This easy Birdseed Ornaments recipe is a fun way to feed your feathered friends and makes a tasty treat to hang on trees and bushes in the backyard.
It only takes 15 minutes and 3 ingredients (plus water) to form these beautiful bird feeders, filled with healthy bird-safe food and hung where birds can find them.
DIY Birdseed Ornaments
This easy Bird Seed Ornaments recipe makes the best bird seed treats for an array of avian visitors that may perch on your porch or outside your home.
Simply simmering water and gelatin powder can create a natural glue that will bind your bird ornaments so they stick together in cookie-cutter shapes and combining it with corn syrup will help keep the pieces from peeling off.
And while I’ve made plenty of cut-out cookies for people (Christmas Light Cookies, Gingerbread Men Cookies, Easter Cookies, and more), my list was lacking bird seed cookies or birdseed ornaments safe for birds.
A cookie-cutter bird feeder is a fun family activity that can do double duty as holiday decorations or a handmade gift – add a ribbon and a gift tag and you have the perfect sustainable party favor!
Why We Love This Homemade Bird Seed Ornaments Recipe
- Quick and easy to make in 15 minutes and it’s no bake.
- Only uses 3 ingredients plus water.
- Fun crafts for kids to do at home or in the classroom.
- Little hands will love hanging birdseed Christmas ornaments on the tree.
- Homemade bird seed ornaments can attract birds to the backyard in warm weather and in winter.
Ingredients
- Wild finch blend
- Water
- Unflavored gelatin packets
- Light corn syrup
Substitutions and Additions
- Bird Blend: You can customize your blend to appeal to your backyard birds. Include a combination of Panorama millet, white french millet, canola seed, canary seed, shirohie millet, red pannicum millet, and linseed. Just be sure the total amount of seed is approximately 2 1/2 cups or the ornaments may not form properly.
- Other Ornament Idea: You can also use hollowed-out orange halves instead of cookie cutters. Just make 2 holes on opposite sides of the orange, about ½ inch down, and fill the halves with the birdseed mixture.
Recommended Tools
- Cookie cutters
- Paper cookie sticks or plastic drink straws
- Jute, twine, hemp, or yarn
- Baking sheet
- Cooking Spray
- Wax paper or parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring tools
- Large wooden spoon
How to Make Birdseed Ornaments
These easy DIY Bird Ornaments will add a festive flair to your backyard branches and are perfectly safe for feeding your feathered friends. A fun project to make with kids and perfect for giving as homemade presents.
- Dissolve Gelatin: Sprinkle the gelatin over cool water, stir, and pour in hot water as you are stirring. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Make The Seed Mixture: Stir the corn syrup into the gelatin and then mix in the birdseed. Chill in the refrigerator for 8-9 minutes until the liquid is absorbed by the seeds.
- Fill The Cookie Cutters: Spoon the seed mixture into the cookie cutters until full and then use a small piece of wax paper or parchment paper to pack the mixture into the mold.
- Make The Holes: Press the cookie sticks or straws about ½ to 1 inch from the top. Chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Pro Tip: Be sure to gently press down around the straw with the wax/parchment paper as well. - Thread: Remove the ornaments from the cookie cutters and then remove the stick/straw. Thread each ornament with string and tie a small knot at the top.
- Hang: Hang the ornaments outside in your garden or on a branch in the backyard.
Tips from Our Recipe Developer
- Honey is not a good substitute for the light corn syrup. If you don’t have any light corn syrup, you can skip the sweetener altogether.
- If the weather is below 45-50°F, you can add a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest.
- It is recommended to only offer gelatin feeders in the winter when cold temperatures prevent the gelatin from molding or melting.
- If you are making the ornaments in above 50°F weather, you can substitute 1 ½ tablespoon agar powder for the gelatin. It is completely vegetable-based and should not mold as quickly.
- Spray your cookie cutters with nonstick spray so that the ornaments don’t stick when you remove them.
- Make sure the hole is not set much closer to the edge of the shape than ½ inch, or the edge may not be thick enough to hold the ornament’s weight.
Storage Tips
- To Store: In temperatures 50°F and higher, this will keep for 7 days. In weather below 50°F, the Ornaments should keep for 10 – 14 days.
