What Is Suet Bird Feed?
When a blanket of fresh snow covers the landscape, treat wild birds to suet. The high-protein bird feed helps wild birds generate energy for warmth during cold weather. Butchers, meat counters and rendering plants sell suet for wild bird feed. Whether offered raw or used to make bird seed suet cakes, the fat-based product makes any style of bird feeder popular among local wildlife.
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Features of Suet
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Suet is raw, beef kidney fat. Butchers render suet from a cow's hindquarters, near the kidneys and the loins. Suet remains solid at room temperature, but will begin to melt when the temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using Suet
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Melting lard-style suet and combining it with bird seed, nuts or dried berries creates suet cakes. Whether purchased commercially or made at home, suet cakes hang in a bird feeder, making the handling of suet simple and sanitary.
Placing pure, fresh suet in onion sacks, on flat platforms or in wire mesh feeders high off the ground keeps household pets such as cats and dogs away from the food, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
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Types of Birds
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Insectivorous birds require high-protein foods. During the winter months when insects, bugs and other live protein sources hibernate, offer wild birds suet bird seed cakes. The National Audubon Society notes chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, blue jays, woodpeckers and wrens gather at winter feeders supplied with suet bird cakes.
Benefits of Suet
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Birds survive cold winter conditions by supplementing their diets with fats. High-fat suet converts to energy, according to Martha Stewart Online.
Warning About Suet
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The National Audubon Society advises not to place suet outside during warm weather. The raw, meat-based product will go rancid in warm conditions, causing wildlife to get sick. Drippings from melting suet can also damage the waterproof qualities of wild bird feathers. Keep all unused suet-based products cool in a freezer or refrigerator, not a garage or garden shed.
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References
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- Photo Credit Bird feeder image by lefebvre_jonathan from Fotolia.com
