How to Make Berry Suet for Birds

Treat your fine feathered friends to a special taste treat, and in turn they will entertain you for hours. Berry suet will attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, wrens, cardinals, chickadees, mockingbirds, and even bluebirds, if you're lucky enough to have them in your area. Read on to learn how to make a berry suet for birds.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 4 ½ cups beef suet
• ¾ cups finely ground cracker crumbs or bread crumbs
• ¼ cups millet seeds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds, (unsalted, without shells)
• ¼ cup dried berries, currants or raisins, chopped

Render the Suet

1. Save extra fat every time you cook beef, until you have enough to make 4½ cups of rendered suet, or purchase some from a butcher or grocery store.

2. Chop the fat finely, or grind it with a meat grinder.

3. Render the fat by putting it in a saucepan and melt it over medium heat.

4. Strain the rendered fat through clean cheesecloth.

5. Allow the fat to cool and harden.

6. Heat the fat one more time and strain it again. The suet won't harden properly if it isn't rendered twice.

Make the Suet

7. Melt the rendered fat in a saucepan over medium heat, and then allow it to heat until it begins to thicken.

8. Mix the crumbs, seeds and berries in a large bowl.

9. Add the rendered fat to the crumbs, seeds and berries, and stir well.

10. Put the berry suet into molds and allow it to harden.

11. Store the berry suet in the refrigerator or freezer until you use it.

Tips & Warnings

• Many household items can be used for suet molds, including tin foil baking cups or margarine containers. Berry suet can also be smeared on a pine cone or rolled into a ball.