Did you even know there was such a thing as edible glue to decorate bird houses with? I sure didn’t, but now I do and I’m obsessed! Let me just explain how these lovable little bird seed treats came about!
You see my sister has never been the animal lover in my family. That is totally me. BUT – lately her kids were telling me how she has become the animal whisperer in her yard. And I might have gotten a tad jealous. SO I devised a plan to make the animals in my yard flock to me too. 🤣🤣🤣
I’ve seen some of these gorgeously decorated wooden bird houses, covered in bird seed and treats and I knew I would have a blast making my own. They are really fun and simple to make. You can create a ton of them for way less than buying them. They also make the perfect gift for the nature/animal lover in your life. You can bet my sister is getting a slew of these because even though I joke I adore the fact that she is a magnet for birds and chipmunks.
I’m gonna show you a few options on how to make these decorative bird houses using edible glue. The cool thing is, once the bird eat all their treats you can simply recoat the house with more glue and seed for a continual treat that tastes great and looks cute.
I found small wooden bird houses at the Dollar Tree and I also found some giant snowflake cut outs that were perfect for this spring yard project. You could decorate just about anything wooden with this simple idea.
Here is the recipe I settled on for edible glue, there are a few versions floating around the internet, but this one worked great for me. You can also download and print it so you have it on hand, or be sure to save this post to Pinterest for easy access in the future.
Edible Glue Recipe
1/2 Cup Warm Water Edible Glue Recipe Card
1 Envelope Unflavored Gelatin
3/4 Cup Flour
3 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
4 Cups Birdseed
Various bird seeds/nuts/millet/dried fruit for adorning
Wooden Bird House or Decor
If using a mold:
Bundt Pan or Cupcake pan
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Mix the warm water and gelatin until dissolved. Stir in flour and corn syrup. You have edible glue!
How to Decorate Wooden Bird Houses With Seed
- I worked on a large tray while making my bird house decor so it would catch the extra seed.
- Take your edible glue and cover the surface of your bird house or wood design with a generous covering of glue on the area you want to cover.
- Scoop the bird seed over the wet glue. I found that glue will stay workable for about 30 minutes, but it does start to get thick!
- Gently press the seed into the glue. Fill in and layer until you get the coverage you want.
- Work in smaller sections for best coverage and if you want to use multiple seed types for color variation!
- Use a spoon or small utensil to add spots of glue where you’d like to add special touches like millet or dried fruit to the rooftop or create fun designs. The birds won’t care but it sure is more fun to make it pretty!
- Decorate till your heart is content and allow to dry overnight.
- Place your edible treats all over and watch the wildlife draw near!
How to make Edible Seed Cakes For Birds
- You might want to forgo the decorative houses and make edible seed cakes for birds. These are adorable and super simple to make.
- Use the same edible glue recipe as above. Stir in the 4 cups of bird seed until the mixture is well blended.
- Spray mini Bundt cake molds, cupcake pans or a large Bundt Cake pan (you will likely need to double the recipe for a large pan) with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour into the pan/mold and allow to dry at least 24 hours.
- Use jute or twine and hang your edible cakes for the birds and wildlife to enjoy.
I hope you have a blast making these fun treats for the sweet creatures in your yard! Let me know what you come up with – I’d love to see your crafty creations!
Joan Ann Hornung says
Oh wow – these are so cute. I want to make some for my sister too – she is a total bird and squirrel whisperer!
And, I think I should make a few for us too. What a sweet project! I actually have a couple of those little wooden houses in my stash I think. Thank you.
Kim at Salvaged Living says
They are really fun to make and are a perfect gift!!! enjoy
janet says
Hi, wondering if you make these ahead of Christmas how long will they stay without getting moldy. Do you spray anything on the finished product to preserve the seed?
Kim at Salvaged Living says
I don’t spray anything and I imagine it depends a little on how you store them. I might try a dry place, humiduty and moisture will probably be your enemy on the mold side!
Carol Hook says
Hi there Kim,
I want to coat some empty wine bottles with bird seed to hang outside. Will your glue recipe be a good choice and is your glue waterproof in case of rain?
Thank you for your great and helpful site. I love it!
Kim at Salvaged Living says
I think that would work, it is not waterproof that I know of becasue the birds have to eat it, but it is pretty strong!!! Would love to see how that turns out! fun idea