Suet Bird Feeders - Put a Suet Feeder in Your Backyard

As wintertime approaches, we start to think about what we can do to help the local wildlife survive the winter months. Winter can be an especially hard time on birds. As warm blooded animals, they will need more nourishment and just raw calories to help keep warm. But as the local vegetation and insect population dies back, and in many cases is covered by snow, it becomes that much harder for the birds to find.

It may be time to consider a bird feeder of some sort, or something esthetically pleasing like decorative suet bird feeders. So, what is suet and why would you consider it for your bird feeders in the winter months?

Suet is raw beef or mutton fat. Often it is the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys, and is about 94% fat, largely saturated fat. You should note that it melts at about 21°C (70°F). It consists mostly of saturated fat. In days of old it was used for a variety of things, including candlemaking. The fat is made ready to used in a process called rendering, whih reduces it to a waxy like block.

To make bird food, the suet is usually prepared in a block about the size of a tupperware sandwich container, and most of the time as it cools and thickens, other ingredients like chopped peanuts, sunflower seeds, and bird seed is added. This results in a block of high energy food that will survive well in the wintertime. Above 70 F it can become rancid as the suet starts to melt. If you are interested in making your own suet here are some suet recipes.

Usually the bird suet is put in a small wire cage feeder, which may be placed on the trunk of a tree or suspended from a branch. Some types of bird feeders have a regular hopper for seeds, and include suet cages on the sides. You can put either raw or prepared suet in these feeders. Alternatively you can spread soft suet mixtures on tree trunks. A favorite for kids it to smear it onto pine cones which they can hang from a branch.

Suet bird feeders will attract a large variety of birds, including woodpeckers, goldfinches, cardinals, thrushes, jays, kinglets, bluebirds, wrens, and starlings. If you are not a fan of starlings, use a suet bird feeder that only allows access from the bottom, which only attracts birds that can hang upside down, and discourages the starlings.