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Easy Bird Food Recipe: Backyard Bird Cornbread

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Attract Backyard Birds with this Easy, DIY Birdseed Cake

Heidi Stonehill
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Are your birds tired of bland birdseed mixes? Ditch the store-bought stuff and whip up a batch of these irresistible homemade birdseed cakes that will have your feathered friends flocking to your yard! Check out our recipe for our ever-popular Cornbread bird food that you can make at home.

Why You Should Try  Making DIY Bird Food

  • Attract a wider variety of birds: This simple recipe packed with nutritious cornmeal, fat, and baking powder caters to a wider range of birds than basic seed mixes. Think cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, and more! Check out our Woodpecker Pudding recipe to attract even more birds!
  • Save money and avoid waste: Skip the overpriced store-bought birdseed and utilize kitchen scraps like leftover fat or drippings. Plus, no more throwing away stale bread – crumble it in, and the birds will love it!
  • Bond with nature: Watching birds enjoy your homemade treats is a heartwarming experience. It’s a fun activity for the whole family, perfect for sparking a love for nature in children.
  • Support local birds: Providing a reliable food source during harsh winter months or nesting season can make a real difference in the lives of backyard birds.

Cornbread Bird Food Recipe

Ready to get started? This recipe is super easy to follow, requiring just a few simple ingredients and minimal baking time. Plus, it’s adaptable! Feel free to add chopped nuts, dried fruit, or even crumbled cheese for extra flavor and nutritional value. Try this bird food recipe—just place it in mesh bags and hang it outdoors!

  • 3 cups cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup fat (meaning drippings or lard)
  • 3 cups water

Mix all the ingredients together and bake in a deep pan at 375ºF for 30 to 35 minutes. Reduce heat if the bread looks as if it is forming a hard crust. It may be doubled or halved.

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So, ditch the generic birdseed and embrace the joy of homemade! Hang these delicious birdseed cakes in your backyard and witness the magic unfold as your feathered friends come to visit.

What birds are in your backyard? We would love to hear about them! Share your birdwatching stories with us below.

Backyard Birds
About The Author

Heidi Stonehill

Heidi Stonehill is the executive editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, where she focuses much of her time on managing content development for the Almanac’s line of calendars. Read More from Heidi Stonehill

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Comments

A ROCKWELL (not verified)

3 years 10 months ago

I think the cornbread for Juncos is crumbled up and strew on ground or put in a birdfeeder; Juncos are ground feeders; a nice patio for cornbread + juncos work; esp. on a snowy day;

April Dyntera (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

None of us can afford to waste ingredients trying to re-create a recipe. What size of "deep pan" will work for the basic recipe? 10"x13"? 7"x9"? After baking, is the result something to be sliced into chunks? put into a suet feeder? Is the whole batch just dumped onto a platform? If I were inventing a recipe, I would have to absorb the loss when mistakes are made. I cannot afford to do that now. AND do I get an answer sent to my email or do I keep this date's issue in my email account and check for an answer once it's updated? Is it updated to relevant topics presented in this issue?

nadia nichols (not verified)

3 years 11 months ago

Be wary of using mesh bags if you have a dog. I lost a dog who ate the suet along with the entire bag. Emergency surgery did not save him.

Anne (not verified)

2 years 4 months ago

sorry to hear about your Dog; deflated lost balloons are another hazard;

Anne (not verified)

2 years 10 months ago

Sad about your Dog; I read about how Rawhide (treats) are not healthy for dogs either;

Carla McEldowney (not verified)

4 years 11 months ago

What do you use for mesh bags? I read that using net bags that some veggies come in is dangerous to birds.

John R Shalack (not verified)

8 months 1 week ago

Many store sell suet cages that should serve just as well...?

Karene (not verified)

5 years 10 months ago

Is it alright to use bacon grease for suet?

Jan (not verified)

5 years 10 months ago

Can I use Crisco instead of Lard... I have several cans of Crisco and would love to use it up for the birds if its safe.. It's been in the fridge and it's still good but only for a few more months...Thanks, Jan