DIY Peanut Butter Bird Feeder

Summer is here and we are so excited this year to have song birds in our yard! For years we have not seen song birds in this area. It was too exposed and too many predators. But thanks to the growth of the trees on our property we now have gorgeous little song birds like finches, chickadees, sparrows and more! So naturally the kids want to put up some bird feeders to encourage our new friends to hang out more. We decided to start with a simple peanut butter bird feeder made with recycled materials.

Peanut Butter Bird Feeder Project for Kids

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One of the things we love about living in the country is being connected to nature. Over the years we have been able to watch as the wildlife around us has evolved. One of the newest developments is that our trees have matured enough and now provide enough protection from predators that small song birds have moved into the area!

We wanted to encourage our gorgeous new friends, with their happy voices to hang around, so we decided to make them a simple bird feeder.

We decided for this first go round to make a very simple peanut butter bird feeder. These feeders do not last long and one rain storm and they are destroyed, but for a few sunny days it is a great way to encourage the birds to come and hang out.

Supplies

Toilet paper or crafting roll
Natural peanut butter
Plastic knife
String (about 12” long)
Paper plate
Small bowl of bird seeds
Scissors

Directions

Set the toilet paper roll in a vertical position.

Using the plastic knife, spread a thick layer of peanut butter onto the toilet paper roll. If the peanut butter is too thin, the seeds will not stick well. (Note: The toilet paper roll may absorb some of the oils from the peanut butter. This is normal and ok.)

Pour the bird seeds onto a paper plate and spread it out evenly.

Now gently roll the toilet paper roll tube around in the seeds, pressing down gently to encourage as many seeds to stick to the peanut butter as possible. Use your hands to pick up and place seeds onto areas that don’t get covered well.

Run a string through the holes of the toilet paper tube. This bird feeder will hang horizontally. Bring the two ends together at the top and tie the string into a knot.

Your bird feeder is ready to be placed out in a location for the birds!

Consider hanging your feeder on the branches of a tree or on a fence where your birds naturally like to spend time.

Tips

You want to use all natural peanut butter as this is safest for the birds.

If you have allergy concerns with peanut butter you can replace it with almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or suet. Learn more here.

Make sure your toilet roll is clean and smooth.

You can create a bird feeder that hangs vertically by punching holes in the top and running the string through the holes. Try making both and see if your birds prefer one design over the other.

Learn what types of birds live in your yard and make sure you buy bird seed that is appropriate for them.

Don’t leave it out in the rain and once the birds have finished eating, just toss out the bird feeder. You can always make a new one!

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