Homemade Bird Food – It’s Completely for the Birds!

Do you enjoy feeding outdoor birds, and do you enjoy watching the birds feast on the food you provide? You don’t have to go to your local feed store for ready-made bird food for your feathered outdoor friends. You can attract more birds to your property with nutritious and highly palatable homemade bird food filled with nuts, fruit, seeds, and suet.

The following bird treats are easy to make, and your yard will become a favorite feeding place for wild birds of many varieties. You’ll be providing birds with wholesome, nutritious, natural foods you’ve put together yourself. Birds absolutely love these tasty homemade treats, and they’ll return again and again to feast on the delicacies you offer.

Keep in mind that birds won’t always immediately flock to a new source of food. They often take a day or two to scout out the area before coming in for a closer look. In a matter of days you’ll notice birds flocking to your new feeder and sampling the following easy homemade bird food.

Homemade Fruit and Nut Suet

To make homemade bird food containing nuts, fruit, and suet you’ll need approximately 3½ cups of rolled oats, 1 pound of suet, a 12-ounce jar of extra chunky peanut butter, 1 cup of dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, or cherries, 3 ½ cups of cornmeal, 3 ½ cups of cream of wheat, and 1 quart of water.

Combine the oatmeal and water, and cook it for approximately three minutes over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the chunky peanut butter and suet until melted and well-blended. Stir in the dried fruit, cream of wheat, and cornmeal. Allow the homemade bird food to sit undisturbed until it’s cool enough to handle, and before it hardens, form it into cakes that will fit in your suet feeder. Extra suet cakes can be stored in the freezer until ready to use.

Easy Birdseed Wreaths

To make easy birdseed wreaths to hang on tree branches or your bird feeder you’ll need 3 four-inch mini bundt pans, shortening, 2 cups of wild birdseed mixture, ¼-ounce package of unflavored gelatin, 6 tablespoons of water, and an additional 2 tablespoons of cold water. Birds love these simple homemade bird food wreaths.

Begin by boiling the 6 tablespoons of water in a microwave oven. In the meantime, pour 2 tablespoons of cold water into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the gelatin. Allow it to stand for approximately one minute before adding the boiling water. Stir the mixture for a few minutes or until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

Next, stir in the birdseed, and combine the mixture thoroughly. Spoon the homemade bird food into greased mini bundt pans, and place them in the refrigerator for approximately 5 hours or overnight. When the homemade bird food is completely set, turn the pans over to remove the bird seed wreaths. Allow them to harden at room temperature, and complete this homemade bird food by tying on red velvet ribbons or other ties of your choice.

These homemade bird seed wreaths make fantastic gifts for other bird lovers. Simply wrap finished wreaths in colored cellophane, and present them as they are, or include them in a gift basket filled with suet cakes, a suet feeder, and other small items for wild birds. This is the type of gift that will keep on giving, year after year.