Birds Will Be Flocking To Your Yard With This Genius Egg Carton Hack
The amount of time and money Americans spend on backyard improvements and outdoor living spaces has been steadily climbing over the past decade and is expected to continue doing so. While some of these outdoor updates add value to homes, often the motivation is more about adding value to one's life by affording a peaceful place to relax. In that sense, attracting more birds to your backyard can add infinite value to the time you spend in your outdoor space. Even better, it doesn't have to be expensive.
One great way to increase the number of birds you see in your backyard without laying out a lot of cash is to repurpose a few items you likely already have around your home. As an added bonus, this project is so simple, it is an excellent project for kids as well. But, whether you do it yourself or as a fun project with kids or grandkids, birds will be flocking to your yard with this genius egg carton hack.
Creating an eco-friendly egg carton bird feeder
Creating an eco-friendly egg carton bird feeder requires few supplies and very little time. While you can make them as elaborate as you like, even the most basic version will still attract birds. To start with, you need a few supplies including a used egg carton (cardboard, not Styrofoam), scissors, string or yarn, and bird feed. If you want to decorate your feeder, water color paints, colored pencils, or crayons are all safe, eco-friendly options.
To make the bird feeder, cut the lid off the egg carton and decorate the outside of the egg carton tray. Next, run the yarn or string through the holes in the raised portion of the egg carton tray and tie the ends together to form a loop from which the feeder will hang. If the raised portion of the egg carton tray doesn't have pre-existing holes, you can simply punch some with scissors. At that point, it is simply a matter of filling the feeder with seed and hanging it from a hook, nail, or branch where birds are likely to frequent. Hanging the feeder from a limb of a tree or bush that attracts birds will make it all the more effective.
Other ways to make egg carton bird feeders
There is really no shortage of ways to make egg carton bird feeders. The common threads between them all is cutting off the lid and filling the carton with seed. However, there are a variety of ways to create a hanger for the feeder. In addition to the method described above, some bird enthusiasts prefer to create holes on each corner of the egg carton, affix a string or wire of equal length to each then connect them all in the center. This will give a bit more stability to the feeder.
The downside to this type of bird feeder is that because it is large and easy for birds to feed from, it may begin to attract birds you don't want near your feeder. One possible solution to this issue is to create a smaller version, such as the one described on Green Kid Crafts. This version involves cutting out the individual cups from the egg carton and running a string through the center of the cup to hang it once it is filled with seed.