How to make suet bird feeders?

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My daughter wanted to make suet bird feeders for the wild birds. We bought suet, already had bird feed & netting. Now what? Do we just squish the suet & seeds together? Does it need anything else?

Thanks in advance for your help.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), December 13, 2001

Answers

http://www.northbirding.com/suet/

This doesn't exactly answer your question, but this site has great recipes for making your own suet.

-- Tracey in Alabama (trjlanier@cs.com), December 13, 2001.


Hi Bonnie, Squishing and mixing it together is what I did. I added shelled peanuts too, but you don't have to. I have never used netting; out here most people use small boxes made of heavy-duty hardware wire. I drilled/carved large openings in a 1 1/2 foot section of white birch about 4 inches thick and pressed the suet into the openings. I just did it that way because it was pretty though. Hope you and your daughter have tons of fun however you set it up! Good luck. :)

-- Leslie Coray (leslie@webolium.com), December 14, 2001.

Hi Bonnie, I make suet cakes ever winter for my outdoor feathered buddies. I just made some last weekend. Here's a recipe I use and they absolutely love it. Melt 3 to 4 lbs. of lard(suet) in a very large pot like a dutch oven or big stock pot. When melted add about 3 cups of peanutbutter. When the peanutbutter is melted pour in your seeds( I use a small bag about 7 pounds or so) and other goodies like peanuts slightly crushed and raisins, chopped dried apples. Pour the mixture into baking dishes or cookie sheets (with sides like a jelly roll pan) that are lined with plastic wrap. Once it cools down and sets take out of the pan and cut into squares the size of your feeder and wrap individually with plastic wrap and freeze. Thats pretty much it. The birdies love it and the fat is good for them in the winter to help keep warm and the peanut butter offers protein. Let me know if you have any questions. Kim in Indiana :-D

-- Kim in Indiana (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), December 14, 2001.

Hi.. I make this each year and have found that after melting and mixing everything, it is easier to pour everything into a muffin pan and put in the freezer for a couple of hours. When frozen, they pop right out and I put them into a plastic bag ready to pull out one at a time as needed. The woodpeckers and Scrub Jays really have a hayday at the feeder and right now the Tufted Titmice are taking over. I have seen less birds this year than other years for some reason. Anyone else noticing the lack of birds?

-- Carole (carle@earthlink.net), December 14, 2001.

We used to put out the suet with the seeds in it but found that we were attracting a lot of starlings and crows. We just put out plain suet now and the woodpeckers and chickadees are able to enjoy it.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), December 14, 2001.


I strongly recommend NOT emulating me unless you live where you're absolutely sure it won't get warm - that is, above 32F or so.

I save all my baconfat and that of other meat, and pour it into molds that actually are the perfectly-shaped containers that long ago held store-bought suet. MY Boreal and Black-capped Chickadees, and Downy Woodpecker, prefer this high-energy source to all the oher treats they eat

And it's a *lot* cheaper than buying suet or peanut butter.

Warmth, of course, means you'd get a hellacious drooly oily mess somewhere.

-- Audie (paxtours@alaska.net), December 14, 2001.


It's a good idea, also, to put your suet in something other than a wire feeder. In cold weather birds have been known to get their feet stuck to the wire and cause damage when they try to fly away! An onion bag works great or some kind of wooden feeder. Actually the plastic-coated wire feeders are not all that expensive at Walmart :-)!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), December 14, 2001.

another cheap easy winter feeder,, if you dont eat the ribs from venison,,(alot of people dont),, put a strong wore thru them,, hang em in tree. Took most of the winter before the birds finshed them,,looked kinda funny also,, part of a carcus in a tree, then in the spring,, a porcupine cam and ate the bones

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), December 15, 2001.

Stan: that ribcage must hold 100 lbs. or more of suet! Don't think I'd recommend it in bear country...

I never have been able to document a case of birds becoming injured through contacting metal wire mesh, etc. I think it is an urban myth...or rural myth...

Birds' claws, in general, are extremely devoid of flesh, blood and nerves; they are little more than bone and scaly skin with ligaments attached to muscles higher in the leg. As I write this, it's -37F and the chickadees are showing no hesitation in clinging to the various metal parts of my metal feeders.

-- Audie (paxtours@alaska.net), December 15, 2001.


Audie...The problem with bird's feet sticking to wire feeders tends to happen more in a damp cold. In very dry cold air (as in parts of Alaska) there usually isn't a problem!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), December 15, 2001.


Thanks everybody! Our feathered friends will be happy.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), December 18, 2001.

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