Homemade Bird Feeder

There are a lot of reasons someone would want to make a homemade bird feeder. The most obvious is to encourage birds to frequent their yard. Home made bird feeders can be great family activities, fun crafts for kids, etc. The following are the instructions for making a couple different types of a simple home made bird feeders.

When making a homemade bird feeder there are a few things you will want to take into consideration or remember. The first of which is that the bird will generally need a perch or somewhere to land in order to feed. It can be strenuous for a bird to continually beat their wings while feeding. So, when making a home made bird feeder, try to make something that the food is easy to get off, or that has a perch for the bird to rest on while obtaining the food.

The second thing you want to consider when making a home made bird feeder is what kind of bird seed you are going to put in it. Most general bags of birdseed have a lot of filler seeds that the birds may not even like that much. To attract the birds from your area, try a more specialized version of birdseed, or make your own.

The first homemade bird feeder is a pinecone feeder. This requires that you get a good sized pinecone, some twine or wire, peanut butter or honey, and the bird seed. To make it start by fastening some twine or wire around the top of the pine cone and fashioning a loop that can be used to hang the cone from a tree branch or somewhere else where birds can get to it. Then, take your honey or your peanut butter and coat the pinecone with it. Honey tends to attract more birds, but peanut butter is a more cost effective option, and the birds like it as well. Once fully coated, roll it around in the birdseed until it is well coated in birdseed. Then, hang the feeder in your yard. It is very simple, and uses natural items, making for the perfect homemade bird feeder.

The second option for a homemade bird feeder is a milk jug or carton feeder. For this you are going to take an empty milk jug or carton, some string or twine or wire, an exacto knife, a stick and some birdseed. You will need an adult to help with this as it involves cutting out windows in the carton or jug to allow birds entrance. Basically what you are going to do is start by fastening a wire or string through the top of the feeder. This will act as fastener that will help you secure it to a tree or somewhere else. Then, near the top of the jug or carton, cut out some windows that will allow the bird access to the bird seed. You are going to fill the bottom of the carton or jug with seed, so make sure you leave enough space to have seed in it. Punch two holes just below the windows, across from one another, in the sides, and insert the stick through, giving the birds a perch on which to sit to feed. Fill your feeder with seed, and place strategically in your yard.