Milk Carton And Juice Carton Bird Feeder

8 Materials
Milk carton and juice carton can be upcycled and turned into bird feeders. So do not throw them just yet. Clean them up and store them for this craft/DIY.
If you are like me and my family and you enjoy watching birds, welcome them with bird feeders made from milk and juice carton.
Start collecting your used milk and juice carton. Do remember to rinse the inside with water and drain before storing them for your future DIY. If you don’t you will find green and black aliens inside it as you cut through it. I swear! I cut one which apparently I forgot to rinse and boy was it eeewww!
Outline the shape you want to cut out for the opening with a ball pen. I know you love gel pens but that won’t work with this craft. The outer part of the carton is glossy and water resistant so ball pen works the best.
Use a craft knife to cut through the carton following the outline you made. If you want to learn how I made the other openings, you can click on the link at the end of this post to direct you to the blog post.
When you have made all the openings or holes on the carton, you are ready to prime them. Place a drop cloth to protect your table. You can use a water based primer or even chalk paint.
Make an outline of the design you want on the carton using a pencil. If you just wanna go with the flow and see what you come up with once you hold the paintbrush and you do not want to follow an outline, that is just fine,too.
Prepare your colors. Use acrylic paint and paint away.
Paint the bottom with black acrylic paint.
I had to paint two coats for each paint color. Check how yours will come out and if you think the colors are not solid enough, paint another coat on it. Just remember to completely dry the previous coat before you apply another coat of paint. Here is how mine looked like.
Now we need disposable chopsticks. You only need one chopstick for a bird feeder. First, cut through the carton to make a hole for the stick using a craft knife. Slice an X mark on the spot you want to insert the stick through.
Use the chopstick to poke the whole bigger. Then measure the distance of the hole from the bottom and the side of the carton so you can make the same hole on the other end.
You will be able to poke the chopsticks through on a straight path if you measure.
Look for any box or carton then cut a shape a half inch bigger than the measurement of the top of your milk carton.
Use a glue gun to attach the carton roof on the bird feeder.
It will be a bit tougher to make the hole, now that the top has become thicker from the carton roof so be very careful using the craft knife as you slice the X mark. Use any string and tie up a loop for hanging the feeder. Voila!


You can check out a more detailed tutorial on the link below.
Suggested materials:
  • Milk and juice carton
  • Craft knife
  • Acrylic paint
See all materials
Queti @ Fancy Momma
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Cathey DiVito Cathey DiVito on Jul 31, 2016
    Anytime I put out seeds, pigeons take over!! I live in the Phoenix, Az area. Any ideas?
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 37 comments
  • Joni Joni on Jul 06, 2017

    The best way to get birds to come around is plant strawberries and wait for them to get ripe and you will have all the robins you want. Same with corn and sunflowers... you get blackbirds

  • Susan Channing Susan Channing on Apr 24, 2021

    I shall definitely be trying these for my garden.

Next