Feed birds on a budget. Want to feed the birds but don’t want to spend a lot of money? Here are some of our best cheap bird food ideas.
Feeding birds can be an enjoyable and relaxing hobby. Watching colorful songbirds visit your yard provides entertainment, stress-relief, and a connection with nature. However, keeping bird feeders stocked and attracting feathered friends can add up financially. The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot to enjoy backyard birds. With a bit of creativity and planning, you can create a bird-friendly space while sticking to your budget. Here are 12 great ways to feed birds inexpensively so you can enjoy avian visitors without breaking the bank.
Make Your Own DIY Bird Feeders
Specialized bird feeders from backyard birding catalogs can be pricey. Luckily you can make functional feeders at home using recycled items and basic tools. Here are some easy DIY feeder ideas to try
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Cut the bottom off a 2-liter plastic soda bottle and invert the top to create a tube feeder for clinging birds like chickadees.
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Recycle a milk carton or juice container into a platform feeder by cutting entry holes in the sides.
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Coat an empty toilet paper or paper towel tube with peanut butter and roll in birdseed to make a quick feeder
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String Cheerios, grapes, or dried fruit onto a piece of thread and hang for an instant fruit feeder.
Making your own feeders means you can add as many as you want around your yard without excessive expense. Place feeders in different spots to attract more species.
Use Food From Your Pantry
Before going to the store, check your pantry and fridge for items birds will enjoy. Here are some common foods you may already have that make great bird treats:
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Mealworms from the pet store
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Grapes, raisins, currants, cranberries, and blueberries
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Chopped nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, cashews, and walnuts
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Oatmeal, cracked corn, wheat berries, barley, and other grains
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Grated cheese, crumbled cornbread, and birdseed muffin mix
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Apples, oranges, melons, bananas, and other fruit
Take inventory before shopping and experiment with serving different foods. You’ll save money using up what you already have.
Grow Your Own Bird-Friendly Plants
Growing plants with seeds and fruits that birds love provides natural food sources right in your yard. Some top options include:
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Sunflowers for their large seed heads. Leave some undeadheaded in fall.
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Coneflowers, coreopsis, and other native flowers with seeds for finches.
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Trees and shrubs with berry crops like holly, dogwood, viburnum, and winterberry.
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Herbs like lavender, mint, parsley, dill, and fennel that produce seeds.
Plants take more time and effort than buying bird food but save money in the long run. Let some crop heads and herbs go to seed instead of deadheading.
Buy Birdseed in Bulk
Skip the tiny, overpriced bags and opt for bulk birdseed. Buy a large 25-50 pound bag of a single birdseed like black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer thistle and store what you don’t immediately need in a cool, dry spot. Bulk sizes offer the best savings and you can mix your own custom seed blend instead of paying for filler. Consider going in on a bulk order with fellow bird enthusiasts to get the lowest prices.
Use Beef Fat Suet Instead of Suet Cakes
Suet is an excellent high-energy winter food for birds like woodpeckers and nuthatches. But commercially made suet cakes and nuggets are expensive. For much less, ask your local butcher for raw beef fat which birds relish. Render down the fat and freeze in molds or smear in pinecones. Deer hunters are also great sources for free suet.
Look for Discounts and Sales
Take advantage of coupons, sales, and store discounts on bird-related items. Sign up for loyalty programs at local stores for extra savings. Time purchases for seasonal sales events like holiday sales, inventory clearance, Black Friday, and after-Christmas specials when birdfeeding supplies are deeply discounted. Buy ahead when prices are low.
Make Your Own Nectar for Hummingbirds
It’s easy to mix up homemade nectar for hummingbirds instead of buying premixed formulas. Use a ratio of 1 part white sugar dissolved thoroughly in 4 parts water. Boil the water first to thoroughly dissolve the sugar. Let cool before filling feeders. Make a large batch and refrigerate unused portions to save time and effort. Adding red food coloring is unnecessary.
Re-use and Recycle
Wash and reuse old seed hulls attractively piled on ground feeding areas to provide a natural look and extra fill. Crush emptied eggshells and sprinkle the calcium-rich remains onto platform feeders as grit. Old bird related calendars make colorful wrapping for homemade suet cakes. Re-purpose all sorts of household items into novel feeders and baths. Get creative!
Keep Feeders and Birdhouses in Good Repair
Investing in quality cedar feeders and birdhouses will pay off in the long run versus replacing cheaper versions every few years. Use metal hardware cloth to screen vent holes and prevent enlarging by aggressive birds. Routinely clean and disinfect feeders and baths to prevent disease. Doing so will save you money by reducing waste from spoilage and deterioration.
Use Winter Wildlife Foods
Naturally occurring foods can supplement feeders in winter. Allow dried seed heads and fruits to remain on some trees and shrubs into winter. Cluster a few Christmas trees together as shelter near your feeder area once the holidays have passed. When out ice fishing, save your minnows to attract insect-loving birds. Tap maple trees for sap drips in very early spring.