Other Easy Crafts
- Christmas Potpourri
- Cinnamon Ornaments
- Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats
- Peanut Butter Dog Ice Cream
More Pet Friendly Treats
DIY Birdseed Ornaments
Serves — 9
DIY birdseed ornaments are a fun way to feed the birds and make great holiday gifts or homemade presents. An easy craft for kids and perfect for hanging outdoors.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Rest Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups wild finch blend
- 1 cup water divided
- 2 packets unflavored gelatin
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 9 cookie cutters any shape
- 3 (7-inch) paper cookie sticks cut into 2¼-inch pieces or 3 plastic drink straws, cut into 2¼-inch pieces
- 9 (14-inch) long cut pieces of jute, twine, hemp, or yarn for hanging the ornaments
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with either wax paper or parchment paper. Lay out the cookie cutters, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Set it aside.
- In a large heat-safe mixing bowl, add ½ cup cool water.
- In a small heat-safe bowl, add the other ½ cup water and microwave for 1 minute. Carefully remove the hot water and set it aside.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the cool water and stir to dissolve it. While you are still stirring, carefully pour the hot water over the gelatin mixture. Stir to continue dissolving the gelatin.
- Continue stirring, and add in the light corn syrup and stir to combine completely.
- Immediately pour in the birdseed and stir with a large wooden spoon. Set the bowl in the refrigerator for 8-9 minutes to allow the gelatin mixture to be slightly absorbed by the seed.
- Spoon the seed mixture into the cookie cutters until they are full. Once you have your cookie cutters filled, use a small piece of wax paper or parchment paper to gently pack the seed mixture into the mold.
- Press the cut cookie sticks or cut drink straws about ½ to 1 inch from the top. Be sure to gently press down around the straw with the wax/parchment paper as well.
- Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours to dry. Overnight is best.
- Once the ornament is dried, carefully pull/push around the edges of the cookie cutter. Gently remove the stick/straw and thread the ornament with the pre-cut string. Tie a small knot in the string. Hang the ornaments outside.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
In temperatures 50°F and higher, this will keep for 7 days. In weather below 50°F, the Ornaments should keep for 10 – 14 days.
Tips:
- Honey is not a good substitute for the light corn syrup. If you don’t have any light corn syrup, you can skip the sweetener altogether.
- If the weather is below 45-50°F, you can add a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest.
- It is recommended to only offer gelatin feeders in the winter when cold temperatures prevent the gelatin from molding or melting.
- If you are making the ornaments in above 50°F weather, you can substitute 1 ½ tablespoons agar powder for the gelatin. It is completely vegetable-based and should not mold as quickly.
- Spray your cookie cutters with nonstick spray so that the ornaments don’t stick when you remove them.
- Make sure the hole is not set much closer to the edge of the shape than ½ inch, or the edge may not be thick enough to hold the ornament’s weight.
Great idea, but FYI … corn syrup is not good for the birds.
love it
We use crunchy peanut butter instead of corn syrup. Never corn syrup and we do add dried meal worms to the (just a few) top of the ornament (lightly pressed in)
Great family project.
I am interested in making the ornaments for the birds. I have a bare eye cockatoo. what feed can I use for him is just now 27 years of age.
i’m so sorry, but I honestly do not know. You probably would be best getting a recommendation from your vet!
Jen,
I tried to make these Xmas ornaments for our birds and squirrels. I followed the recipe to a T, excepting that I reduced it to 1/2.
However, my ornaments did not hold together. They reminded crumbly even after leaving in the fridge overnight.
What could I have done wrong, or what can I do to salvage them? Thanks…
Can’t wait to try the ornaments. We used to make something like these but got away from them when the kid got older. Now with grandkiddos, we’ll try again.
SWEET 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼♥️Thank You Jennifer 😊This will Be AWESOME to Make Whe It Gets Cooler 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼I Feed The Birds And I Say “ Come on Babies Come Eat , After I Fill Their Food And Whistle ,They Come LIKE Dogs 😊👍🏼❗️THEYRE ADORABLE 🥰 They’ll LOVE ❤️ These ❗️G-d♥️Bless😊