suet

16 years ago

I was going to get a log, drill some larger holes in it and fill them with suet. I've done this before and the birds loved it. The suet I used was just bacon fat with some bird seed in it. I read somewhere that bacon fat has to much salt in it for the birds so I was wondering, do you make your own suet or do you buy it ready made? Is it true about the excess salt? Thanks. Marg

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Comments (9)

beegood_gw
16 years ago
I've got a pound of pure lard and mixed it with bird seed and natural peanut butter and the birds just love.
donald lucius
16 years ago
i went to the libray a few years ago and read a backyard birders book that stated that bacon grease was ideal for wild birds in that they needed the energy from fat and the protein and salt i'll have to find the name of the book and post it
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kendra2003
16 years ago
I make my own suet. I use lard (in winter), chunky peanut butter, ground up sunflower seeds, sugar, corn meal, and some flour. I started making suet for the overwintering Bluebirds, but I also use it now in the suet log and the birds love it. My suet log attracted a hairy woodpecker, which was really cool for me because I'd never seen one before.
bedelia
16 years ago
I haven't done the suet thing yet but would like to try it. Do the squirrels eat it also? I don't want to encourage them to come around.
kaslkaos
16 years ago
I tried making my own suet once, including bacon grease, and the birds wouldn't touch. I just buy it now, the birds like it.
Yes, squirrels love suet. I chop the suet and stuff it into a steel peanut feeder. The holes are too small for squirrels to get at. When I used a suet cage, the squirrels would eat a block in a day or two.
I don't mind squirrels, but I can't afford to satisfy their appetites.
marricgardens
Original Author
16 years ago
kendra2: Why do you put the sugar in it? Does it add protein or is it just for their sweet beak?

bedelia: squirrels will eat just about anything you put out, they were always at the suet feeder log I had. It was funny watching them try to hang upside down to get at the suet but they always managed. I love watching their antics but I don't want them at my feeders so I put it well away from trees or fence.
terrene
16 years ago
I made a suet log 3 years ago and have been making a home-made suet mixture year-round since. It usually includes rendered suet, crunchy peanut butter, flour, corn meal, crushed nuts, etc. I sometimes put 1/2 cup of jam in the mixture, which sweetens it. The sugar provides extra energy for the birds in the winter. Recently I tried using lard from the supermarket, which is cheaper, and it worked equally well.

The birds LOVE this mixture! Many different birds eat it, even Sparrows and Juncoes jump up on the log and eat it. My faves are the Bluebirds - last winter I had up to 7 at one time, the most ever yet.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the relatively small amount of salt if bacon fat is used in a mixture. Straight up I'm not sure?
gldno1
16 years ago
I made up a batch day before yesterday using lard, peanut butter, cornmeal, flour and wild bird seed and sunflower seed.....so far they haven't found it. I may have to put it on the same tree with the other seed feeders.

I wish I could get up high enough to fill the holes left by the Pileated Woodpecker last year!
kendra2003
16 years ago
Marric,

As Terrene stated, the sugar is used to give them extra energy during the cold weather.