Suet and Fat Balls for Birds

Mostly Woodpeckers

How to make Suet and Fat Balls for Birds Banner

How to Make Suet & Fat Balls for Birds:
Here's my basic Recipe.

1 cup of lard
1 cup of chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup white flour
1 cups cornmeal
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup of mix seed
 Mix all ingredients together and form into whatever shapes you need.
If your mixture is too dry to shape, add more fat.

An alternative is:
Pour all the ingredients in a pot and heat it all up until the lard and peanut butter melts.
Let it cool and shape the suet.
Now I only make Suet in the winter. However, I used to make some in early spring for the migratory birds as well. The spring fat balls, I added extra peanuts, raisins and meal worms. Suet Recipes at homes-n-gardens.com/

Where to buy a Bird Suet Feeder?:

You can find Suet Feeders at Hardware stores and even at the $Store, if you have one in your neighbourhood. Or you can make your own with whatever you have around the house. I use 1/4" hardware cloth for the grid.
4 rounds of left-over wood.
1 round for the bottom and 1 round for the lid.
I used the other 2 wooden rounds just for decoration.

I screwed in 1/4" hardware cloth around the bottom of the wooden circle.
Drilled a couple of holes on the lid for the wire to go through, attached the wire to the sides and hung it up.
I made it for Woodpeckers, but now Starlings and Black Birds want one too.
The next Suet Feeder that I make will have the mesh on the bottom of the feeder, so only "clinging birds" can use it. Then maybe the Woodpeckers will feed in peace.

I also have a square Suet Feeder, so I use the plastic container that came with suet and use it as mold for my homemade suet. The round mesh feeder, I shape my suet into balls.
The extra Suet and Fat Balls goes in the freezer and I labelled it - "Do Not Eat unless you're a bird".
That worked. :)

New Homemade Suet Log Bird Feeder.

handmade suet log feeder

What a winter this is going to be.
It's so cold, windy and icy that the birds can not stand long enough to eat.
So, I am making suet.
I used the recipe above, but I added extra peanuts and peanutbuter.
I found a log outside, drilled it with random 1 inch holes and filled them with suet.
The extra suet mixture I made suet balls. I just spread the suet balls on a cookie sheet and freeze them.
Then after the suet balls feels solid, I put them in a plastic container and saved them to use as needed.
See "she likes it!" I am glad someone appreciates my cooking. :)

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