Starling resistant suet feeders

17 years ago

Has anyone with a Starling problem tried one of those suet feeders with the cage around it that allows only the smaller birds in? There's no way I can put suet out anymore without it being devoured in a day or two by Starlings who scare all the other firds away. The ads say these and the upside down suet feeders work, but I am skeptical. I am very interested in what your experiences have been. Darn pesky varmits!

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Pat Z5or6 SEMich

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Who am I trying to decide which birds to feed? I gave up. I want to feed them all. They all eat bugs. A bird is a bird. I love them.

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Comments (12)

renee_2006
17 years ago
I had an upside down suet feeder and several Starlings learned to hang from it for several seconds at a time. I gave up on that. If there is a far enough distance between the suet and the cage so that the Starlings can't stretch to reach the suet then it will work.

I had my dh build me a very large hanging feeder with with 1 1/2" wire sides openings to keep out larger birds so I could put out several different food items for "good" birds. This will be the third year it has been in use and so far the Grackels and Starlings have been defeated.
cindyinatl
Original Author
17 years ago
Renee, you're lucky your hubby is handy. That sounds like a great solution! How far from the food source is the outer wire? I'm not sure how to determine how far the startlings could reach.
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I make my suet mixture using suet or lard. I melt the fat in a glass bowl in the microwave until liquid. Then I add crunchy peanut butter, which melts in the hot fat. Then I add the dried ingredients - corn meal, flour, oats (usually ground in blender), ground eggshells, crushed nuts, a little jam or jelly, etc. The mixture is about 1/2 fat, 1/2 dried ingredients - maybe a little more dried. I aim for a mixture that is the texture of Play-doh - it clumps together easily for the suet log, but also crumbles into pieces that I spread in a tray feeder. I made the suet log over 3 years ago out of an old red Pine log and glued lots of perches and branches. It did not have much bark on it - which is fine, except that over time the log has darkened quite a bit, perhaps because of the oils in the suet mixture. Also, most of the perches and branches have broken and fallen off. This birds don't seem to care. If you put perches on the log, this will enable many more birds to eat more easily. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing because with mine, it enables the Starlings and Blue Jays to hog the suet log, and it encourages House Sparrows. My suet log is pole-mounted with a squirrel/raccoon baffle, so nothing gets onto the log but the birds. Here's what the suet mixture looks like - Some Bluebirds on the suet log a couple years ago. They don't eat that much on the suet log any more, because I usually spread crumbles in a tray for them.
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Common Grackles and other grackles are natives and they have their fans. I happen to like them myself - they eat caterpillars that defoliate trees. I'm happy to give them suet if they'll stay around long enough to slurp up the winter moth and other caterpillars that are a curse in my region. Claire
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It sounds like an interesting idea, but your picture is a bit small (for my eyes anyway) to see the details. How do you keep the birds from gorging on the suet mix? I only fill a couple holes on the suet log each day, and put some crumbles on the tray. I'm not interested in subsidizing the House sparrows and Starlings of the neighborhood. Fortunately there are usually only a few of them that come to the feeders.
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i was born on a farm way out in the county 72 years ago We did all of our own butchering and canning and gardening ect. In the fall when we butchered a cow or pig or venison or even a sheep we trimmed all the excess fat from the meat. we put it all in a large metal pot over a fire in the yard and melted it down and it was called rendering. we ladled off all the liquid and poured it into the 5 gallon lined tin cans that syrup or coffee or other bulk foods came in. we would put fresh butcherd chickens or steaks or other fresh meat in the liquid and in no time it would harden around the meats. With no electricity or refrigeration the busckets would keep for months down in the root celler. We used the lard or suet for frying food or seasoning veggies or in pie crusts or pastrys. The hard pieces or stuff that did not melt good we fed to the ducks or chickens or geese or even the pigs and the dogs loved cornbread made with lard. The fats from all the different animals was called suet or lard and varied which was used for what or as needed. the suet was not always melted but was ground up to use also. the flakiest pie crusts and pasterys were from pork lard. the beef suet used a lot in meat pies. and the sheep and venison suet used to season stews and soup and all were mixed with elk or venison that was ground for hamburger because it was not so dry then. Bacon grease was always saved to season foods cooked on the stove especilly snap beans or green beans or dry beans.
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bbcathy
17 years ago
I have the upside down kind because I have Hairy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers who can't fit through the 1 1/2" holes. Every once in a while a starling will fly up and maybe steal a piece of suet that is hanging in the late winter when there is no food but around that is all. Once food is plentiful again they don't even look at it.
Cathy
ron45715
17 years ago
I've used such a feeder for the last two years. It does keep the Starlings out,...and the downies,chickadees,titmouse, etc...just love it. I do miss my redbellies however.
builder24car
17 years ago
Is there any way you can post a pic or give details on that feeder that your hubby built Renee? That sounds interesting? :)
laylaa
16 years ago
Lucky for me starlings are only an occasional problem in my yard. Hordes fly in, stay a week or so and vanish. When they come I use a recycled recycled plastic upside-down feeder like this:

{{!gwi}}

(from Suet Bird Feeders) I am loving the recycled plastic over wood, it's so easy to clean and you can even use bleach against mold. Don't think I haven't done a load of bird feeders in my dishwasher. BUT it's not perfectly starling proof - one starling will always figure it out. As an alternative I have a ground table feeder for starlings like this one:

{{!gwi}}

from Ground Table Bird Feeders. I use super cheap chicken feed cracked corn (was about $6 for a 50lb bag) and a super cheap millet/milo seed blend ($6 a 25lb bah) that I buy at a local feed store. The ground feeder is a lot easier for the starlings to use, plus they seem to prefer the corn food, so it at least keeps them busy and out of my other bird feeders to a great extent. They don't go through my pricey seed as fast. I've found offering starlings and grackle sort of birds alternative food works pretty well since they are going to be there no matter what I do. Jays also like the ground table.
lydia1959
16 years ago
I have the exact feeder that Laylaa has. The starlings have learned to hang from it. The squirrels love it too (which is why I am here at this forum... searching for a solution. :-) I don't want to do anything that prevents larger birds from eating.. since I have Pileateds that visit frequently.
charrison2015
9 years ago
I put a regular small suet cage with suet in it INSIDE THIS $9.00 SUET SAVER feeder, so double cage to keep starlings from so easily taking chunks...Minutes after install a beautiful Red Belly was enjoying the feeder and then I watched 2 starlings try unsuccessfully to take big bites. Hopeful....
Pat Z5or6 SEMich
9 years ago
I'm not understanding this concept, char. Does this only leave the bottom portion of the suet exposed? And if so, why wouldn't the starlings be able to get to it?
charrison2015
9 years ago
when this regular small suet holder

was placed inside the larger upside down feeder pictured earlier,

starlings couldn't grab BIG chunks and knock other BIG chunks to the ground, so the suet has lasted much longer, and the Red Belly can still participate. YAY
wcjo
9 years ago
We had huge flocks of starlings who would clean out suet within minutes. Home Depot or Lowes sells wire mesh (about 1/4 inch holes) that I cut in one piece the width & length of my suet feeders (which are the wood style). I slipped the mesh inside the feeder and then just drop the suet cake(s) in. We have families of Pileated along with other small to large woodpeckers who are fine with the setup but the starlings get tired of trying to get the suet out and it didn't take long for them to leave. It's the only thing that worked for me. Caution, be careful cutting the wire mesh, the edges are sharp.

Starling resistant suet feeders

Pat Z5or6 SEMich

Comments (12)

renee_2006

cindyinatl
Original Author

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Starling resistant suet feeders

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cindyinatlOriginal Author

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cindyinatl
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