Homemade Suet Recipe for Birds
See our Suet Recipe for feeding the birds! This DIY is an easy and frugal way to give them delicious Suet Cakes.
DIY Suet Recipe
My husband and I love watching birds in our backyard bird sanctuary. We built this a while back, and have several bird feeders and suet cake holders hanging there to attract wild birds of all types. We have quite the varied bird population now, and we enjoy identifying new species that stop in for a snack and a drink!
One think we noticed after the colder weather set in was that we had a BIG mess under the bird feeders. A lot of birdseed had gone to waste. This was even after switching up our birdseed to some of the no waste varieties. You might notice this is your yard after the birds head south for the winter.
This is inevitable to some extent– birds leave the seeds they don't like. However, we noticed they do prefer Suet cakes which are made of insects, tasty seeds and flavored fillers to keep them together. We have several suet holders already. You can check out our full post on our bird feeder collection and types of birdseed we use here.
You can find them easily online and fill yourself with store bought suet cakes. While the ones that come with the feeders are great, it's also fun to make your own!
Fun Shapes for this Suet Recipe:
You can create pretty much any shape you have a cookie cutter for. Or, make a festive wreath using a Bundt Pan.
I know most of us have one of those hidden in the kitchen somewhere!
Check out this easy DIY/recipe below to make your own Suet Cakes out of simple ingredients and birdseed. You might not want to go back to the store-bought ones again!
Suet Cakes are great for a variety of bird species, including the ones we typically see in the winter months such as Blue Jays. Remember to put your feeder up where squirrels won't dislodge it and drop it to the ground!
These Suet Cake Feeders are a little more resilient to squirrels than some other types of bird feeders. While they can reach in and break apart the seeds, they might not get away with quite as much.
Homemade Suet Recipe for Birds
Make these suet cakes and watch the birds enjoy them! Make into wreath, solid cakes for suet cake holders and more!
Materials
- 1 cup of Animal Fat or Lard or Coconut Oil
- 1 cup chunky peanut butter or nut butter
- 1 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1/2 cup of nuts & sunflower seeds (you can use raisins or craisins if you don't have dogs)
- 1 1/2 cups of wild bird seed
Tools
- Cookie Cutters or Bundt Pan
Instructions
Melt Fat/lard and peanut butter in a medium saucepan.
Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Add to an 8x8 pan lined with wax paper and freeze for 2 hours
Cut into squares to fill suet feeder.
Notes
Other Options: Fill ice cube trays and freeze or lay out cookie cutters on wax paper, fill cookie cutters and freeze. Line the bottom of Mini bunt pans and freeze to make a wreath.
Hope you can use this DIY and of course let us know how well your birds enjoy their new birdseed!
See More from Consumer Queen Here:
See our DIY Bird Sanctuary Here!
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