This little red bird feeder is a simple enough project and with adult supervision even small children can make their own bird feeders. You can use any half-gallon sized plastic jug but please do not use those in which chemicals were kept. Milk jugs work well for this project and can be be spray painted in any color you choose. Only paint the outside though, you don't want the paint to chip off into the bird seed. Another idea is to decorate using permanent magic markers. Before you begin wash jug(s) thoroughly and allow to air dry overnight.
You will need:
Bird Seed
A 12 inch ruler
A black marker
Box cutters or scissors
A plastic half gallon jug (red preferably)
Some double-sided sticky dots (office supplies)
For my bird feeder I chose a jug that held hummingbird nectar. You could equally use any half gallon sized jug for this project but I loved the bright red color.
Using a ruler draw a straight line down the center of the jug. This is where you will use your box cutter or scissors. Be careful box cutter blades are sharp and can slip easily. Cut from below the handle area to just above the bottom rim. Now cut around the jug, top and bottom half way.
As you can see I pressed the sticky dots on the inside of the jug, lined up the cut section and pressed them together. I had to slide the ruler down inside the jug to press the two sides.
Little ones may need an extra pair of hands to get this just right, it’s a bit tricky but as you see it can be done easily enough. Once you have pressed the sides together fill your bird feeder with bird seed. I like using a wild bird seed mix that has plenty of black oil sunflower seeds.
I chose to sit mine in a sheltered location but could easily add a hanger such as the one used in the photo above of the yellow feeder (it’s hiding in the background). You can’t see it but it’s hung by a wire coat hanger that I straightened for the purpose.
I suggest whatever you use to hang your bird feeder you tighten it very tight to the handle right up close to the body of the jug to give it stability so it won’t tip as much when the birds come to feed. Or do like I did and find a safe, quiet place for it to sit.
This bird feeder may look rather plain but it’s very functional and the birds love it. Of course you can always add decorations but the birds won’t care.
This little feathered fellow came to visit within minutes and posed for me.
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