Do It Yourself: Bird Feeder From a Milk Carton

In our household, we try to live as “low waste” as possible. For example, we usually get milk in returnable bottles and, if possible, we get it at the farm. Farm milk tastes much better and the money goes directly to the producer. But sometimes a product ends up in the house that you wouldn’t have taken otherwise: a carton of milk, for example.

When the milk is empty, the carton doesn’t necessarily have to go in the bin. There are so many good ideas for reusing cartons: In spring, they can easily be turned into small pots for growing plants on the balcony. At Easter they can be decorated and used as Easter baskets, and in autumn they are great for making lanterns. Now in winter you can do something else useful with the Pak: I would like to show you here how quickly and easily you can make a small bird feeder out of it.

Bird feeder from a milk carton

What you need

milk carton
Branches, sticks
If decoration is desired:
     Autumn leaves, paper, craft glue, crayons

And this is how it works

Rinse the empty carton with water and leave to dry.
Glue on dried, pressed autumn leaves and leave to dry.
For the perches, poke small holes in the corners above the floor.
You can use branches from your last walk for this. I used a few chopsticks that were no longer in use and would otherwise have ended up in the rubbish.
Make small cuts about 5 cm above the perches with a box cutter. Then press in the corners of the carton. This creates the opening where the food comes out in doses.
All that's missing now is a hole at the top for hanging the food. Thread a string through it to attach it.
Fill the birdseed through the screw cap of the milk pak.
When hanging up, make sure that the bird feeder is somewhat protected - from moisture and out of the reach of cats.

Idea: When painting the outside of the bird feeder, children in particular can let off steam and get creative. How about an owl or a real villa?

Tip: If you are working with water-soluble paints and glues, the house should be hung in a particularly protected place.

Note: Please clean the perches regularly and check the food for mould.