Try These Homemade Suet Recipes!
ADVERTISEMENT
I should like to mention that sugar should NEVER be fed to birds, unless they are hummingbirds. Hummingbirds do not eat suet. Sugar is extremely dangerous for birds. They are not able to process it and so contract acute diarrhoea and become so emaciated that they die. I recognise that the recipe isn't yours, but perhaps you could add a note of caution?
I'm going to use some deer suet that I've rendered from the deer my husband harvested this year. It'll be a great homeschool project - my boys love feeding the birds!
where can i get the little 5 x 5 x 1 inch trays that store bought suet comes in?
I am making suet from pork fat. Yesterday I cut up and cooked the fat pad. There is thick skin on the outside. I drained the fat and refrigerated it last night. Today when I emptied it there was white fat on top and under a clear yellow jelly under the fat. Should I put this jelly in the suet I am making? do you know what it is?
Thands, Melanie
How about grinding up a tablet of Calcium Citrate, commonly used in humans to prevent osteoporosis, with a mortar and pestle and adding that to the mix? Birds need calcium also.
Why do you add sugar to bird feed?
I've actually had hummingbirds visit the suet feeder that I keep out in the spring. They seem to love it. I suppose the added sugar would benefit them.
Hi, Randy. You can leave out the sugar if you want to.
Thank you for bringing up the topic of calcium. Yes, birds indeed need calcium for egg-laying and other activities, with some birds seeking calcium more than others. There are supplements that one can get for pet birds, but we’d recommend talking to a vet or wildlife expert before giving any of these supplements or supplements meant for humans to wild birds.
As an alternative, there are wild bird foods that have calcium added. Or, Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology suggest using eggshells from chicken eggs. Shells from hardboiled eggs are sterilized, but if you use shells from raw eggs, you will need to sanitize them first to eliminate any diseases, such as bacteria, which may sometimes be present. First rinse the shells. Then you can either boil them for 10 minutes or bake them on a baking sheet at 250 Fahrenheit for about 10 to 20 minutes until they are dry, not brown. Let them cool and then crush them into small bits (about the size of sunflower seeds). Scatter the pieces on the ground, or place on a dish or low platform feeder.
Doesn't anyone have an answer to my question about keeping squirrels out of my bird feeders?