Making Bird Seed Cakes from Scratch for Your Pet Bird

Bird Seed Cakes

If you enjoy feeding your bird special treats that he'll love but don't want to spend a fortune at a pet store, you may want to learn about how to make bird seed cakes. It's easy to create these special little cakes out of bird seed without having to buy one that is pre-made.
The ingredients are simple and the process doesn't take long at all. So whether you have a pet bird at home or you want to treat the wild birds around your neighborhood, you may want to try to make bird seed treats all on your own -- before you know it, you'll be a pro.

 

Materials Needed

In order to make bird seed cakes you'll need a few simple items. The first thing you want to consider when you are making a cake out of bird seeds is what type of bird you are feeding. You'll want to use the right seeds for each type of bird. For example, you wouldn't want to use large corn kernels or sunflower seeds for a small bird such as a parakeet. When it comes to larger birds such as a macaw or cockatoo, you can use both small seeds and larger seeds, but they may prefer to have a few large treats in their bird seed cake.
There are a couple of recipes that you can use; one uses gelatin and the other uses flour. This particular recipe calls for flour and requires no cooking at all, unlike a gelatin based recipe.
What you'll need:

• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of water
• 4 cups of birdseed
• 3 tablespoons of corn syrup
• Optional nuts and raisins (for larger birds)
• Sheet pan
• Rolling pin
• Non-stick spray or parchment paper
• Cookie cutters

 

How to Make the Bird Seed Cake

Once you are ready to get started on your actual preparation, it's not that hard to become efficient in making your own bird seed cakes. In fact, it doesn't even take any heating or cooking preparation so it is a perfect project you can do with your children. Here is how you will prepare your ingredients.

1. Mix all of your ingredients in a large bowl, except for your bird seed and optional ingredients. Make sure it is all combined well.
2. Add in your bird seed and optional ingredients, if chosen, and cover the seeds well until they have a sticky consistency.
3. Pour the mixture on a sheet pan that is either greased with non-stick spray or lined with parchment paper. Roll it all out into a layer that is about a half of an inch thick.
4. Use cookie cutters to press into the mixture, but do not remove them. Simply leave the cookie cutters in the mixture in order to stiffen.
5. Let the cakes made of bird seed dry for about 5-6 hours then flip them over. Allow those to dry for another 6 hours then remove the cookie cutters.

 

Using Your Bird Seed Cakes

Now that you have learned how to make bird seed cakes you can use them as special treats for your bird. Simply place one in a food dish, or tie it to the cage with a natural type of stick such as a millet seed strand or a ribbon that is non-toxic. For outside birds you can also use a ribbon or string to tie the cakes made of bird seed onto trees or bushes and wait for the birds to enjoy their treat. Keep in mind that your homemade treats have no added preservatives or harmful ingredients and best of all, they're made with love.

 

Resources

Resources: http://natural-kids.blogspot.com/2010/06/make-birdseed-cakes.html

 

Photo Resources

Photos:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quaker_Parrot.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_seed_mixture_in_feeder.jpg
Creative Commons:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons