This Works For Me! No one told me to do this.  But it works for me. . . and for the birds.

I count five little birds at this tree.  Sometimes I get eleven.  Usually they will only feed two to a sock.  The little guys don't like to be crowded.

This was just an accident.  I put a Thistle Sock on a Smoke Tree a couple of weeks before Christmas.  The birds started eating at the Thistle.  I had a few extra socks and I was going to put them out one at a time as they emptied.  Just before Christmas I tied four socks to the tree and some ornaments, just for decoration.  The birds started to swarm the socks and they were emptied in less than a week.  I refilled the socks and added more.  I am waiting for spring when the Goldfinch turn yellow.  Then they will put on a show.

Hanging several Thistle Socks grouped together, but each having a little space has given mostly Finch but also some Chickadee and other small birds their own feeding zone.  Since there are several sources of food available no one goes hungry for long.