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How to Make Homemade Wild Bird Treats

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Last Updated on January 2, 2023 by Ellen Christian

Wondering how to make homemade wild bird treats? Check out this easy recipe for homemade bird treats for extra winter energy.

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That's where these wild bird treats for winter energy come in handy. My husband and I love feeding the birds and watching them through the kitchen window. One of the benefits of living in the country is that we have a lot of birds and wildlife to enjoy.

Easy How To: Wild Bird Treats for Winter Energy

During the summer, we fill the bird feeders with seeds, but in the winter, birds need something that gives them extra energy to stay warm in the cold weather.

That’s where these wild bird treats for winter energy come in handy. My husband and I love feeding the birds and watching them through the kitchen window.

One of the benefits of living in the country is that we have a lot of birds and wildlife to enjoy.

As winter gets closer, you should change the way you feed wild birds by adding more foods that give them energy.

A few things to consider adding are high fat and high-calorie foods like suet, peanuts, and black oil sunflower seeds. Here are some tips on choosing bird food.

How do you make homemade bird treats?

You can make these wild bird treats for winter energy and place them in an old suet mold. I used large silicone muffin cups since I didn’t have a mold from last year and it worked perfectly.

It’s easy enough that the kids can help you make this. But, be sure that you handle rendering the suet because it can get very hot. And, it’s easy to get burned if you’re not careful.

bird treat hanging from a branch

How do you make peanut butter treats for birds?

If you’d rather not use suet with the kids, you can use peanut butter instead. Just put 1/2 cup of plain or chunky peanut butter and one cup of your favorite birdseed into a mold.

Press a stick through for a hole. And freeze overnight. In the morning, pop the wild bird treats out of the mold and hang it outside.

suet berries and a mold to make this project

How to get bird treats to hang in trees

There’s no secret about it. Before you freeze the wild bird treats, you will need to put a hole through it with a pencil or chopsticks. If you wait until it’s frozen, it’s possible that you’ll crack the birds’ treat when you try to add the hole.

If you’ve forgotten to add a hole before you freeze it, you can try wrapping the twine around the treat multiple times to get it to hold in place.

What if I forget to add a hole?

If you’re adding twine to a suet treat, you will need to place the twine in the wild bird treats before they get solid. Again, you can try to add one after it’s solid, but it might crack if you’re not careful.

You can also add it to a suet cage to hold it from a branch or bird feeder. And, you can always buy extra suet cakes so you have enough throughout the colder months.

two birds on a suet feeder

Can you make these treats for wild animals?

Sure, you definitely can. Birds, squirrels, and chipmunks will all enjoy eating these wild bird treats. You should still hang them up.

Otherwise, a raccoon may simply take the entire treat away for themself. Small animals can still use their paws to take pieces of this treat.

That's where these wild bird treats for winter energy come in handy. My husband and I love feeding the birds and watching them through the kitchen window. One of the benefits of living in the country is that we have a lot of birds and wildlife to enjoy.

Related reading

This is an easy how-to that will draw more birds to your yard. If you enjoy birdwatching and making wild bird treats, you’ll enjoy:

Remember, birds will appreciate extra food in the summer as well. Our birds love visiting our garden. If you don’t already garden, this easy garden project is a great way to start.

That's where these wild bird treats for winter energy come in handy. My husband and I love feeding the birds and watching them through the kitchen window. One of the benefits of living in the country is that we have a lot of birds and wildlife to enjoy.

Yield: 2

Easy How To: Wild Bird Treats for Winter Energy

Easy How To: Wild Bird Treats for Winter Energy

Wild bird treats for winter energy

Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Difficulty moderate
Estimated Cost 10

Materials

  • Suet - about 20 ounces makes several hanging treats
  • 1/2 cup black oil sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
  • Mold to hold the suet mixture.
  • String, yarn or twine to hang it with

Tools

  • stove

Instructions

  1. Melt the suet in a small saucepan.Easy How To: Wild Bird Treats for Winter Energy
  2. Add in the sunflower seeds and the cranberries.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Add a string to the mold and make a loop.Easy How To: Wild Bird Treats for Winter Energy
  5. Pour the mixture into the mold.Easy How To: Wild Bird Treats for Winter Energy
  6. Put in the refrigerator overnight to harden.
  7. Hang in a tree for the birds.

Did you make this project?

If you make this, tag me on Instagram so I can see @ellenblogs

© Ellen Christian
Project Type: garden / Category: crafts

16 thoughts on “How to Make Homemade Wild Bird Treats”

  1. Ok so if you use Peanut Butter to make treats, after freezing the mold, will it thaw and fall apart when you take it out and hang it somewhere? I don't want "peanut butter bombs" lol
    ★★★★☆
    Reply
    • It should not but it really depends on how warm it gets. Suet & peanut butter are meant to give birds extra energy during the cold months. If it as warmer in your area, it would be better to give them bird food. In the heat, peanut butter will go rancid. If it is cold - ie near freezing, you should not see any problems with using peanut butter. Thank you for stopping by.
      Reply
  2. wonderful, thanks for sharing on Craft Schooling Sunday! You may be interested to know that we actually have a Jewish tradition of feeding the birds just before shabbat Shira in the Jewish month of Shevat, (It is to honor the birds because they sang as the Jews left Egypt via the splitting of the Red sea!) so kids come home from school with all kinds of ways to feed the birds, though nothing this wonderful!
    Reply
  3. I think this is a great idea. We don't exactly have cold weather here in Miami, but our birds wold love something like this just the same. 
    Reply
  4. We don't tend to see many birds around here in the winter. It might be nice if we did, but it would also make the dog go nuts. And Deb, nothing to feel embarrassed about, I wouldn't have known where to buy it either.
    Reply
  5. I love this project but somewhat embarrassed about asking where to get the suet. I should know this but can you buy it at the grocery store? I'm a city girl now but grew up in the country, so I really should know better. I do have the silicon muffin cups and would love to make these!
    Reply
    • Hi Deb - Nothing to be embarrassed about. I buy it in our meat department. It would probably be in where you could buy soup bones? Just right along in the beef section somewhere. If you don't see it, asking someone who works in that department should work.
      Reply
  7. These are aectually so pretty too! My mom has so many gorgeous birds in her yard and loves to watch them eat from her suets too. 
    Reply

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