December 23, 2019, 1:00 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Fat balls for birds are not only simple and quick to make yourself. They are also true upcycling wonders and creative eye-catchers in one. myHOMEBOOK shows how you can quickly make these creative and above all plastic-free DIY fat balls yourself. The step-by-step instructions are available in the video.
Whether on the balcony or in the garden: Wild birds appreciate extra food, especially in winter. However, a birdhouse doesn’t always fit on the balcony. If you choose a feeding station in the garden, you might have unwanted visitors like cats and squirrels. The solution: fat balls. Traditional fat balls are easy to hang but unfortunately contain plastic. Plastic that is completely unnecessary, creates waste, and can even be deadly for birds. Nabu strongly warns against using fat balls with plastic. Birds can quickly get tangled in the plastic mesh.
The following DIY idea is completely safe and plastic-free. You can easily and quickly make fat balls yourself, even with ingredients you often already have at home. Additionally, you can wonderfully upcycle waste, such as empty orange halves. This DIY idea is also easy to implement with children.
Tip: The DIY fat rings are also a welcome sustainable gift or souvenir.
DIY Instructions to Make Fat Balls Yourself
To make traditional fat balls yourself, you don’t need a long list of materials and ingredients. You will likely already have many of them at home and in your pantry. However, a brief excursion into bird food is important beforehand. Which seeds are the right ones, and with which fat can you make fat balls yourself?
Traditional fat balls consist of a seed-fat mixture. As a basic food that is eaten by as many bird species as possible, Nabu recommends sunflower seeds. Otherwise, oil-rich seeds such as flaxseeds, hemp seeds, and grains are suitable for seed eaters.
Soft food eaters, such as robins, blackbirds, or wrens, also enjoy bran, oatmeal, raisins, cranberries, and fruit. Feel free to create a rich, colorful mix from your ingredients. This way, many different bird species will enjoy your DIY fat balls and literally pick out the food that suits them.
Use animal fats for the fat. These are particularly rich and therefore very suitable for wild birds. Alternatively, you can also use vegetable fats, such as coconut fat.
Materials List:
- Fat (e.g., coconut fat, pork fat, or beef tallow in organic quality)
- Loose seed mix
- Various unsalted and unseasoned nuts (e.g., peanuts)
- Cranberries
- Raisins
- Oatmeal
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Hemp seeds
- Empty orange halves
- String
Tools List:
- Cookie cutters in various shapes and sizes
- Small bundt cake molds
- Suitable surface
- Straw
- Cooking pot
- Bowl of water
- Spoon
Also interesting: Check out what great things you can craft from an old garden hose
Instructions for DIY Fat Balls – Step by Step
- Melt the fat in a water bath. Make sure it doesn’t get too hot. Then let the now liquid fat cool down a bit.
- Place the empty orange halves, cookie cutters, and bundt cake molds on a suitable surface.
- Add the seed mix to the liquid fat in a 1:1 ratio and mix well.
- Fill the fat-seed mixture into the orange halves and molds and press the mixture down a bit.
- Place a shortened straw as a placeholder for later hanging in the cookie cutters.
- Cut a string to the desired length and dip both ends deep into the filled orange halves.
- Place the filled molds in a cool place and let the mixture harden.
- Remove the fully hardened fat balls from the molds, preferably the next day.
- Attach a string to the fat balls for hanging and place them in the desired location.