How to Make Suet Cakes for Bird Feeders

Wild birds generally love to feast on suet cakes.

Suet cakes often contain berries, seeds and, of course, suet—the fatty tissue that gathers around a cow’s kidney area. Birds enjoy suet cakes as tasty meals and treats, and different birds are interested in different ingredients. Suet cakes are often quite expensive when obtained from feed stores but can be simple and affordable to make.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh suet
• Sunflower and wild bird seed
• Raisins
• Chopped peanuts
• Pie pan or emptied suet packs
• Cooking oats
• Chunky peanut butter
• Yellow cornmeal
• Whole- or cracked-wheat bread or crackers
• Millet
• Dried, chopped fruit

Instructions

Hard Suet Cakes

1. Melt ½-lb. of fresh, ground suet on the stove in a pot. Allow the melted suet to cool, then reheat again, according to the Baltimore Bird Club. Leave the mixture to cool down until it has slightly thickened.

2. Mix together 1/3 cup of sunflower seed in a bowl with ¼ cup raisins, 2/3 cup wild bird seed and 1/8 cup chopped peanuts. Use your hands or a large spoon to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

3. Add the seed mixture to the melted suet and mix together thoroughly.

4. Pour the suet mixture in a pie pan and allow it to harden. You can also pack the mixture into empty store-bought suet packs.

Suet Oak Cakes

1. Cut 1 pound of suet into small, 1-inch pieces, suggests attractwildbirds.com. Melt the suet in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.

2. Add 1 cup each of quick-cooking oats, chunky peanut butter, mixed wild bird and sunflower seeds and yellow cornmeal to the melted suet. Stir the ingredients with a large spoon until blended well.

3. Pour the mixture into suet packs or a foil pie pan. Chill the suet in the fridge until hardened and ready to use.

Soft Suet Medley

1. Place 4 ½ cups of ground, fresh suet in a pot on the stove. Melt the suet over low heat. Allow the suet to cool until it is slightly thickened.

2. Pour ¾ cup of dried and ground whole- or cracked-wheat bread or crackers in a bowl with ½ cup shelled sunflower seeds and ¼ cup each of millet and dried, chopped fruit--such as berries, raisins or currants. Mix the ingredients together well.

3. Add the cooled suet to the mixed ingredients. Combine together with your hands or a large spoon until the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

4. Pack the mixture into store-bought suet packs. Allow the mixture to harden before setting out.

Tips & Warnings

• Suet is often available at butcher shops.

References

• Baltimore Bird Club: Suet Recipes
• AttractWildBirds.com: How to Make Suet for Wild Birds