How to Make Suet for Birds

One of the joys of living in a rural area is the ability to set up bird feeders and watch the variety of birds that visit on a daily basis. Providing a wide selection of food to choose from will increase the number and variety of birds that visit; but purchasing the food can get expensive, especially if you use a suet feeder and want to provide a mix of natural berries and nuts along with the suet. Making your own suet for birds will allow you to create just the right combination while providing visiting birds the energy they need to survive during the cold winter months.

Things You'll Need

• Fat (suet or drippings)
• Flour
• Peanut butter
• Corn meal
• Cracked corn
• Variety of seeds, nuts, dried fruits and berries
• Suet cage

Instructions

1. Choose a basic recipe for you suet. There are two basic combinations that work well. The easiest recipe calls for equal amounts of fat or suet and commercial seed. This recipe can be made in minutes. The second recipe calls for equal parts of fat, crunchy peanut butter, flour, cornmeal, and an equal portion of a combination of other ingredients such as nuts, seeds, berries and fruits. This recipe allows you to customize the suet, but does take a little more time and thought.

2. Soften your choice of fats. Saving your bacon drippings and other fat from cooking will provide a good source of fats for your suet. You can also use plain suet sold in the meat department of your grocery store, or even purchase lard for a fat base. As long as you have enough fat for the recipe, you can alter the dry ingredients to suit your desires.

3. Substitute crushed crackers, bits of cereal, dried bread crumbs or cracked corn for the flour, if desired. Try different combinations of mixed seeds, dried berries, nuts, and dried fruits in the mixture to find the combination that appeals to your visiting birds.

4. Mix additional ingredients with the softened fat and press into a baking pan to harden. Bread pans make a good size and can be cut easily to fit your wire cages.

5. Cut the suet cakes into the appropriate size for your suet feeder and fill the feeder. You can purchase a suet cage at your local hardware store. Metal cages that are wire covered are the easiest to care for and won't rust when exposed to the elements. Many people use old onion bags as suet feeders. If you choose to do so, use caution and monitor bird activity at this feeder. Some birds can damage their delicate feet by getting them tangled in these plastic bags.

6. Hang your suet feeder in a sheltered location where it is visible from a window. It will attract a variety of birds from the cheerful Chickadee to Downy Woodpeckers. Some even report Cardinals and Blue Birds as regular visitors to suet feeders. The type of bird you attract depends on your location and the native birds in your area.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase a large container of generic peanut butter. This is often less expensive than brand names and is generally less expensive in larger quantities. Keep this peanut butter on hand for mixing suet for the suet feeder. The combination of fats and peanut butter is a high energy source for your birds.

• Save all meat and fat drippings. Small bits of bacon or other tidbits of meats in the drippings will make a tasty treat for your birds. Store these in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you are ready to mix a batch of suet. Fat will get rancid quickly if left on the kitchen counter and may pose a health risk to your birds.

• Use caution when using mesh bags from onions or fruit for suet feeders. These mesh bags pose a risk of damaging bird's feet that may become tangled in the plastic mesh.