DIY Bird Feeder Valentines

Valentine’s Day is for the birds… literally! This year show some love to your feathered friends with DIY bird feeder Valentines.

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Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and I’ve thought long and hard about what I wanted to make this year with the kids as our craft. I had a few different ideas picked out but these DIY bird feeder valentines came out on top!

We are definitely not one to get super into Valentine’s Day but I love any excuse to create something different. I try to do a more sustainable approach to holidays nowadays and last year we had a TON of fun making flower seed paper valentines. I love giving valentines that can serve a greater purpose than say a piece of candy or a card.

Although my 4 year old is really excited to hand these out to his friends, it was a bit too messy for him so me and little sister made them together! Every day I hear,

“ALEXA! How much naps until Valentine’s Day?”

So, yes we are for sure counting down the days until we can finally hand these out.

DIY Bird Feeder Valentines Video

Ingredients & Supplies

3 cups of mixed wild bird seed

2 envelopes of unflavored Knox gelatin

3/4 cup flour

4 TBSP melted coconut oil

1/2 cup of water

Wax paper

Baking sheet or similar

Heart shaped cookie cutters

Straw or skewer

Twine

How To Make Bird Feeder Valentines

First begin by placing a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet or something similar. I actually just used a cutting board. You can grease this a bit if you’d like with some cooking spray or coconut oil to prevent sticking.

Next you’ll want to melt the coconut if you are using unrefined. You wouldn’t have to but it does help mix better if it’s melted.

Using a large mixing bowl combine the bird seed, flour and coconut oil.

In a small saucepan dissolve 2 envelopes of unflavored Knox gelatin over medium heat. Warning: Make sure to pour the envelopes into water before it starts to heat. Do NOT dump the packages into boiling water because it WILL clump together into one giant ball of jello. Ask me how I know that…

Once the gelatin has dissolved add it to the bird seed mixture and combine everything together. Make sure all the bird seeds get coated well with the gelatin because otherwise you’ll have a lot of crumbles.

Oil the inside of your cookie cutters and lay them onto the wax paper. Add the bird seed mixture and pack down as tight as you can. If your hands become too sticky then wipe them off and oil your fingertips a bit.

Using a straw or skewer poke a hole through the middle of the heart. This will be used later to thread the twine.

Gently remove the cookie cutter. These are very fragile until they dry so if you have little helpers with you then I’d suggest an adult do this part.

The last step is to let these air dry for 24 hours and then add the twine. I have been storing them in refrigerator until we give these out on Valentine’s Day. You don’t have to but I’d definitely suggest storing them in a cool dry place to prevent molding.

Are The Ingredients Safe For The Birds?

I’ve seen several different recipes for making these and the vast majority use corn syrup in the recipe. After doing some research I learned that corn syrup isn’t all that great for birds so I decided to leave that out.

Instead, I thought about using unrefined coconut oil. It’s so healthy for humans and I was excited to find that it is for birds as well! Coconut oil contains many fatty acids that are very beneficial to the health of wild and domesticated birds. You can read more about the benefits HERE.

As for flour and unflavored gelatin I found no evidence that either is harmful so rest assured that these DIY bird feeder valentines are completely safe AND healthy for wild birds.

Print The Recipe

Print Recipe

DIY Bird Feeder Valentines

Show some love to the birds this year by making Valentines just for them!

Cook Time15 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups bird seed
• 2 envelopes unflavored Knox gelatin
• 3/4 cup flour
• 4 TBSP coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• wax paper
• baking sheet or similar
• heart shaped cookie cutters
• straw or skewer
• twine

Instructions

• First begin by placing a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet or something similar. I actually just used a cutting board. You can grease this a bit if you'd like with some cooking spray or coconut oil to prevent sticking.
• Next you'll want to melt the coconut if you are using unrefined. You wouldn't have to but it does help mix better if it's melted.
• Using a large mixing bowl combine the bird seed, flour and coconut oil.
• In a small saucepan dissolve 2 envelopes of unflavored Knox gelatin over medium heat.
• Once the gelatin has dissolved add it to the bird seed mixture and combine everything together.
• Oil the inside of your cookie cutters and lay them onto the wax paper. Add the bird seed mixture and pack down as tight as you can. If your hands become too sticky then wipe them off and oil your fingertips a bit.
• Using a straw or skewer poke a hole through the middle of the heart. This will be used later to thread the twine.
• Gently remove the cookie cutter. These are very fragile until they dry so if you have little helpers with you then I'd suggest an adult do this part.
• The last step is to let these air dry for 24 hours and then add the twine.

Notes

Make sure to pour the envelopes into water before it starts to heat. Do NOT dump the packages into boiling water because it WILL clump together into one giant ball of jello.

Coat all the bird seed mixture with the gelatin because otherwise you'll have a lot of crumbles.

Store in a cool dry place to prevent molding. The refrigerator works well.

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