How to Make Bird Feeders Out of Bread

Birds love stale bread, especially if it's coated with peanut butter and bird seed.

Using stale bread to make bird feeders is economical and provides a good lesson on recycling. It's also a safe project for kids, as it requires no dangerous equipment and makes good use of things you most likely have around the house.

Things You'll Need

• Sliced bread
• Plastic drinking straw
• Cookie cutters
• Butter knife
• Waxed paper
• Peanut butter or solid shortening
• Bird seed
• Cookie pan
• Heavy string or yarn

Instructions

Making the Feeders

1. Remove the bread slices from the package and spread them out on a counter or table to dry overnight. Cut the bread into fancy shapes using the cookie cutters or leave the slices whole.

2. Use the straw to poke a hole through the bread about 3/4 of an inch from the top. Spread a layer of bird seed on a sheet of waxed paper.

3. Place a piece of waxed paper on the cookie pan. Spread peanut butter or shortening on both sides of the bread, then dip the coated sides in the bird seed.

4. Lay the bread shapes on the cookie pan and place in the refrigerator until the coating is firm. This could take several hours. Cut a small piece of waxed paper and place it on one side of the bread shapes. Press down gently but firmly to push the seeds deeper into the coating.

5. Cut yarn or string into 12-inch pieces. Remove bread shapes from pan and pass the string or yarn through the holes. Tie the ends together, and your bird feeders are ready to hang outside.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also make feeders out of whole unsliced loaves of stale bread. Just dig a hole out of the flat side of the loaf to create a hollow, and let it dry completely overnight. Poke a small hole in the upper round end of the loaf, tie a piece of heavy twine around a plastic shower curtain ring, and run the twine up through the hole, leaving the ring inside the loaf to keep the string from going all the way through.

• Fill the cavity with bird seed and hang out of the reach of other animals like squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons

• You also can make these feeders to attract other animals by filling the cavity with dried corn or other wild animal food.

• You can also use cooking fats, such as bacon grease, to coat the bread. Save the grease in a can in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the bird feeders. Woodpeckers are particularly fond of any kind of cooking fats.

• Bread bird feeders are ideal for winter feeding, as the bread freezes and they last much longer than in the summer.

• If you can, hang your bread bird feeders in a place that is protected from rain, such as a covered porch or roof overhang, as bread feeders fall apart once they get wet. If you don't have a protected place to hang them, place bird feeder protector hoods or covers over them to keep them dry.

References

• Crafty Moms: Bird Feeders for Kids to Enjoy

Resources

• The Chevron Cars: How to Make a Bird Feeder