Making your own bird food can be a fun and rewarding activity. Not only does homemade bird food give you control over the quality of ingredients, but it can also be less expensive than buying commercial mixes. However, it’s important to use the right ratios of ingredients to ensure your bird food provides complete and balanced nutrition for wild birds. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of common bird food ingredients and provide recipes and ratios for making nutritious bird food mixes.
Benefits of Homemade Bird Food
There are several advantages to making your own bird food:
– Control over ingredients – You can select high quality, nutritious ingredients when making it yourself. Commercial bird seed is not always screened for quality.
– Lower cost – Homemade mixes are generally cheaper per pound than commercial seed mixes or suet cakes. Buying ingredients in bulk yields significant savings.
– Customization – Tailor mixes to suit the birds in your area or time of year. Cater to species preferences and nutritional needs.
– Reduced waste – No fillers, artificial colors, preservatives, or low-quality grains that birds discard. Make only as much as you need.
– Safety – You know exactly what has gone into the food and where the ingredients came from. No risk of contamination.
Important Nutrients in Bird Food
Wild birds have a diverse and nutrient-rich diet. To mimic their natural food sources, homemade bird food should provide:
– **Protein** – Essential for growth and muscle maintenance. Found in insects, nuts, suet, seeds.
– **Carbohydrates** – Provide energy. Found in fruits, nectar, grains.
– **Fats** – Concentrated energy source. Found in oil seeds, suet, nuts.
– **Vitamins & Minerals** – Needed for metabolism, bone health, and enzyme function. Found in seeds, grains, fruits, veggies.
– **Water** – Necessary for all body functions. Access to fresh water is key.
The ideal bird food mix contains a combination of energy-rich fats and carbohydrates along with high protein seeds, nuts, and suet. Dried fruit adds key vitamins and minerals.
Bird Food Ingredients
Here are some of the most common ingredients used in homemade bird foods and their nutritional benefits:
Seeds
– **Sunflower seeds** – One of the most popular seeds with birds. High in fat and protein. The oil provides concentrated energy. Black oil sunflower is preferred over striped.
– **Safflower** – Small white seeds that cardinals, chickadees, finches and others like. Contains more fat than protein. The hard shell deters squirrels.
– **Millet** – Tiny, round grains are rich in carbohydrates and fiber. Attracts ground-feeding birds like juncos, towhees and sparrows.
– **Nyjer** – Also called thistle seed. Small and black with high fat and protein. Loved by finches. The shell makes it tricky for squirrels to eat.
Grains
– **Cracked corn** – Whole kernels cracked into coarse pieces. High in carbohydrates and low cost. Avoid milo and cheap “filler” grains.
– **Oats** – Whole or rolled oats provide energy and fiber. The larger size appeals to bigger birds like doves and jays.
– **Wheat** – Cracked wheat grains offer necessary carbohydrates. Can use red or white. Don’t overuse.
– **Milo** – Round, reddish grains that are high in carbohydrates. Cheap filler ingredient to use sparingly. Disliked by many birds.
Fruit and Vegetables
– **Raisins** – Dried grapes are high in natural sugars and antioxidants. Quick energy source loved by many birds. Soak to rehydrate.
– **Dried cranberries** – Tart berries add vitamin C and fiber. Combine with sweet fruits or soften in water.
– **Chopped nuts** – Peanuts, almonds, walnuts, etc. Packed with protein, fat and nutrients. Rough chopping prevents choking.
– **Mealworms** – Dried or freeze-dried mealworms offer protein. Can be reconstituted in water. Chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers crave them.
– **Chopped corn** – Bright yellow kernels add natural sweetness along with carbohydrates. Can use fresh or dried corn.
Suet and Fats
– **Suet** – Hard beef fat provides concentrated calories. Melts quickly so best used in feeders or cakes. High in fat.
– **Peanut butter** – A good plant-based substitute for suet. High fat and protein. Use smooth natural peanut butter.
– **Lard/Tallow** – Rendered pork or beef fat. Contains saturated fat so use sparingly. Adds moisture and calories.
– **Bacon grease** – The rendered fat from fried bacon is enjoyed by birds. Use in moderation due to fat and sodium content.