Supplement Feeders with Suet Logs
An easy way to put out suet for birds is with suet logs, which are made by packing suet into mesh onion bags or nylon stockings. These are quick to make in batches and can be tucked into tree branches near feeders. Use rendered suet or substitute crunchy peanut butter which is affordable bought in bulk. Recycle old pantyhose for the suet casing.
Join Forces with Neighbors
Band together with nearby neighbors to make joint bulk purchases of birdseed and share. Buy a large bag of sunflower seeds to split up. Trade bird-friendly plants with others to expand variety. Swap homemade bird goodies like suet and nectar. Sharing ideas and resources helps everyone save.
Scour Curbsides and Check Free Sections
Keep an eye out for free items as you walk or drive around town. Snag discarded Christmas trees and brush for cover. Salvage wood scraps for building feeders. Pick up empty pots, pans, or containers for DIY baths and feeders. Curbside leftovers and online free listings provide great bird feeding materials at no cost.
The most enjoyable aspects of feeding birds don’t have to cost anything at all. Simple things like watching colorful visitors enjoying your yard, listening to birdsongs, and photographing feathered activity are free. With a bit of clever planning, you can indulge your passion for birds without overspending. Follow these budget-friendly tips to keep your bird feeders busy while keeping cash in your wallet.
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Bird Food On A Budget
Buy In Bulk
Buy bird food in bulk. This is without a doubt the cheapest way to feed birds. Although your initial outlay may be higher, it saves so much money in the long run. It can be pricey to buy bird food at pet stores and supermarkets, and if you keep going back to fill up your feeders, the costs will add up quickly.
Most of the feed we sell comes in 13 kg or 25 kg bags because that’s what our customers find to be the best value and best amount to store. We also deliver most items the next day for free, so you don’t have to carry heavy bags of bird food around.
Buy General Mixes
Some people enjoy experimenting with different bird foods, adjusting quantities or varieties. This could be because they want to see more of a certain species or keep another species away. Birds all have different food preferences.
However, this can get expensive. Especially if your birds don’t like a particular type of food. You can save time and money by buying a 25 kg bag of Economy Wild Bird Seed if you are tight on cash. Our economy mix has a mix of common and popular seeds to make sure that as many bird species as possible will like your bird table. It’s a buffet for birds!.
Meal Planning
Even though it might look like birds don’t have a set schedule, they do like to eat at the same times every day. You will see increased activity around your bird feeders in the morning and around teatime.
Birds will learn what time food is provided and the amounts of food given. Once the bird food is gone, they will know they have to find the rest themselves. You can save on food, and therefore money by feeding measured amounts of food at set times.
Make Your Own
You can feed your garden birds a lot of different things from your table if you want to give them a range of foods. Vegetable scraps, nuts, bacon fat, and bread are all traditional treats for birds.
You could also try making more interesting foods by making fat balls or blocks with some of the mixed seeds you bought and kitchen scraps. These materials can be bound together with molten lard and refrigerated until they set.
Block Unwanted Visitors
It may cost you more than you think to have bird food stolen. Squirrels, rats, mice, and hedgehogs (if you use a ground feeder) are the most common animals that steal bird food.
Special feeders or a squirrel baffle can keep mammals from taking bird food. You can even make one yourself to save even more money. This way, only your feathered friends will be getting food. Also, you might want to use a bird feeder that only lets smaller birds in to keep bigger birds like crows, magpies, and pigeons from taking more than their fair share of food.
Prevent Spoilage
Finally, avoid wasting bird food by ensuring bird feeders are undercover or have a rain roof on them. Do everything you can to keep food dry and fresh because rain is the main reason why food goes bad.
Always store excess bird food in a cool, dry place too to avoid spoilage. Also, don’t leave bags or sacks open where mice could get to them; instead, store food in bins or containers with lids.
Better bird seed! How to recognize good bird seed and not waste money.
How can I save money on bird seed?
You can save the last bite of certain foods for your wild birds, too! Apple cores. An orange slice. A couple of raisins. The last bite of your sandwich. A dry piece of bread or cheese. All these items are eaten by birds. Give them a try! You can save money by making more informed decisions when purchasing bird seed.
Which bird feeder should I put in my backyard?
The bird feeder that you place in your backyard aides the survival of birds in harsh winters. For most wild birds, seeds are the best source of high energy food for wild birds. (Do not feed birds bread.) The seed that attracts the widest variety of birds, and so the mainstay for most backyard bird feeders, is sunflower.
Can you feed birds in your backyard?
There are no federal laws that prohibit feeding birds in your backyard. However, it’s important to check your local laws and regulations as some states and municipalities may have specific rules regarding feeding wildlife. What foods should be avoided when feeding wild birds? Avoid feeding birds any moldy or spoiled food, as it can make them sick.
What bird food should I give my Backyard?
Offering a mix of food types will help attract a wider range of bird species to your backyard. These are the most commonly offered backyard bird foods: Millet – small seed used as filler in mixes. Liked by sparrows, juncos, doves and cowbirds Peanuts – can be fed in the shell, shelled or in pieces.