How To Make Bird Food With Oatmeal [6 Simple Methods!] - Birdwatching Buzz (2024)

When you’re looking at an inexpensive way to add some variety and nutrition to your backyard feeders for the local bird population, why not consider oatmeal.

Oatmeal is full of protein, carbohydrates and is also low in fat. It provides a lot of nutrition for birds, especially during the winter months. Many different types of oats are suitable for this except instant or cooked oats. Remember though, that birds need a varied diet, so you should not give them oatmeal alone without providing other food sources as well.

Here are a few ways that you can add oatmeal as a food source for your visiting birds.

1. Add Them To Your Backyard Feeder

The easiest way to add oatmeal into a bird’s diet is to just put some oats in your backyard feeder or feed table. You can also just scatter them around your yard where you know that the birds like to forage.

2. Mix Them With Your Regular Seed Mix

If you constantly buy commercial seed mix or even if you make your own, you can make it go a little further by adding oats into it. All the seed-eating birds that visit your backyard will love the variety and nutrition that oats add to their diet.

3. Make Your Own Oatmeal And Suet Fat Balls

These are great for hanging around your yard from tree branches and will keep the birds entertained for hours. Here’s what to do:

Simply mix two parts oatmeal with one part of fat such as suet or lard that you’ve melted. Once cool, shape the mixture into a ball, making sure that you secure a piece of string or twine in through the middle. Then, hang these oatmeal balls from some suitable tree branches and watch as the birds come and enjoy the treat that you’ve put out for them.

To add some variety, you can also add dried fruits and mixed nuts that are safe for birds. Or, try adding some raw corn kernels or sunflower seeds. The possibilities are endless when making these little balls of nutrition for your backyard birds.

Always ensure that you have plenty of water available for the birds when you’re feeding them oatmeal.

4. Spice Up Your Oatmeal Mix

Instead of just giving the birds plain oatmeal, why not spice it up a bit by adding other popular grains like barley, wheat and millet.

You can even consider adding some dried fruit to your oatmeal mix. This will provide plenty of variety and nutrition to the birds’ diets.

5. Make This Fun Recipe With Your Kids

Here’s another easy recipe that you can make for the birds to enjoy. Let the kids join in for an afternoon of cooking fun. Here’s what to do:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of birdseed
• 2 tablespoons of oats
• 1 tablespoon of flour (wholegrain is best)
• A few sticks of millet
• ½ tablespoon of water
• 1 tablespoon of honey

Method:

• Mix together the birdseed, oats, millet and flour.
• Add the water and mix well.
• Stir in the honey and make sure that everything is well combined. The mixture should be dough-like. If it’s too dry, add a little more water and if it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.
• Roll the mixture into small balls and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

Once the balls are cooked and cooling, you can insert some wire into each one to form a loop for hanging. Let them cool completely before hanging them out for the birds.

6. Make An Oatmeal Pudding For The Woodpeckers

If you have woodpeckers that frequently visit your yard, they’re going to love this oatmeal pudding. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 8 pounds of suet
• 2 pounds of peanut butter
• 1 bottle of corn syrup (8 ounces)
• 2 pounds of rolled oats.

Method:

• Melt the suet in a saucepan.
• Add the peanut butter, corn syrup and oats to the melted suet while it’s still hot.
• Stir well to ensure that all the ingredients are combined.
• Place the mixture into some old soup tins that you’ve washed well first.
• Store these in a cool place to allow the mixture to harden.
• When you’re ready to use the mixture, warm the can slightly to soften the pudding and allow it to come out of the can.
• You can now place the pudding either in a suet feeder or make your own feeder log. To do this, find a birch log that is around 4 inches in diameter. Drill a number of holes in the log that are around one and a half inches in diameter. Ensure that you leave the bark on the log as this provides a good gripping surface for the woodpeckers. Spread the suet mixture into the holes and hang the log outside where it can easily be found by the woodpeckers.

The Benefits Of Feeding Oatmeal To Birds

There are many benefits to feeding your backyard birds oatmeal, both for you and the birds. Here they are in a nutshell:

Oatmeal provides plenty of nutrition for the birds including additional protein and carbohydrates. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals that birds need to stay healthy. These include:

• Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Zinc
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Manganese
• Phosphorus
• Sodium
• Fiber

This means that when you feed the birds oatmeal, you’re providing them with a nutritious food source that will sustain them over the colder months when other natural food sources may be scarce.

Because of their high fiber content, oats are also good for the bird’s digestive system.

Another benefit of feeding oats to the birds is that they’re full of antioxidants. These help to protect the birds against harmful toxins and free radicals that are in the environment. In turn, this helps to keep the birds nice and healthy.

Remember not to overfeed the birds with oatmeal or make it the only food that you give them. This is because overfeeding them with lots of carbohydrates could result in weight gain and this is not healthy for the birds.

Which Birds Are Attracted To Oatmeal?

Any birds whose diet primarily consists of grains and seeds will appreciate some oatmeal in their diet and will flock to your feeders when you have it available.

Common birds species that will feed on oatmeal include:

• Doves and pigeons
• Finches and sparrows
• Bunting birds
• Ground feeders and game birds like quail, partridges and pheasant grouse
• Cardinals
• Blackbirds
• Grackles
• Parrots
• Blue Jays

What Type Of Oatmeal Should You Feed The Birds?

Your local bird population will enjoy many different types of oatmeal as long as it’s raw and not cooked. This is because cooked oatmeal can become sticky, hard and dry. This makes it difficult for the birds to swallow and digest and could cause harm to their digestive system. The hardness of the cooked oatmeal could also damage the birds’ beaks.

Also, never feed the birds instant oatmeal or quick-cook sachets as these products contain additional additives such as sugar, milk powder and soy protein.

Varieties of oatmeal that are safe for birds include:

• Pinhead
• Steel-cut (also known as Irish or Scottish oats)
• Jumbo
• Rolled oats

Final Thoughts

Feeding your backyard birds oatmeal will provide them with a highly nutritious food source, especially in winter when natural food sources are scarce. Oats provide the birds with plenty of energy so that they can keep warm during the colder months.

Remember to only feed the birds uncooked oats and never give them instant oats as these contain other additives that are not good for the birds. You should also add other nuts, grains and seeds to your bird feeders so that the birds have a balanced diet.

When feeding oats, it’s also important to ensure that there is plenty of fresh water available for the birds as well. Why not try some of the recipes above to give your birds a treat that they’ll came back for time and time again.