Homemade Birdseed Ornaments
Homemade birdseed ornaments are a fun way to make your own treats for your local birds. Your birdseed ornaments can be small or large depending on the type of mold you use. I used a cupcake pan (muffin tin) to make mine, but other containers or molds could work too. If your birdseed ornaments get too large, however, they might not hang as nicely on your tree branches.
Now, I really wish I was home during the day to see what the birds and other critters are up to. When I came home from work today and checked my tree, all three birdseed ornaments were gone! Just three empty little strings were hanging there. Either these were a super big hit with the birdies or the squirrels made off with them. Hmmmmm.
To make these birdseed ornaments, simply mix together 4 cups of birdseed with 3/4 cup of flour. Next you’ll dissolve a packet of unflavored gelatin in a 1/2 cup of hot water so it will dissolve. 3 tablespoons of corn syrup are also added to the mixture. Then you stir the gelatin mixture into your birdseed mixture, and you’re ready to put it into molds. (For a smaller version of this recipe to make a single bird bell shape, click here: Make your own Birdseed Bells )
I used a muffin tin for my mold and used the handle of a wooden spoon to make the holes in the middle of each ornament. You could also try using cookie cutters as molds.
Then you can put your birdseed ornaments in the refrigerator overnight to harden. Once the birdseed ornaments have hardened, use a spatula to pop them out of the muffin tin. To hang your finished ornaments, cut a piece of string about 12″ long, thread through the hole in the middle of your ornament, and then tie the ends of the string in a knot.
Hang your birdseed ornaments in the tree branches and then sit by the window and watch for squirrels!
More Homemade Bird Feeding Ideas:
Homemade Birdseed Ornaments
Equipment:
- Muffin Tin (To use as a mold)
- Wooden Spoon (To use to make center holes in ornaments)
- String (for hanging ornaments in trees)
Materials:
- 4 cups birdseed
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Instructions:
- Mix the birdseed and the flour in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat the water in the microwave (you want it hot enough to dissolve the gelatin).
- Pour the packet of gelatin into the hot water and stir to dissolve.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of corn syrup to the gelatin mixture (I did all this right in the measuring cup)
- Pour the gelatin mixture into the bowl of birdseed and flour and stir until everything is well mixed.
- Scoop some of the birdseed into each section of a muffin tin (or whatever you are using for a mold). Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in each of the sections. This will allow you to put a string through the birdseed ornament for hanging.
- Put the birdseed ornaments in the refrigerator overnight to harden. Once the birdseed ornaments have hardened, use a spatula to pop them out of the muffin tin.
- To hang your finished ornaments, cut a piece of string about 12" long, thread through the hole in the middle of your ornament, and then tie the ends of the string in a knot.
I want to make these and sell them followed your recipe and they worked well store them in a container for a week and they went moldy. Don’t want to put them out for sale and they go moldy is there anything I can dip them in to preserve
I don’t know if there is anything you could dip them in as a preservative, but I know some folks put these in the freezer until they are ready to use or sell them.
How long are these good for? I’d like to put in a cellophane bag and give as a gift but I’d like to make ahead of time. Can they last for a couple months before gift giving or do you have to use right away?
If you make these a couple months ahead of time, I would suggest keeping them in the refrigerator (or maybe even the freezer) just to make sure they do not go moldy.
This was an epic fail. I followed the directions to the letter, including the chill time. I carefully picked them up to thread the yarn through and they crumbled in my hands. Waste of time and money and now I don’t have a neighbor gift
I’m sorry you had that result. Sometimes it’s a mystery to me why something that works well for me turns out so differently for someone else.
Do you have to put in the freezer to harder?
If you want them to harden up faster, you can put them in the freezer. But if you are in no hurry, it works fine to just put them in the refrigerator overnight to harden up.
Can these be made and frozen?
I have never tried freezing these, but I think it would work. I’ve had these ornaments hanging outside in below freezing weather and they were just fine, so I would imagine having them in a freezer would not present any problems either.