Bird Food Mix Recipes
Here are some simple recipes for energy-packed bird food mixes and suet cakes:
Basic Birdseed Mix
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Black oil sunflower seeds | 2 cups |
| Cracked corn | 1 cup |
| Nyjer seed | 1/4 cup |
| Safflower seed | 1/4 cup |
| Millet | 1/4 cup |
This simple mix provides fat, protein and carbohydrates from sunflower seeds, corn, and millet. Nyjer and safflower add variety. Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Fruit and Nut Bird Mix
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Black oil sunflower | 1 1/2 cups |
| Shelled peanuts | 1/2 cup |
| Dried cranberries | 1/4 cup |
| Raisins | 1/4 cup |
| Roasted pepitas | 2 Tbsp |
This recipe adds dried fruit for natural sweetness and chopped nuts for extra protein. The mix of textures and flavors will attract a diversity of birds. Store in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
No-Mess Seed Cake
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Birdseed mix | 2 cups |
| Cornmeal | 1/2 cup |
| Bacon grease or lard | 1/4 cup |
| Peanut butter | 1/4 cup |
| Flour | 1/4 cup |
| Water | 1/4 cup |
Blend seeds, cornmeal and bacon grease together. Heat peanut butter and water until melted then stir into dry ingredients. Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until mixture holds together when pressed. Pack into a baking pan or berry basket and chill until firm. Hang outdoors and watch birds enjoy the nutritious cake!
Simple Suet Cakes
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Suet | 2 cups |
| Birdseed | 2 cups |
| Cracked corn | 1 cup |
| Peanut butter | 1/4 cup |
| Oats | 1/4 cup |
Melt suet in a pan over low heat. Stir in remaining ingredients until fully blended. Pour into muffin tins or molds. Refrigerate until firm. Add a hanging loop and hang outside for birds to enjoy!
Bird Food Ratios
When making your own bird food, it’s important to use the right ratios of key ingredients like fats, seeds, and grains. Here are some general guidelines for balanced ratios:
– **Fats** – Suet, nuts, sunflower seeds provide 10-15% of total mix
– **Carbohydrates** – Grains like corn, oats, millet make up 40-50% of mix
– **Protein** – Peanuts, other seeds comprise 30-40% of total mix
– **Fruits/Veggies** – Dried fruits, berries, veggies 5-10% of mix
– **Calcium Sources** – Crushed eggshells, oyster shell 2-5% of total
So for a simple mix, aim for something like:
– 1 part sunflower seeds
– 2 parts cracked corn
– 1 part peanuts
– 1/4 part dried fruit
This gives you 50% grains, 25% protein seeds, 12% fruit, and the rest fat and calcium from the sunflower seeds and eggshell.
Commercial bird food mixes generally follow these approximate ratios. You can tweak ingredients and proportions to match what birds in your area seem to like best.
The overall ratio isn’t as important as offering a variety of ingredients. Birds will balance their own nutritional needs if presented with different seeds, fruits, nuts and suet options.
Tips for Bird Food Ratios
Here are some additional tips when balancing homemade bird food recipes:
– Vary textures – Include fine seeds for small birds along with larger nuts and corn for bigger species.
– Mix colors – Brightly colored fruits and veggies add visual appeal and nutrients.
– Include “treats” – Suet, nuts, dried fruit are high value foods that attract birds. Use them sparingly.
– Avoid fillers – Limit cheap grains like milo and wheat that birds discard. Use minimal amounts for bulk.
– Consider seasons – More suet and high-fat foods in winter. Fruits and insects in spring and summer.
– Don’t overmix – Allow access to ingredients separately so birds can pick and choose.
– Go light on sodium – Reduce salt by avoiding salted nuts and chips. Opt for unsalted nuts.
Following basic bird food ratio guidelines, while offering variety and quality ingredients, will result in nutritious DIY food that attracts the birds you want to feed!
Conclusion
Making your own wild bird food allows you to control the ingredient quality, customize mixes, and potentially save money compared to commercial blends. Following some basic guidelines for nutritional ratios, like providing a balanced mix of fats, carbohydrates and protein, will ensure your home-mixed food provides complete nutrition for a diverse range of bird species.
The key is offering variety in ingredients of different sizes, colors and textures. Allow birds to choose what they need from quality seeds, nuts, fruit, suet and grain options. Tailor your recipes to the species visiting your yard and the changing seasons. With a little experimenting, you can come up with the perfect bird-pleasing blends!
