Make Bird Seed Ornaments

Bird seed ornaments are a fun, crafty way to give the birds of your neighborhood a special treat. There are several different methods you can use to prepare a bird seed ornament. Gelatin and peanut butter are the easiest and most kid-safe methods to use, but coconut oil and suet ornaments require you to work with scalding hot liquids.

Ingredients

For Gelatin Ornaments

  • 1/2 cup (125 milliliters) water
  • 2 1/2 tsp (11.75 g) unflavored gelatin
  • 3 Tbsp (45 milliliters) corn syrup
  • 3/4 cup (175 g) flour
  • 4 cups (900 g) bird seed

For Coconut Oil Ornaments

  • 1 cup (250 milliliters) coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup (56.7 g) chopped nuts
  • 1/4 cup (56.7 g) birdseed

For Peanut Butter Ornaments

  • Thick, hard bread
  • Peanut butter
  • Chopped Nuts
  • Bird seed

For Suet Ornaments

  • Thick, hard bread
  • 1 lb (450 g) beef suet
  • 1/2 cup (113.4 g) peanut butter
  • 1 cup (225 g) bird seed

Steps

Ornaments Made with Gelatin

  1. Heat water in the microwave using a microwave-safe glass measuring cup. Microwave the water for about 30 seconds. The water should be hot to the touch but does not need to boil.
  2. Whisk unflavored gelatin into the water. Only whisk the gelatin into the water long enough for it to dissolve.
  3. Whisk corn syrup into the water. Stir the corn syrup long enough for it to dissolve.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together bird seed with flour. The two should be thoroughly combined.
  5. Gradually pour the gelatin solution into the bird seed and flour. Use a large spoon to mix all ingredients well until a thick, sticky mass forms.
  6. Spray the inside of a cookie cutter with nonstick spray. You can use any cookie cutter shape you want, but larger shapes tend to be easier to work with than smaller ones and may attract more birds.
  7. Place the cookie cutter on a large sheet of parchment paper. Wax paper or nonstick cooking foil can also be used.
  8. Spray your fingers with nonstick cooking spray. You will need to work directly with the sticky bird seed mixture, and cooking spray will reduce the amount of seed that gets stuck to your skin.
  9. Spoon the bird seed mixture into the prepared cookie cutter. Press the seed mix into the cookie cutter with your hands until it feels firm and compact.
  10. Insert a chopstick, wooden dowel, or the handle of a wooden spoon into the bird seed packed inside the mold. Immediately remove it after inserting it into the seed to create a hole. The hole will allow you to tie the ornament onto the tree. You can create the hole anywhere, but the closer it is to the center, the sturdier the ornament will be and the longer it will last.
  11. Remove the cookie cutter from the bird seed. Do so carefully, "wiggling" it free and gently holding the seed in place with your fingers if necessary.
  12. Repeat the molding process with the rest of your bird seed mixture. You may need to spray the cookie cutter with additional nonstick spray after every one or two moldings.
  13. Dry the bird seed ornaments overnight. Allow them to sit in a cool spot, such as a basement or refrigerator.
  14. String a separate piece of yarn or thick string through the hole in each ornament. Tie the string, leaving enough empty space to slip the loop over a tree branch.

Ornaments Made with Coconut Oil

  1. Lay out two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Non-stick foil works especially well, but standard aluminum foil can also work.
  2. Spray a metal cookie cutter with nonstick cooking spray. Make sure that the interior sides are well-coated.
  3. Place the cookie cutter on top of the aluminum foil. Wrap the foil up around the sides of the cookie cutter, tightly forming it to the shape of the mold and covering the exterior sides.
  4. Heat coconut oil in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Heat and stir the coconut oil until it melts but does not bubble or boil.
  5. Stir chopped nuts and bird seed into the heated oil. Mix well with a heat-resistant spoon until the seed and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the oil.
  6. Remove the pot from the stove and allow it to cool slightly. The oil should be cool enough to prevent burns but not so cool that it solidifies.
  7. Place an 8-inch (20 1/3 centimeters) piece of thick twine into the cookie cutter. Position the twine toward the top of the cookie cutter rather than in the center. Most of the twine should hang out over the edge of the cookie cutter.
  8. Pour the oil and seed mixture into the cookie cutter. Do this slowly to prevent spillage or burns, and allow the seed mixture to nearly reach the top of the mold.
  9. Allow the seed mixture to solidify at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or freeze yet.
  10. Transfer the solid seed to the freezer. Allow it to remain in the freezer for an hour.
  11. Carefully push the ornament out of the cookie cutter. Hang it outside using the twine.

