How to make up hummingbird "juice".?

Question

I have sugar and red food coloring. How much of each do I mix to make hummingbird food?

Answer 1

1 part sugar
4 part water

DO NOT USE THE RED....It is toxic to the hummers.

Answer 2

Don't know about everyone else, but I would much rather have a nice sweet chocolate bar instead of a granola bar.. And so would your hummers. My recipe, which has been used for a number of years and seems to attract many visitors to my feeder, is to take 3 cups of water and heat up the water on the stove. Just before it begins to boil, turn it off. Then, get a large empty mayonnaise jar and pour in 1 cup of sugar. Take the hot water from the stove (after it has cooled off a little) and carefully pour it into the jar. Stir it with a spoon to desolve the sugar. Leave the lid off the jar and let it cool down completely for a couple of hrs. Then, screw the lid on and store it in the fridge and use it when you need to fill up the feeder. This way, you will have a fresh supply of mix available for about a week and a half. Make sure you clean the feeder every 3 or 4 days and refresh it with new mix from the fridge. No food coloring is needed as most feeders are already red in color and attract the hummers well. This is somewhat of a sweeter mixture, and something that the hummers love and need, to keep them going. Also, the location of the feeder is very important. You don't want to have it hanging in the direct sunlight, as this will cause the mixture to heat up too much, causing bacteria to develop, and making the hummers sick. A shady location works the best for for the health of the hummers. They don't like feeding on "hot" sugar water. Hope this answers your question.... And may your feeder bring you joy and happiness, as it has for me over the years.. Happy Humming!

Answer 3

My dad has been feeding hummingbirds for years. His method:

1 cup of sugar, 4 cups of water (this is 1 part sugar, to 4 parts water, adjust more or less as you need.)

Mix the sugar and water in a large saucepan and heat on stove until just starting to boil, stirring occasionally to help the sugar dissolve. Use a clean wooden spoon that has never been used in grease. My dad uses a wooden spoon with a flattened end (better to scrape the bottom of the pan) and keeps it exclusively set aside for making hum feed.

Once the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat and let cool before putting in feeders. Store in refrigerator. Throw away and make new after a week if you have any left.

Red food coloring is not necessary. No, it is not toxic to the birds, just not needed. The hum feeders usually have red flowers on them, and other red parts. That is all the red you need to attract them.

Replace feed in feeders after two days with fresh feed.

Answer 4

The red food coloring isn't necessay if your feeder has red or yellow coloring on it.... But the recipe is easy. Use twice as much water as sugar. I usually use 2 c. water to 1 c. sugar, so I have some left. Put it in a covered jar and you'll have some for the next time.

Answer 5

Mix 1 cup of boiled water with a quarter cup of sugar. Let cool in the refrigerator. Place in a clean hummer feeder,preferably a red one. Small amounts at a time will reduce the chance for it to spoil and smell like vinegar. You don't need to use any red dyes. These may harm them as well. Enjoy!

Answer 6

Do not color the water. Get a hummingbird feeder and mix sugar and water.

Answer 7

4 to 1 water and sugar. Skip the food coloring.

Answer 8

I use the 4 parts water:1 part sugar recipe.

I read somewhere the you should bring the water just to a boil, add the sugar and let it boil for 2 minutes to boil away any chlorine, etc in the water. I then let it cool and fill the feeder.

Answer 9

Two cups boiling water, cup and a half sugar. Red food coloring is optional...I have found I don't even need it. Make you you cool the water before feeding.

Answer 10

You are better off having the right plants , than feeders . Keep that in mind, for the long - term . The food can go bad quickly in warm weather, and harm, or even kill the birds . Make sure to change it at least every other day, & wash the feeder.

Answer 11

4 to 1 water and sugar. my hummingbirds love it, its like crack for them.