Suet Cakes for Bird Feeders
Suet is the favorite way for bird lover to feed their friend
over the winter months. Suet comes in 2 basic styles, on is a
cake that fits well into the more popular suet feeders, while
the
ball suet cakes are often used as well.
Be sure to replenish your
suet feeder for the winter
season, and help provide a high energy source of food.
Here's a great selection of suet from Duncraft and Yardiac.
Suet for use in suet feeders is usually made from beef or
mutton fat, and the fat is a high energy food for the birds.
But it's very common to make a suet mix that has other
flavorings that can also add to the nutritional value of the
suet cake. Peanuts are a favorite food to add, and various
types of berries are also used in flavoring the suet to
attract different species of birds. Raisins are another
favorite flavor.
Hot pepper is often mixed with suet to act as a squirrel
repellent. Mammals are offended by hot pepper, but it has
little effect on birds, so
pepper suet can be an effective way to
keep you squirrel and rodent friends away from the bird
feeders. The other approach is the standard need to put
them in a place that is difficult for non flying animal
to get to, but remember they are big leapers.
Keep in mind that once the outside temperatures warm up
(somewhere above 70 degrees) that
suet cakes can start to melt and go
rancid, so in late spring be sure to clean the feeder
out and make it ready for those warm summer months.
While suet is often set out in a feeder of some sort, you can
use suet by simply nailing a cake to a tree in the
wintertime. Most of these suet cakes will last quite a long
time.