Feeding birds can be an enjoyable hobby that brings nature to your backyard Watching colorful songbirds flock to your yard provides entertainment, stress-relief, and a connection with nature However, keeping feeders stocked and attracting feathered friends can add up financially. Bird seed, nectar, feeders, and accessories can get expensive. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot to enjoy backyard birds. With some creativity and planning, you can create a bird-friendly space while sticking to your budget. Here are 12 great ways to feed birds inexpensively so you can enjoy avian visitors without breaking the bank.
Make Your Own DIY Bird Feeders
Specialized bird feeders from backyard birding catalogs can be pricey. Luckily you can make functional feeders at home using recycled items and basic tools Here are some easy DIY feeder ideas to try
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Cut the bottom off a 2-liter plastic soda bottle and invert the top to create a tube feeder for clinging birds like chickadees
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Recycle a milk carton or juice container into a platform feeder by cutting entry holes in the sides.
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Simple bird feeder: put peanut butter on an empty toilet paper or paper towel tube, then roll it in bird seed.
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String Cheerios, grapes, or dried fruit onto a piece of thread and hang for an instant fruit feeder.
Making your own feeders means you can add as many as you want around your yard without excessive expense. Place feeders in different spots to attract more species.
Use Food From Your Pantry
Check your pantry and fridge for things birds will like before you go to the store. These everyday foods, which you probably already have, make great treats for birds:
- Mealworms from the pet store
- Grapes, raisins, currants, cranberries, and blueberries
- Chopped nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, cashews, and walnuts
- Oatmeal, cracked corn, wheat berries, barley, and other grains
- Grated cheese, crumbled cornbread, and birdseed muffin mix
- Apples, oranges, melons, bananas, and other fruit
Take inventory before shopping and experiment with serving different foods. You’ll save money using up what you already have.
Grow Your Own Bird-Friendly Plants
Growing plants with seeds and fruits that birds love provides natural food sources right in your yard. Some top options include:
- Sunflowers for their large seed heads. Leave some undeadheaded in fall.
- Coneflowers, coreopsis, and other native flowers with seeds for finches.
- Trees and shrubs with berry crops like holly, dogwood, viburnum, and winterberry.
- Herbs like lavender, mint, parsley, dill, and fennel that produce seeds.
It takes more time and work to take care of plants than to buy bird food, but that pays off in the long run. Instead of cutting off flower heads, let some crop heads and herbs go to seed.
Buy Birdseed in Bulk
Skip the tiny, overpriced bags and opt for bulk birdseed. Buy a big 25- to 50-pound bag of one type of bird food, like nyjer thistle or black oil sunflower seeds, and keep what you don’t need right away somewhere cool and dry. When you buy in bulk, you save the most money, and you don’t have to pay for filler when you mix your own. To get the best deals, think about placing a large order with other bird lovers.
Use Beef Fat Suet Instead of Suet Cakes
Suet is an excellent high-energy winter food for birds like woodpeckers and nuthatches. But commercially made suet cakes and nuggets are expensive. For much less, ask your local butcher for raw beef fat which birds relish. Render down the fat and freeze in molds or smear in pinecones. Deer hunters are also great sources for free suet.
Look for Discounts and Sales
Take advantage of coupons, sales, and store discounts on bird-related items. Sign up for loyalty programs at local stores for extra savings. Time purchases for seasonal sales events like holiday sales, inventory clearance, Black Friday, and after-Christmas specials when birdfeeding supplies are deeply discounted. Buy ahead when prices are low.
Make Your Own Nectar for Hummingbirds
It’s easy to mix up homemade nectar for hummingbirds instead of buying premixed formulas. Use a ratio of 1 part white sugar dissolved thoroughly in 4 parts water. Boil the water first to thoroughly dissolve the sugar. Let cool before filling feeders. Make a large batch and refrigerate unused portions to save time and effort. Adding red food coloring is unnecessary.
Re-use and Recycle
Wash and reuse old seed hulls attractively piled on ground feeding areas to provide a natural look and extra fill. Crush emptied eggshells and sprinkle the calcium-rich remains onto platform feeders as grit. Old bird related calendars make colorful wrapping for homemade suet cakes. Re-purpose all sorts of household items into novel feeders and baths. Get creative!
Keep Feeders and Birdhouses in Good Repair
Investing in quality cedar feeders and birdhouses will pay off in the long run versus replacing cheaper versions every few years. Use metal hardware cloth to screen vent holes and prevent enlarging by aggressive birds. Routinely clean and disinfect feeders and baths to prevent disease. Doing so will save you money by reducing waste from spoilage and deterioration.
