Make Your Own Suet and Feed the Birds!

**Suet will melt and go bad in warm weather (See my links further down for Summer suet feeding).

Bears could be a problem as the weather warms, if you live in bear country. I write about the bears further down in this lens.

**Keep the feeders filled all winter once feeding begins. The birds will depend on having food available at your feeders. Add a heated birdbath and you'll be the hit of the neighborhood!

The advantage to using this type of feeder is that the squirrels will have a hard time eating from it- as will the Blue Jays. Woodpeckers and nuthatches are the birds in my area who use this type since they are able to eat in awkward positions. One section of the top opens and the suet cake slides in.

Birds Choice Single Cake Upside Down Suet Bird Feeder with Hanging Cable

You have many choices for molding your suet cakes. Last year I simply let the mixture cool and plopped spoonfuls onto wax paper and froze them in freezer bags.

Most suet feeders I've seen take basically the same size suet and I've found that using an 8x8 or 9x9 foil, or aluminum, cake pan I can let it harden and then cut the piece into quarters which fit the feeders perfectly.

Wrap the extra pieces in saran wrap - separately- and store in a freezer bag in the freezer. When you need to re-fill the feeders there is no need to thaw it first.

Woodpeckers use their tails for balance while eating bugs from trees so it makes sense to have a feeder like this one.
It's very easy to fill. The top lifts up and the suet cake just drops in. If you make your own suet in a square foil pan, like the one in my picture, and cut it into 4ths, each section will fit nicely into this feeder.

Birds Choice
SNTPG
Weatherproof Recycled Poly-Composite Tail-Prop Suet Bird Feeder

If you are handy and want to save money, then make your own feeders and bird houses.

My Backyard Plans is a good site to use for finding blueprints to build feeders. They have a feeder pictured and directions, but also provide links to other plans for making other types of feeders including a Suet Feeder.

Each link contains stars to rate the feeder projects.

*I've never made my own feeder and the one pictured here is store bought, but the SUET IS HOMEMADE !

Want a book to show you how? Check out the links below.

The square green suet holder is the cheapest to buy. This one holds 2 suet cakes - presumably - or maybe one fat homemade one. These are not as easy to use and tend to not stay closed very well. They come with a chain for a hanger which usually breaks. I use a long twist tie to hang mine now. They are good to have as a spare in case a bear takes off with your nice feeder! Or if you don't want to sink much money into feeder.

Heath Outdoor Products S-2 Double Suet Feeder

If you want to get rid of your suet fast, chop it up and put it on a tray feeder. I only do this with the little left over bits that I dump out when re-filling the suet feeders. Be aware that any dogs or wildlife can easily come along and eat it too, but most likely the birds will have it gone in no time.
I use this type of feeder more for feeding sunflower seeds to keep the shells off the grass. The hulls of the sunflower will kill the grass.

Ground Bird Feeder Tray, 16" x 13" Brown