Tips, Tools & Techniques - Homemade Bird Seed Feeders

Hello! Here's our regular feature where we share tips, tools & techniques that have caught our eye, things we have Pinned, and things we have tried. These are probably not going to change your life(!) but might make it a bit easier...

It's always nice to see different birds in the garden, so I thought making some homemade bird seed feeders would be a great way to encourage some feathery visitors!! I followed this recipe and instructions by Saltwater-Kids

Recipe:
3/4 cup plain flour       
1/2 cup water
1 sachet unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup or honey*
4 cups birdseed  

*The original recipe says to use corn syrup, but I'm not sure if that's easily available here in the UK? As I didn't have any, a quick google search made me think that honey would be a good substitute... so I used that instead. I'm sure the birds won't be able to tell the difference?!

Start by mixing the flour, water, honey and gelatin together.

Add the bird seed and mix thoroughly.

Give your biscuit cutters a light coat of oil spray, lay out on baking paper and then divide your mixture between them. Use a cut section of a straw to poke a hole where you want the hanging to be, making sure that it goes all the way through.

Use a spoon or your fingers to push the mix right into the molds. I found that a bit of water on your spoon/fingers helps stop the mix sticking.

Leave the mix in the cutters to dry for approx 2-3 hours and  then carefully remove the straws and moulds. Then leave to set completely (preferably overnight).

Add ribbon/twine of your choice so that the feeders can be hung up. I found that using a wool needle helped thread the ribbon through the holes.

Hang in your tree or bush and wait for the birds to find these tasty treats!!

We are linking up to these parties!

2nd March 2014: Update - this post was featured here at Living Well Spending Less

 

7th March 2014: Update - this post was featured here by Crafts a la Mode