Bird Feeders- Suet, Two Ways

It’s getting cold and I thought that now would be a good time to try out some winter bird feeders. There are two main methods for feeding birds in the winter, with traditional seed feeders, and with a suet, where the seeds are encased in fat. This is generally a less messy method than just seeds, since birds tend to sift through the seed feeders to get the pieces that they want and the extra gets scattered on the ground. Today, we will be talking about two different types of suet, one using bacon fat, and one using gelatin and peanut butter.

I did some research about the basic do’s and don’ts about bird feeding and found this guide from Audubon. Suet with animal fats should only be used during the winter, because it will likely melt and turn rancid when left out in warmer weather. It is best used with the cage type feeders, or you can come back to check out my next post to see another use for it. There are several basic recipes for suet, but I found a good recipe for a no-melt suet here.

Supplies:

-Approximately 6 cups bacon fat

-1 cup each of natural peanut butter, bird seed mix, and cornmeal

-Raisins and oatmeal (optional)

I save my bacon grease from every time I cook bacon, so I already had the rendered fat. It was poured into a bowl and mixed with peanut butter, bird seed, and cornmeal. I didn’t have raisins or oatmeal on hand so I didn’t use them, but they would be a welcome addition if you have them. Once everything was fully mixed, it was divided in half. The first part was poured into a 9x13” pan, lined with parchment paper and placed in the freezer. After chilling for about an hour, it can be removed and cut into squares to be placed in a cage suet feeder. The second half was set aside for Wednesday’s bird feeder project.

There is another method for making suet cakes that allows for a little more creativity, and holds its shape better than using animal fat. Gelatin suet cakes are a fun way to feed the birds while being somewhat decorative as well. I found this recipe, which uses cookie cutters to create tree ornaments. However, this recipe does have one slight problem, it uses corn syrup, which is unhealthy for birds. Among the list of don'ts also includes honey and salt. I didn't want to use the corn syrup, and so I decided that the next best thing would have to be the peanut butter. Also, I have to note that these should also only be used in the winter because the gelatin will melt at higher temperatures.

Supplies:

-2.5 cups bird seed mix

-2 Tbsp. peanut butter

-2 packets unflavored gelatin

-1 cup water, 1/2 each hot and cold

-Cooking spray, optional

-straws, cut to 12 2" pieces

-twine, for hanging

First step is to prepare the gelatin. Pour 1/2 cup of cold water, followed by both packets of gelatin. Stir lightly, then add the hot water. Let sit for a few minutes, then add the peanut butter and bird seed. While it's sitting, you can prepare the cookie cutters by spraying then with cooking spray if you would like, and setting them on a baking tray. When ready, fill the cookie cutters with the seed mixture. Some of the liquid is going to seep out the bottom of the cookie cutters, and that's fine. There will still be enough gelatin on the seeds to hold them together. If it is a concern for you, you can totally use some kind of mold for these instead of the cookie cutters, and all of the gelatin will stay in place.

Once they are all filled, stick a piece of the straw in them to make a hole. Be sure not to place it to close to the edge, or it will break later. Place in the fridge to set overnight. The next day, carefully remove them from the cookie cutters and remove the straws. Cut twine into 12" strands. Run the strands through the hole in the suet cakes and tie them off.

We placed ours in the pine tree in our backyard. It almost made me think that it would be fun to do a whole christmas tree outside using these ornaments, but then quickly remembered how big my pine tree is and how big of a job that would be, so nevermind. Still, they look cute and I am going to have some happy birds this winter.