Milk Carton Birdhouse

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A lovely one-season birdhouse made from recycled household materials.

By Andrea Mulder-Slater

What You Need:

  • Milk carton
  • Stapler and staples (optional)
  • Masking tape
  • A soft cloth, rag or chamois
  • Brown paint (acrylic is best) watered down
  • Scissors or a knife (and adult assistance)
  • Twine

What You Do:

  1. Clean and dry the milk carton thoroughly.
  2. Staple (or tape) the top of the carton shut.
  3. Tear off small pieces of masking tape and cover the entire carton with the pieces of tape.
  4. Using a soft cloth, rub brown paint all over the tape-covered carton. This will give the carton a rough, bark-like finish.
  5. Cut a hole (WITH ADULT ASSISTANCE) about 4″ above the bottom of the carton. The hole should be approximately 1″ to 1 1/2″ in diameter. This hole is for the birds to get in and out of the house.
  6. Poke a few drainage holes in the bottom of the carton and two ventilation holes in the top of the carton.
  7. Poke a hole through the top of the feeder, string a piece of twine through the hole and hang your feeder on a tree.