5 days of festive fun: day 5 - Wildlife friendly reindeer food

5 days of festive fun: day 5 - Wildlife friendly reindeer food

For more information visit RSPB - thank you for allowing us to share this information.

On Christmas Eve night, as Father Christmas is rushing from house to house to deliver presents to all the good girls and boys, his reindeer helpers often need a quick snack to keep them going on their busiest night of the year. What's great is you don't need to go and buy them special food (often the food you can buy in the shops is full of glitter, which is very bad for flying reindeer and other garden wildlife) - chances are you have just what they love in your store cupboards anyway!

Ingredients and instructions

  • A handful of wild bird seed (which may include sunflower hearts, naked rolled oats, dried mealworms, yellow millet, kibbled peanuts and black sunflower seeds) - this is what helps the reindeers fly!
  • A few rolled oats
  • Some dried fruit, like cranberries (if you have a dog, please don't use grapes, raisins, sultanas or currants as these can be poisonous for them)
  • Some dried insects - Rudolph and his bird friends love mealworms and waxworms
  • Some grated cheese
  • A hint of chilli powder - it helps keep Rudolph's nose glowing red and will stop squirrels and rodents from stealing the food before Rudolph arrives!

Mix it all together, then sprinkle it on your lawn or leave it in a bowl by your front door just before you go to bed.