Last of the final batch • In 6 active carts right now • Only 140 left
Merritt's Covered Bird Feeder
Merritt's Covered Bird Feeder
Ships within 1–2 days
90-day return policy
Free US shipping with tracking
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Merritt's Covered Bird Feeder
Merritt’s Covered Bird Feeder
A small open dish with its own roof. Dry seed for the juncos and cardinals after every snowstorm, and a shaded, clean drink for the birds all summer.
Please note: this is the last batch, 140 left, then no more. Free US shipping, ships within 1–2 business days.
What the little roof does
Three reasons the birds keep coming back.
Birds stay sheltered
Snow, rain and summer sun stay on the roof. The birds eat and drink underneath, in the dry and in the shade.
Food stays dry, water stays clean
No frozen block of seed after a storm, no soggy mash, no warm green water in July.
Cleaner and more hygienic
Droppings, leaves and dirt land on the roof, not in the dish, so disease has far less chance to spread from bird to bird.
One dish, all year
Use it for whatever the birds need most right now.
Dry seed
Black-oil sunflower, white millet or a seed mix. The roof keeps snow and sleet off. Fill a thin layer each morning.
Fresh water
Rinse it out and fill it with water. The roof keeps the dish in shade, so the water stays cooler and cleaner for longer.
“Every storm, my wife’s tray feeder disappeared under the snow, and the juncos stood on top of it with nothing to eat. A little roof was the obvious fix. In summer she fills the same dish with water.”
Merritt Coombs, Peacham, Vermont
What arrives at your door
One piece, ready to hang. No assembly.
Open tray vs. covered dish
The morning after six inches of snow.
| Open tray feeder | Merritt’s covered dish | |
|---|---|---|
| The seed | ✗ Buried, wet or frozen | ✓ Dry under the roof |
| Ground birds | ✗ Only until it snows | ✓ All winter, standing in the dish |
| Hygiene | ✗ Droppings and leaves in the food | ✓ Lands on the roof instead |
| Summer | ✗ Bakes in the sun | ✓ A shaded water dish |
Who you’ll see at it
Ground-feeding birds that rarely use a tube feeder, plus the regulars.
Why most people hang two or three
Seed in winter, water in summer: one dish helps one corner of the yard, a few of them give far more birds shelter, food and water all year.
Spread out near different shrubs, the birds stop crowding onto one spot, where disease spreads fastest.
Sunflower in one for cardinals and chickadees, millet in the other for juncos and doves.
A blue jay can clear one dish in minutes. With two or three, the small birds always have a place to eat.
In spring and fall, keep one for seed and one for water, so the birds get both in one yard.
Merritt’s tip
“A thin layer of seed each morning, let them clear it, tip out what’s left before dark. Thirty seconds under the tap and it’s clean again. Come May, switch to water.”
90 days, no argument
Hang it, fill it, watch who turns up. Not convinced after three months? Email us for a full refund. No forms, no questions.
Product details
Measured on pieces from the final batch.
| Material | Iron with a weathered rust finish |
| The Umbrella | Dish 6.7 in (17 cm) · 14.2 in (36 cm) tall including chain and hook |
| The Cottage Roof | Dish 4.7 in (12 cm) · 16 in (41 cm) tall including chain and hook |
| Hanging | Chain with S-hook: branch, porch beam, shepherd’s hook or bracket. No tools. |
| Use | Covered seed dish in winter, shaded water dish in summer |
| Care | Rinse daily with plain water, clean weekly with hot water and a brush |
| Shipping | Free across the US, ships within 1–2 business days |
The Snowed-In Tray
The Snowed-In Tray
A note from Merritt:
In February 2017 a nor’easter buried my wife Lorraine’s tray feeder under two feet of snow, and I watched a junco dig at it for twenty minutes and get nowhere. Forty-six years I kept snow off other people’s barns. That afternoon I bent a little roof for the junco.
My shoulder won’t take the brake anymore. These are the last 140 roofs I cut. When they’re gone, there won't be any more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Ships within 1–2 business days, with tracking
- Every feeder is checked and boxed by hand, ready to hang
- The Umbrella: dish 6.7 in (17 cm), 14.2 in (36 cm) tall. The Cottage Roof: dish 4.7 in (12 cm), 16 in (41 cm) tall.
- Chain and hook included, no tools needed
- Order by December 15 for delivery before Christmas
- 90-day money-back guarantee — just email info@backroad-goods.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
My granddaughter Kenna and I personally answer every email, as fast as we can. Whether you have a question about your order or about which roof shape to choose, we're here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (CT)
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (CT)
Email: info@backroad-goods.com
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Of course. If the feeder isn't right, the size, the style or no reason at all, email us within 90 days and you get your money back. No restocking fee, no hassle.
How are your products made?
How are your products made?
Every roof is cut from flat sheet in Merritt’s tin shop in Peacham, Vermont, folded on his old hand brake the same way he once bent flashing for barn roofs, then fitted to its dish, chain and hook at the bench. Both shapes, the Umbrella and the Cottage Roof, have a weathered rust finish. Use it for seed in the colder months and for water in the warmer months; rinse it with plain water every morning.