Bird Pudding Feeder

Toddler’s Handcraft for the Spring

by Beverly and submitted by Ali Mathieson

You will need:

• An adult to help you
• A large bowl
• A box of budgie seed
• Box canary seed
• A box wild bird seed
• 500g jar of peanut butter (crunchy will be great)
• 500g lard
• Empty yoghurt pots or vegetable or meat trays (optional)
• String (if you are going to use yoghurt pots or vegetable or meat trays)

Method:

1. Ask the adult who is helping you to melt the lard in the microwave.
2. When it has melted, and while it is still hot, add the peanut butter and stir until it’s all mixed.
3. Add the seeds from each box evenly. One cup of budgie seed, then one cup of canary seed then one cup of wild bird seed, etc.)
4. Keep adding more seed. Mixing everything together until the pudding mixture sticks together and can be rolled into firm balls.
5. You can roll the mixture into tennis ball-sized balls. These you can put on a tray feeder or on a windowsill for the birds. Or you could use the yoghurt pots, meat trays or vegetable trays to make hanging bird pudding feeders. Poke a small hole in the bottom of the yoghurt pot. Thread a longish length of string through the hole. Make sure the string is long enough to hang over the outside at the top of the yoghurt pot. Press handfuls of the mixture into the yoghurt pot, and leave it till its quite set and firm. You could even put it into the fridge to help the firming process along. Ask the adult who is helping you to carefully remove the yoghurt pot, without breaking the bird pudding. Tie a loop in the string. Hang the bird pudding in a tree or near a window, so you can enjoy watching all the birds that will come to your garden.
6. If you are using the meat tray, or vegetable tray, lay a loop of string inside the tray, but allow it to overlap a side before you press the bird food mixture into the tray. Once the bird food has cooled and set into a firm pudding, remove the bird pudding from the tray and hang it from a tree or near a window so you can enjoy watching all the birds that will come to your garden to eat the delicious food.

Very Important

PLEASE DO NOT PUT BIRD PUDDING IN YOUR GARDEN OR ANYWHERE YOUR CATS WILL BE ABLE TO CATCH BIRDS WHEN THEY COME TO EAT. Rather give the bird pudding to someone who does not have cats, or ask mum or dad to hang them where your cat cannot reach birds.

Ali and her sister Kelly make the most beautiful children’s clothing too: TwoCan Clothing