How To Make Birdseed Ornaments

Backyard bird watching is a special treat that can be as exciting as it is relaxing. Despite the term, you don’t need to have a backyard to do it.

Birdseed ornaments are a great way to supplement your bird feeders and attract more feathered friends to your yard, patio, or neighborhood park. Because they are completely biodegradable, you don’t need to worry about waste (or clean-up).

Mixing unflavored gelatin with birdseed with these ornaments is a safe snack for birds. Grab your favorite shaped cookie cutters and let’s get started!

What you need:

This recipe makes 3-4 ornaments per batch depending on the size of the cookie cutters you are using. Due to the solidifying nature of gelatin, if you plan on making more than 4, I recommend working in staggered batches to avoid the gelatin cooling into a glob in the bowl before being put into the cookie cutters. They will fall apart and not hold their desired shape if they solidify before you are ready to use them.

Setup:

I used a cookie sheet with a silicone mat to keep them from sticking to the pan. If you make batches, you can either set them up in advance, or if not enough cookie sheets, mats, or cutters are available, set up a second and rotate back and forth between the two.
Spray the inside of the cookie cutters with cooking oil to allow for easy removal of the ornaments.
Cut a piece of twine for each ornament to your desired length and arrange half of the length to be underneath the cookie cutter, between the cutter and the silicone mat. The other end of the twine should drape over the top of the cookie cutter. (See photo) Do not tie the ends together yet.

Making them:

• Boil or microwave the water until it starts to boil.
• In a heat-safe bowl, add the gelatin powder to the boiling water, stirring until it is completely dissolved.
• Add 1 cup of birdseed and stir until all of the birdseed is wet with the gelatin liquid.
• Spoon the mixture into the cookie cutters pressing firmly.
• To speed up the solidifying process, I popped the whole cookie sheet set up in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Once solidified, use a spoon to hold down the ornament while gently lifting the cookie cutter. Tie the twine ends together.
• For best results, let the ornaments sit for 24 hours to dry completely. 

If you have any questions or suggestions for how to make this craft project even better, please leave a comment below. We love to hear from our readers.

Did you try this craft? What shape did you make your ornament? How long did it last before it was devoured by your feathered friends? Were you able to snap a picture of them? Share with us on social media!

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