Did you know that February is national bird feeding month here in the United States?! Winter is difficult for birds, especially during this time so helping to provide food, water and shelter is highly encouraged. Bird seed feeders can be made year-round, but these in particular are wonderful for birds in the winter. They’re easy to make and you only need two ingredients- bird seed and a rendered animal fat. They are delicious to birds and will provide the extra fat and calories that they need in their diet for energy during the colder months. I went to a local bird shop to purchase my bird seed (I asked for recommendations based on where we live) but you can use any type of bird seed that you’d like. For the fat I used beef tallow (can be purchased online or I was able to find it at sprouts). There are a handful of tutorials online that use gelatin and corn syrup instead of a fat, but as far as I know those ingredients are not ideal for birds. This is a great project to do with older kids, or with younger kids by assisting in handling the tallow when it is hot. We had a great time making these together- Elliot helped to carefully pack the molds and helped to hang the feeders up after they were finished and cooled.

Materials:

– wild bird seed
– beef tallow
– silicone donut mold
– twine

Instructions for making bird seed feeders:

Step 1: How to heat tallow and mix the seeds

Heat the beef tallow (I used about 1.5c of beef tallow for 3c of seed. This was enough seed to fill the mold I used) on low heat in a sauce pan until it is liquified. Place your bird seeds into a large heat safe bowl. Slowly pour the liquified beef tallow into the bowl, stirring to combine. Add enough fat to thoroughly coat the seeds. It should be a little liquidy and as the fat cools it will hold the seeds together.

Step 2: How to fill the molds

Use a spoon to carefully transfer the mixture into the silicone donut mold. Make sure that you pack each mold. Place the entire mold into the refrigerator or freezer to cool. When they are completely cool the fat will solidify and hold its shape.

Step 3: How to finish making the bird seed feeders

Remove from silicone mold by pushing from the bottom. Tie a twine through the hole for hanging. And that’s it! Now you can hang your bird seed feeders outside on a tree and wait for some new feathered friends to show up.