Sep 22, 2025
Making your own bird food is a great alternative to store-bought suet balls. These homemade feeders are environmentally friendly, as they don’t require plastic netting which can be hazardous to birds. By creating a custom mix, you can cater to both seed-eaters and soft-food eaters, attracting a wider variety of birds to your garden.
Coconut fat serves as a high-energy food source, which is essential for birds during the cold winter months. It also binds the ingredients together and helps protect the feed from moisture.
Ingredients and Materials
- 125 g coconut fat
- 125 g mixed bird feed (seeds, grains, nuts, oats, dried unsulfured berries and fruits)
- Pot and spoon
- Cookie cutters
- Baking paper
- Wooden skewer or toothpick
- String
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Feed Mix
Create a balanced mix of seeds, grains, nuts, and soft foods.
- For seed-eaters (like tits and sparrows): Use ingredients such as millet, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
- For soft-food eaters (like robins, wrens, and blackbirds): Include oat flakes and unsulfured dried fruits like raisins, apples, or cranberries.
Adding chopped walnuts and hazelnuts provides extra energy for all birds.
2. Melt the Coconut Fat
For an ideal consistency, aim for a 1:1 ratio of coconut fat to feed mix. Melt the coconut fat in a pot over medium heat. Be careful not to let the fat get too hot. Once it has completely melted, remove the pot from the heat and allow the fat to cool slightly.
3. Combine Ingredients
While the coconut fat is still warm but beginning to solidify again, stir in your prepared feed mix. Continue mixing until all ingredients are evenly coated. Once the mixture is lukewarm, it’s ready for the next step.
4. Shape the Bird Feeders
Line a tray or wooden board with baking paper and place your cookie cutters on top. Press the bird food mixture firmly into the cutters. Use a skewer or toothpick to create a hole for the string. Make sure the hole is not too close to the edge to prevent it from breaking.
5. Cool and Hang
To help the feeders harden completely, place them in the refrigerator. Once they are firm, carefully remove them from the cookie cutters. Thread a piece of string through the hole and hang the feeders in your garden, preferably in a sheltered location.
Tip: As an alternative to cookie cutters, you can use rings cut from cardboard kitchen towel rolls to shape your bird feeders.
