Granola Bars for Birds (Pet Treats)

Ingredients

375 mL (1 ½ cups) canola oil
250 mL (1 cup) cornmeal
500 mL (2 cups) sunflower meats
250 mL (1 cup) fine-cracked corn
250 mL (1 cup) millet or canary seed
250 mL (1 cup) whole wheat flour
250 mL (1 cup) raisins or currants
125 mL (1/2 cup) eggshells, crushed (optional)
125 mL (1/2 cup) sugar (optional)

Directions

Add all ingredients and mix well in a large bowl. If mixture is too oily, gradually sir in a little additional flour. Press into cake pan or muffin tin. Chill.

To Serve: Hang in your Bird Feed Bag or a fixed suet holder.

To Store: Refrigerate in a sealed container up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 2 months.

Source: Alberta Canola Producers Commission

Make Your Own Bird Feed Bag

A Bird Feed Bag is a mesh bag that allows for birds to hold onto the bag while accessing the food within. Bags can be devised from purchased or recycled material (eg. mesh bags from onions or oranges). Simply drop in the food, tie and knot and hang. If you wish to make your own, shop for some strong, coarse-meshed nylon curtain material. Stitch up a bag with a fold-over top to accommodate a drawstring. Strong mason’s cord (from the hardware store) makes excellent drawstrings and can be used for hanging, too!!

Make sure to hang your feeder bag in the shade, and to check that the oil in the food never becomes rancid. During the winter, cooler weather allows for the bird food to be edible for a longer period of time. We suggest changing the chunks of bird food every two weeks or less depending on the weather.