Bird Bread (bird food)

Submitted by txgammi

"This recipe is from Bird Watcher's Digest. I prefer using peanut butter because it doesn't melt outdoors in the summertime like grease does and birds love it! Cooking time does not include overnight refrigeration."

 

• Ready In: 15mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 1 pan

ingredients

• 2 2 cups bacon grease or 2 cups other fat
• 2 cups cornmeal or 2 cups stale dry cereal, blended into crumbs
• warm water
• 2 -3 cups wild bird seed
• nutmeats or chopped peanuts

directions

1. Slowly melt peanut butter, grease or fat over low heat.
2. Add cornmeal or stale cereal crumbs.
3. Slowly add enough warm water to make a stiff dough.
4. Add birdseed and raisins, nut meats or chopped peanuts.
5. Pack mixture into small foil pans or a large flat pan.
6. Refrigerate overnight.
7. Cut into pieces for tying onto tree branches.

Reviews

[janiehardy2000]

This is agreat recipe! I put mine in jumbo muffin tins and then in bird bells.

 

[sunny sheila]

I really liked this.What I did was use stuff I had in the house. for the cornmeal part I mixed it up a bit I used 1 cup corn meal 1/2 cup rice crispy and a 1/2 cup corn flakes 3/4 cup mixed nuts,1/4 sunflour seeds and 1 cup raisins. Placed in the nut chopper in small batch(I'm sure you can do it in a food prosseser on pulse) just leave to a bit chunky. Then I added it to the peanut butter with 3 cups of bird seed and slowly added the water(while mixing) it took 2 cups of water. I used mini muffin pans and put them in the freezer. And after they where frozen I put them in a ziplock bag and keep them in the frezzer.It is a pretty large batch. BUT I MUST SAY THE BIRDS LOVE IT.And I can tell they are talking to all their bird friends saying...COME WITH ME I KNOW WHERE THE GOOD STUFF IS. IT'S BIRD PARTY TIME. Thanks txgammi from the birds in Wy...and thanks winkki for the tips...Sheila

 

[winkki]

I've done this for several years now with my daughters. We usually make them in the winter, when we decorate an outside tree with all kinds of snacks for the birds instead of Christmas lights. Since we live where it is warm in the winter, we use peanut butter (as you said, the fat tends to melt and it can get caught in the birds' feathers). To make them even more fun, we cut them out with cookie cutter shapes...circles and bells are great, stars don't work quite as well as the 'arms' tend to break. We've also chilled them in muffin or mini-muffin pans for preformed shapes. Oh, we also try to use non-synthetic yarn, raffia, or some other natural fiber to hang the seeds; that way the birds can use the pieces for their nests in the spring (and if they miss picking them up, the fibers will disintegrate :o).

 

[Charishma_Ramchandani]

This was wonderful to make and feed to the little and big birds of the Lake Lily Park yesterday - they loved it!!! Thank you:)