They received 7 out of 10 scores.

Why the difference?

Well, the wire wreath feeders aren’t the easiest things in the world to manipulate and clean. To give it a thorough cleaning you need to take a soapy washcloth and literally wipe down every single piece of wire to the best of your ability to kill mold and bacteria.

And I recommend trying to wipe it down from the inside out to make sure it’s perfectly clean. This can be a little difficult but not the hardest thing in the world to accomplish.

But when compared to the Amish feeder…

The Amish bird feeder is one of the easiest things in the world to clean. Again, it’s just a tray with four legs in a rectangular shape.

When caring for it, make sure to dump out any of the old seeds that might be resting on the bottom of the tray. Then take a wash cloth covered in soap and use it to wipe down the inside and outside of the tray to kill potential bacteria and mold buildup that can be really harmful to blue jays and other birds.

Whereas cleaning the wire wreath feeder might take about 10 minutes, cleaning the rectangular ground feeder tray should only take around a minute in total.