Ornaments Made with Peanut Butter

  1. Cut thick slices of bread from a semi-hard loaf. To make the bread easier to work with, allow it to get slightly stale but do not let any mold grow on it. The slices of bread should be 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) thick.
    • If the bread is not stale, bake it in an oven set at 300 degrees Fahrenheit (148.9 degrees Celsius) for 10 minutes, or until it becomes completely hard and crusty.
  2. Cut the bread into a simple ring shape. Cut out a small hole in the center to tie thread or yarn through later.
  3. Fill a small dish with birdseed and chopped nuts. Mix the nuts and seed together so that they are evenly distributed.
  4. Spread peanut butter onto one side of the bread ring. You can use either smooth or crunchy peanut butter.
  5. Carefully place the bread ring into the dish of seed. Drop the bread in peanut butter side down. Press the ring into the seed until the peanut butter is well-coated in seed and nuts.
  6. Remove the bread ring and place it on a sheet of aluminum foil. Let the ring sit seed side facing up.
  7. Repeat the dipping procedure as often as you like. Use as many hard rings of bread as you have available.
  8. Place the rings inside the refrigerator. Allow them to chill overnight.
  9. Thread thick string or yarn through the hole in the center of each ring. Tie the yarn to form a loop, and slip the loop over a tree branch outside.

Ornaments Made with Suet

  1. Cut thick slices of bread from a semi-hard loaf. Follow the instructions about cutting slices described in the sub-section on peanut butter ornaments.
  2. Cut rings out of the bread slices. Create large holes in the center. These holes will be filled with the suet mixture later on.
  3. Melt beef suet in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove any chunks of gristle or fat that start floating in the liquid suet once it melts down.
  4. Stir crunchy peanut butter into the melted suet. Do this carefully to prevent any splashes or spills. Thoroughly mix the two ingredients together until combined.
  5. Remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in birdseed. A combination of bird seed and cracked corn may also be used. Mix the seed into the suet and peanut butter until evenly distributed.
  6. Allow the suet mixture to cool. The mixture should cool to room temperature before you handle it any further.
  7. Lay out a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Nonstick foil works best.
  8. Cut squares out of onion bags. The squares should be large enough to wrap and tie around your bread rings. Place each square on top of the foil.
  9. Place a bread ring on top of one of the onion bag squares. Center the bread ring on top of the square as best as possible.
  10. Fill the center of the bread ring with the cooled bird seed mixture. Pack the mixture firmly into the hole using your fingers. The mix should be fairly thick at this point and may need to be warmed up on the stove over low heat until it becomes soft enough to mold.
  11. Pull the corners of the onion bag square up and around the bread ring. Tie the square into one or two knots.
  12. Repeat the filling and tying procedures with the remaining bread rings and suet. Continue until you run out of bread or suet.
  13. Chill the ornaments in the refrigerator overnight. The ornaments must chill and harden for a minimum of eight hours.
  14. Tie one end of a piece of yarn around the top of the onion bag netting. Tie the other end to the branch of a tree.

Tips

  • You can also spread the peanut butter onto a pinecone instead of a bread slice. The pinecone may not be edible, but it will stay sturdy and will not harm the birds that peck seed off of it.
  • Consider using a holiday-themed cookie cutter, like a gingerbread man or a reindeer, for ornaments created during the holiday season. Otherwise, use a standard shape, like a star or heart, or try using a bird-shaped cookie cutter. Alternatively, you may also pack the bird seed mixture halfway into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray to create thicker round ornaments.

Things You'll Need

  • Glass measuring cups
  • Mixing bowls
  • Spoons
  • Whisk
  • Knife
  • Sauce pot
  • Cookie cutters
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Chopstick or wooden dowel
  • Parchment paper or wax paper
  • Aluminum foil
  • Onion bags
  • Yarn, twine, or thick string

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Sources and Citations

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