Wild Bird Seed Recipes

Many people enjoy feeding the wild birds that come into their yards during the day. However, this can become expensive when you have to keep buying commercial bird foods. Luckily, there are many wild bird seed recipes that can be made at home that will cost a lot less than buying it from the store.

  1. How to Render Suet

    • Suet is one of the main ingredients of wild bird seed. Suet can help attract birds such as cardinals, bluebirds, chickadees, woodpeckers, wrens and more. Suet is made from the raw beef fats that are found around the kidneys and loins of meats. This can be collected at home by trimming off the excess fat that is found on cuts of beef, or you can buy beef fat at many local grocery stores and butchers.

      When you have enough fat, finely chop it up or grind it through a meat grinder. Then, heat it slowly until it turns to liquid, strain through cheesecloth and then let it harden as it cools down. You then must repeat reheat the fat again, and then re-strain it, for the suet to cake properly. Then, after it is cooled, it can be stored in the freezer, covered.

    Suet Muffins

    • You can make your own suet muffins as a treat for wild birds by gathering two cups of suet warmed up, one cup of dried bread crumbs, two cups each of raisins and rolled oats and a can of dog food. A cup of peanut butter can be used in place of the dog food, although this is a more expensive option. Mix the ingredients well, and then pour into a cupcake tin. Chill in the refrigerator. When properly cooled, you can hang the suet muffins in a bird-feeding bag, or simply tie it tightly with a string and hang it from a branch.

    Birdie Delight

    • In a saucepan or in the oven, melt one and one-quarter pound of suet carefully, on low heat. Stir in a half-cup each of sunflower seeds, crushed peanuts and cracked corn kernels. Carefully spoon or pour into two 2-cup--size molds, and use a straw to poke a hole through the mold. Leave the straw in, and refrigerate until it is solid. Remove the mold and straw, thread the hole with a string, and tie to a tree branch for the birds to enjoy.

    Oriole Bird Food

    • Bring six parts of water and one part of sugar to a boil. Stir carefully until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool the mixture completely, and fill the feeder with it. Any excess oriole bird food can be refrigerated until it is needed.