Hummers want their own feeder. That's why I have 20 feeders up. Sometimes I have 30+ birds and sometimes I have 10. These feeders are in a 40 foot line on my patio in the shade and I also have one by the kitchen window. If there isn't a great enough food source, then a hummers will either be killed are go elsewhere. This is why I believe some people have few birds. At another residence, I had on more than one occasion a hummer being taken to the ground and had to intervine to keep the more aggressive hummer from attacking while the one on the ground was dazed. It is not normal for 6 birds to be sitting on one feeder. This is a learned experience. With 3-4 birds, it is almost impossible to get the bully (most aggressive) to stop chasing. Just have to add more feeders. Females are more tollerant and at yet another residence during the southward migration, I had 10-11 females on several feeders at the same time just sitting and drinking.

Paul, thanks for the response. It sounds like it could get very expensive and time-consuming. Of course, I am selfish and only want to put the feeders where I can see them. It becomes a challenge, it appears, to find lots of places to set so many of them up and keep up with them. However, I think I may expand next Spring and see how it goes. It is so therapeutic to watch them. Sad that they actually will kill each other.

I think that if you place one of the feeders in a location that is farther away you'll have fewer problems. Surely there are other locations for you to enjoy watching the birds, even from a distance.

That way, you'll be able to keep your two feeders but with fewer battles.

Rhizo, in a way, you're correct. But I keep up with the feeders the closer they are to my house, and the more obvious they are when I look out. So we'll see what I do next year. It is such a pleasurable past-time.