How to Make Seed Balls

Use sunflower and safflower seed balls to attract a cardinal.

It truly is a joy to watch birds come to feed in your yard. You'll be able to entice your favorite birds when you place bird seed balls out for them. Not all birds like the same seeds, but with a little research you'll be able to find the seeds that your favorite birds can't resist. Make several seed balls with various seeds and place the balls in different areas of your yard for an even larger variety of birds. Seed balls also make inexpensive holiday gifts that children will gladly help you make.

Things You'll Need

• Kite string
• Button
• Saucepan
• 1/2 cup lard or suet
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups bird seed
• Wooden spoon
• Newspaper
• Waxed paper

Instructions

1. Cut a length of kite string suitable for your needs. The string will need to wrap and tie around a tree branch or whatever you plan to attach it to.

2. Slip a large button onto one end of the string and stop at 2 inches. Make a knot underneath the button on the short side of the string. The knot will keep the button in place.

3. Heat the lard or suet in a saucepan until it is a liquid. The lard doesn't need to be boiling, only melted.

4. Mix the peanut butter and bird seed into the melted lard. Use a wooden spoon to blend the ingredients until the mixture is cool enough to mix with your hands.

5. Remove the mixture and drop it onto a newspaper. Start forming a ball around the button. Press the mixture firmly as you complete the ball. The finished ball will be about 3 inches in diameter.

6. Wrap the seed ball inside a piece of waxed paper and set the ball in the freezer for two hours. The lard needs to harden or it will not hold together.

7. Remove the waxed paper and hang the seed ball in a safe place away from predators.

Tips & Warnings

• Birds have different tastes in seeds. Substitute the seed that your favorite bird prefers.

References

• Camping: How to Make Birdseed Balls

Resources

• Birds Forever: North American Bird Feeding Chart