Easy Bird Feeders to Make

Milk Jug Seed Shelter

• This simple feeder lets birds sit inside a container of seed that's protected against rain and wind. Wash out a gallon milk jug. Remove the cap then place it back on with a little white craft glue on the bottle threads to reinforce it. Poke a hole on opposite sides of the bottle, just below the lid, and thread some wire or heavy twine between the holes to hang the jug. Finish the feeder by cutting a round, 5-inch-wide hole into the side of the jug, positioned at least three inches from the bottom. Fill the jug with seed up to just below the bottom of the large hole.

Suet Cage

• Suet is the thick, somewhat waxy fat that's left over from butchered beef and pork. Birds love suet, and you can purchase it from a butcher's shop for use in a wintertime bird feeder. Place a lump of suet inside any mesh or wire bag or cage through which birds can access the fat with their beaks. Good choices include a plastic mesh bag, empty plastic strawberry container, hand-woven wire or a small portion of chicken wire.

Yogurt Container Feeder

• Fill a yogurt container with a combination of birdseed and either peanut butter or suet (melt and mix it in the microwave). Use enough to fill the container to the very brim. Hang the filled container on its side using heavy tape and twine. The birds will eat the mixture and crawl inside the container as it's emptied.

Pine Cone Feeder

• You may have heard of the classic "Boy Scout" bird feeder craft using a pine cone. Simply tie a string to the top of the cone to hang it, coat the cone generously in peanut butter then toss birdseed to cake over the peanut butter. Use the same basic concept to coat other surfaces with peanut butter and seed wherever you want birds to land. Some possible spots are the outside or roof of a birdhouse or a tree branch. This high-calorie bird feeder is an especially good idea in the winter, when food is scarce for your feathered friends.