Use Winter Wildlife Foods
Naturally occurring foods can supplement feeders in winter. Allow dried seed heads and fruits to remain on some trees and shrubs into winter. Cluster a few Christmas trees together as shelter near your feeder area once the holidays have passed. When out ice fishing, save your minnows to attract insect-loving birds. Tap maple trees for sap drips in very early spring.
Supplement Feeders with Suet Logs
An easy way to put out suet for birds is with suet logs, which are made by packing suet into mesh onion bags or nylon stockings. These are quick to make in batches and can be tucked into tree branches near feeders. Use rendered suet or substitute crunchy peanut butter which is affordable bought in bulk. Recycle old pantyhose for the suet casing.
Join Forces with Neighbors
Band together with nearby neighbors to make joint bulk purchases of birdseed and share. Buy a large bag of sunflower seeds to split up. Trade bird-friendly plants with others to expand variety. Swap homemade bird goodies like suet and nectar. Sharing ideas and resources helps everyone save.
Scour Curbsides and Check Free Sections
Keep an eye out for free items as you walk or drive around town. Snag discarded Christmas trees and brush for cover. Salvage wood scraps for building feeders. Pick up empty pots, pans, or containers for DIY baths and feeders. Curbside leftovers and online free listings provide great bird feeding materials at no cost.
The most enjoyable aspects of feeding birds don’t have to cost anything at all. Simple things like watching colorful visitors enjoying your yard, listening to birdsongs, and photographing feathered activity are free. With a bit of clever planning, you can indulge your passion for birds without overspending. Follow these budget-friendly tips to keep your bird feeders busy while keeping cash in your wallet.
DIY bird feeder hacks
If you love feeding birds but don’t want to spend a lot of money on feeders, waterers, baths, and food, try these easy, quick, and cheap projects and alternatives to bird seed. You can get most of the supplies you need at a hardware or grocery store near you.
- YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN: Visit the Perky-Pet® Pinterest page to see our full list of how to make bird feeders.
- TAKING A BATH: You can even make your own bird bath so that your feathered friends can splash and splish!
- FOOD: Making your own hummingbird nectar is another cheap way to share food with birds. Just use the 4:1 water-to-sugar ratio: boil four cups of water, add the sugar, and stir until it dissolves. Let it cool, then store it.
Feeding wild birds on a budget can be fun and good for the environment, but don’t skimp on their health and well-being. Protect and maintain their lifestyle just like you would your own, with care and commitment.
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Take care of what you have
If you’ve already spent the money on quality feeders and bird baths, don’t let them deteriorate. Fix or sustain the materials you already have.
- BIRD BATHS: Clay bird baths should be kept inside over the winter so they don’t break when it freezes. Clay absorbs moisture. When clay soaks up water and then freezes, it expands and cracks.
- BE CLEAN: Clean your bird feeder often to keep birds healthy and stop the spread of disease. Not only will you help birds stay healthy, but bird waste, old food, and other debris will also stop corrosion.
Starlings typically come in large groups and consume a lot of food. They make the feeders too crowded, droplets damage buildings and the environment, and they keep other birds you want to see from coming to your feeder.
- Control their diet by giving them things they don’t usually like, like safflower seed, which purple finches, cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, and grosbeaks like. Serve seed that hasn’t been mixed in hopper feeders, tube feeders, or open trays. Squirrels, grackles, and crows don’t care for safflower either.
- Food should be served upside down because starlings can’t physically stick to a feeder that is turned upside down. There are special feeders with holes in them that let goldfinches eat while lying on their backs.
Other bird seed alternatives to offer to birds include fruit and vegetable seeds, dried fruits, peanut butter and/or jelly, apples, pears, nuts, and unbuttered popcorn.
How To Make Your Own Bird Food – Cheap!
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to feed the birds?
If you live in the US, look for a Farm Store or Feed Store. Buy chicken scratch, which is white and red millet, sometimes wheat or oats, and cracked corn. That is the cheapest possible food to fill your bird feeders.
What is the 5 7 9 rule for bird feeders?
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Bird Buddy Taleshttps://blog.mybirdbuddy.com5 Tips to Keep Squirrels off your Bird FeederLocation. In birding circles, it’s common to hear about the 5-7-9 rule, which is something you’ll definitely want to know! It refers to how you should place you…
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FeatherSnaphttps://www.feathersnapcam.comHow to Keep Squirrels off of Bird FeedersDec 15, 2023 — The best strategy you have to keep squirrels from eating all the bird food is the 5-7-9 rule. Squirrels can’t jump more than 5 feet off the ground,
What is a good cheap bird food?
Fruit and vegetable seeds, dried fruits, peanut butter and/or jelly, apples, pears, nuts, and unbuttered popcorn are some other things you can give birds instead of bird seed.