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Note: To create a hole for hanging the treat, insert a drinking straw into the warm mixture. Spoon the mixture into shaped muffin tins or pre-shaped jello molds and cool in the refrigerator until solid. Melt the fat or suet on low heat in saucepan. Use paper-twists or raffia bows to decorate at top and double as hangers.Ībove recipes courtesy of bird hobbyist Kookie Birdy Cookie Moldsġ/3 cup chopped berries, raisins or currants Use needle and thread to string 4-5 cranberries for clappers pass needle through top of bell and knot at top. Use raffia to hang from trees.Ĭoat outside of 2-1/4″ diameter peat pots with the suet mixture or use a paintbrush to coat with the edible glue and then roll in birdseed and place on waxed paper to dry for 4-6 hours.
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For birdseed mixture, let dry 4-6 hours remove cookie cutters turn over and dry 4-6 hours more. Use cookie cutters or shape mixture into stars and wreaths. corn syrup (add package of plain Knox gelatin for extra holding power if necessary).Īdd 4 cups birdseed and peanuts, fruits, berries, raisins, or anything else the birds enjoy.Ĭover tray with waxed paper roll out mixture 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Below, find several recipes for making your own bird seed treats–at a fraction of the price!Įdible Glue: 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, 3 Tbsp. I came home and quickly exercised my Google talent. I’m not called the frugal one in my family for nothing. Unfortunately, the miniature molded bird seed treats came in at roughly six dollars each–before shipping. They are adorable, make great Christmas decorations for outdoor Christmas trees and are useful all rolled into one. One item that I found myself tempted about (especially since we are celebrating Advent this year) was the advertisement for the molded bird seed treats. Some of the items were pretty, some useful, some amusing and some were downright TOO EXPENSIVE!! No questions asked, catalog pricing is insane. While home in Louisiana, I perused several of the catalogs that come to my parents’ address. Original article and pictures take gardentherapy.ETA 9-04-2010: A dear friend just recently made this sweet bunny rabbit bird seed treat and shipped it to us! She used one of the recipes you’ll find below. An added benefit for adding a suet feeder to your yard is that the birds that visit your feeder will also reward you in the spring and summer months by eating the insects in your garden. A great place to hang a suet feeder is in a tree, especially for insect eating birds like woodpeckers. The fat will stay solid at room temperature, but in warmer temps and direct sun, it can get soft or go rancid (depending on the fat you used). Hang your suet feeder at least 5 feet from the ground and in some shade. Hang your new suet feeder and wait for some happy birds! Insert one end through the hole in the middle of the suet and insert one end of the twine through the opposite loop. Make a loop with a length of twine and tie an overhand knot at one end. You might have to run the pan under some warm water to help loosen the suet from the pan. Once the fat has hardened, remove the suet from the mini bundt pan. You can let the fat harden at room temperature or pop the pan in the freezer for an hour or so. Pour the melted lard on top of the seed mixture in the mini bundt pans. I used about half a pound of lard for two mini bundt pans. Mix them together in a large bowl.Īdd the seed mix to the mini bundt pan. Gather your seeds, dried fruit, and nuts. Lard or vegetable fat (you need one that will stay solid at room temperature).Making a wild bird suet feeder is simple and only takes a few ingredients. However, many birds will partake in a helping of fat every now and then when food is scarce. Most birds that enjoy suet are cling feeders such as nuthatches or woodpeckers. In the spring, the fat helps with the increased energy demands of nesting birds. In the winter, the fat helps add to the bird’s stores of energy and help them survive the long, cold months. Suet, or rendered fat, is an important supplement for most birds. Want to be kind to your winter birds? Of course you do! So, let then eat cake (suet cake)! Although we put out seed year-round, we always make up a suet feeder (or seven) for the wild birds in the colder months. We have several feeders in our yard and one of us is always watching out our front window, hoping to catch sight of a new feathered visitor to our front feeder.