The homemade bird seed cylinders are cute little things that can be set up in your garden and attract a lot of birds in the summers. While most people would think it is enough to just place a dish full of seeds on your balcony or back yard, you need to make it more attractive for the birds by poking holes in them so that seeds are visible from outside and so that the birds easily peck at it with their beaks.
Get A Bird Seed Block Mold.
Homemade bird seed cylinders are fun and easy to make, and they’re a great way to attract birds to your garden. Here’s how to make homemade bird seed cylinders:
Get a bird seed block mold. You can find these at craft stores or online. Look for a mold that makes cylinders about the size of poker chips.
You may want to buy more than one mold so you can make different sizes of cylinder at once.
If the molds have instructions on them, follow them carefully. If not, here’s what you need to do:
- Put the seeds in a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon of water per cup of seeds. Stir with a spoon until all the seeds are coated with water (this will help them stick together). Then pour out onto waxed paper or foil-lined baking sheet in 1″ piles. Let dry overnight before removing from baking sheet and cutting into slices with scissors (or any other sharp knife). These slices will fit right into your new homemade bird seed cylinder molds!
Mix Bird Seed and Additional Ingredients
Bird seed cylinders are a great way to attract birds to your backyard. They’re also fun and easy to make, so you can get the kids involved in making these homemade bird feeders.
What You’ll Need
- Birdseed (any type will do)
- Straws (milk or juice cartons work well)
- A roll of tape (packing tape works best)
- String or ribbon (optional)
- Mix bird seed and additional ingredients. This step is optional, but it does help keep the seeds from sticking together as much. You can mix in any kind of flour, cornmeal, oats or other ingredients that will break down in water. If you don’t have any additional items on hand, just use plain birdseed for now; we’ll explain how to add flour later in this tutorial.
Pack The Mixture into The Mold.
To make homemade bird seed cylinders, you will need a heavy-duty plastic bag and a large coffee can with a lid.
First, pack the mixture into the mold. Pack it down firmly so that it will be tight enough to stay together when it’s removed from the mold.
Next, put-on gloves and tie off one end of the plastic garbage bag. Pour in enough water to make is slightly more than half full (about 2 cups). Tie off the other end of the bag, leaving plenty of room for expansion.
Place your coffee can over one end of the bag so that it forms an inverted cone shape. Fold over the open edge of the bag inside of this cone until it’s completely covered by overlapping folds; then tie it off securely with string or twist-ties. You’ll have a tall cylinder with an open bottom — just like a paper funnel!
Remove any air bubbles from inside your funnel by poking them with a pin or needle; then fill it with birdseed until full (you may have to hold onto its sides while pouring for stability).
Place A Piece of String In The Mixture Before It Freezes.
If you want to make your own homemade bird seed cylinders, here’s how to do it.
What You Need
- Bird feeder base
- Bird seed
- An ice cube tray
- String or wire
How to Make Homemade Bird Seed Cylinders
- Step 1: Place a piece of string in the mixture before it freezes. This will serve as a handy guide so that you don’t have to guess when the cylinder is done freezing.
- Step 2: Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and place in the freezer until solid. If you’re using a silicone mold, this might take longer than if you use an aluminum one. The silicone will take longer because it’s not as cold-resistant as aluminum and plastic. If your molds are metal, they’ll freeze faster than plastic ones because metal conducts heat better than plastic does and therefore absorbs more heat from its surroundings (the freezer).
Melt Some Suet or Peanut Butter and Pour It Into The Form.
If you want to make homemade birdseed cylinders, it’s not hard to do. You need a plastic form and some birdseed. The key ingredient is peanut butter or suet.
The process is simple:
- Melt some suet or peanut butter and pour it into the form.
- Add the seed, pushing it down into the melted plastic.
- Put your cylinder in the freezer for several hours until it’s completely hardened.
Let Mixture Freeze Completely, Then Pop Out of Molds.
Making homemade birdseed cylinders is a great way to give your birds a healthy treat. You can make them in any size and with any type of seed or nut you like. They’re also easy to customize with colors and designs.
You’ll need:
- Birdseed or other small treats (your choice)
- Wax paper or parchment paper
- Muffin liners
- Cylindrical ice cube trays (make sure they are big enough for the seeds)
- Bowls for mixing and measuring
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowl (large enough for all ingredients)
Conclusion
Bird seed cylinders can be as easy as throwing a bird-friendly mixture of food into a ground-up tree branch. The right mix of seeds could make these light and easy to hang, so it will be less of a stress on your birds.
