How to Make Suet Feed Plugs for Log Feeders

A suet feeder is a way to attract bird species which don't frequent other types of feeders.

Suet feeders attract a wide variety of backyard birds, particularly in the winter when high-energy, easily digestible lard is especially valuable. A log feeder is a great way to attract suet-eating birds, including sapsuckers and other woodpeckers which forage on tree trunks and are less likely to visit a man made feeder. It also blends naturally into any backyard. Suet plugs are commercially available as refills for mass-produced log feeders, but you can make them yourself in your own kitchen for a fraction of the price.

Things You'll Need

• Saucepan
• Large bowl
• Mixing spoon
• 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 3 cups lard or other animal fat
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 cups cornmeal
• 1 cup unsalted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit, or rolled oats
• 9x13 inch pan
• Waxed paper
• Freezer
• Sharp knife
• Log feeder

Instructions

1. Melt the lard and peanut butter together in a saucepan over low heat.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Pour the liquid mixture over the combined dry ingredients a bit at a time, stirring as you go, until it reaches a firm consistency.

3. Line the baking pan with waxed paper and press the suet mixture into the pan. Put the pan in the freezer for 45 minutes or until the suet is firm, but not yet hard. Remove from the freezer and cut the suet into 16 bars (one lengthwise cut and seven crosswise cuts).

4. Return the suet to the freezer until it's hard. Break the suet bars along the cut lines. Store any bars you aren't going to use immediately in plastic bags in the freezer until they're needed. Suet can turn rancid if stored at a temperature of more than 70 degrees.

5. Plug the holes in your log feeder with the suet bars.

Tips & Warnings

• If the holes in your log feeder are greater or less than 1.5 inches in diameter, adjust the depth of the suet pans and the width of the cuts so that the bars will fit your feeder.

References

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Suet, Mealworms, and Other Foods
• Sialis: Suet Recipes