How to Make Bird Seed at Home
Birdseed is a wonderful treat to feed wild birds especially in the cold, winter months when birds have a difficult time finding food sources. Making birdseed at home can be a fun project that every family member can enjoy from kids to grandma. It is easy to do and is rewarding when you see wild birds feasting on your homemade birdseed.
Materials you'll need:
- Large bowl
- 2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup crushed corn kernels
- 1 cup shelled peanuts lightly crushed
- 1 cup dried fruits (apples, raisins, dates)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds with shells (for larger birds)
- 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (for smaller birds)
- 1/2 cup rice
- Bird feeder
- Strands of yarn (optional)
- Collect all the materials you'll need. Most the material can be found at specialty shops for birds, farm stores, and some grocery stores.
- Set the large bowl on a table.
- Pour the 2 cups of sunflower seeds into the bowl.
- Pour the 1 cup crushed corn kernels into the bowl.
- Mix the sunflower seeds and crushed corn kernels together with your hands until well mixed.
- Pour the 1 cup shelled peanuts into the bowl and mix them in with your hands.
- Pour the 1 cup dried fruit into the bowl and mix them in with your hands.
- Pour both the shelled and unshelled pumpkin seeds into the bowl and mix them together with you hands.
- Pour the 1/2 cup of rice into the bowl and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients with your hands. Brown rice and wild rice work well for bird seed mixtures, but you can use white rice as well.
- Place strands of yarn into the bird seed if you chose to have them. Strands of yarn are often placed in birdseed for the birds to pick out and use to create nests and keep themselves warm after they are done eating.
- Continuing mixing all the ingredients together until they are evenly dispersed in the bowl.
- Pour the homemade birdseed into an outdoor bird feeder. If you have leftover seed, place it into a Ziploc bag and close it tight for later use.