Homemade Manuka Honey Birdseed Treats for Wild Birds

With winter announcing its arrival, every critter that isn’t hibernating, migrating, or flying south for warmer pastures will be looking for anything to help them survive the season. For wild birds, it’s always a treat to find a birdfeeder with seed inside for them to nibble on. While you can certainly head down to the local pet store and buy a couple of pounds of whatever is cheapest, you can always try making your own birdseed treats as a way of saving yourself a little bit of cash and giving the birds something new. If you’re interested, let’s try out these different recipes for Manuka honey birdseed treats for your area’s wild birds.

Ingredients for Manuka Honey Birdseed

• 1 pound of lard
• ¾ cup of peanut butter
• ½ cup of flour
• ½ cup of cornmeal
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 ½ cups of mixed birdseed
• 1 cup of plain Cheerios (at least)
• 1 teaspoon of Manuka honey
• 1 egg white
• Mix of fruit and nut chunks
• 1 cuttlebone
• 1 plain bagel

Directions for Manuka Honey Birdseed

1. Lard-Peanut Butter Seed: You can make suet blocks by melting a pound of lard together with a ¾ cup of peanut butter. Mix together a ½ cup of flour, a ½ cup of cornmeal, and a cup of sugar, and then add your dry ingredients in with the peanut butter-lard mixture. Add 1 ½ cups of birdseed before spreading the mixture in a plastic wrap-lined, nine-inch by five-inch pan. Allow the mixture time to cool down before cutting into quarter portions. From there, you can use the portions for a hanging birdfeeder.
2. Peanut Butter Cheerios: Twist together the ends of several pipe cleaners to form one line of them before sliding plain Cheerios on these pipe cleaners and dabbing peanut butter on every Cheerio. Then, dip these Cheerio pipe cleaners into the birdseed before twisting together the pipe cleaners to form a circle. From there, hang the seed circle on a branch or next suitable perch.
3. Manuka Honey Surprise: Combine a cup of birdseed, one teaspoon of Manuka honey, and an egg white. Add in plenty of small fruit and nut chunks in order to create a thick seed mixture. Spread this mixture out on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and let it sit between two and three hours. Break up the mixture into smaller chunks and use accordingly.
4. Honey Cuttlebone: Take a single cuttlebone, coat it with Manuka honey, and sprinkle on some birdseed. Place the cuttlebone in your freezer till the seeds set firmly in the Manuka honey before bringing it back up to room temp.
5. Peanut Butter Bagels: For this treat, you may slice the bagel in half or not—just do what’s easiest for you. Spread the peanut butter all over the bagel, and then roll it in dried, chopped fruit pieces and birdseed. Drizzle with Manuka honey and place in an oven you’ve preheated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes.

Just remember that you should educate yourself properly on the types of nuts, cereals, and fruits that are safe for birds. Also, keep a close eye on hanging seed treats near your home, as fallen birdseed can attract rodents and snakes.

Need to order some Manuka honey so you can make these bird treats? To get your order started, click here. And, remember, we offer FREE shipping on all orders of $150 or more.

Photo By njnightsky