For The Birds - Wild Bird Treats

Category: Xeriscaping, Grow Lawnless, Butterfly and Habitat Gardens | Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:20 am

Recipes for Wild Bird Suet Treats

I've gathered these recipes over the years when my kids were in Boy and Girl Scouts and when hiking, camping and birdwatching became a family hobby.

Added info: I read that suet, especially animal fat, should not be left out too long when temperatures begin to remain above 40-45 degrees F. It begins to spoil. I would imagine that you can freeze late winter batches and use the following fall when temps drop again.

Homemade Suet Cakes and Suet Pinecones

Gather medium and large pinecones to have on hand to make treats any time of year for your wild bird friends. Hang with wire, ribbon or twine. These are especially nice hanging from evergreens near the holidays...

Soft Suet Pinecones

4 1/2 cups ground fresh suet - my grocery stores only have this once in a while
3/4 cup crushed crackers
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup bird seed mix
1/4 cup dried chopped fruit or berries

Melt suet in a saucepan over low heat.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Allow the suet to cool until slightly thickened, then stir it into the mixture in the bowl.
Mix thoroughly.pack into pine cones.

Suet Cake For Feeder

1/2 lb. ground suet
1/3 cup sunflower seed
2/3 cup bird seed
1/8 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup raisins or berries

Melt suet in a saucepan over low heat. Allow it to cool thoroughly, then reheat it.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Allow the suet to cool until slightly thickened, stir it into the mixture in the bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Pour into a pie or loaf pan to harden, cool and slice, or pack into suet feeders.
Other ingredients you can use for this mixture: cornmeal, cooked noodles, dried fruit.

Soft Peanut Butter Pinecone Suet

1 cup fresh suet
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups yellow corn meal
1/2 cup flour

Melt suet in a saucepan over low heat.
Add peanut butter, stirring until melted and well blended.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Allow the suet-peanut-butter blend to cool until slightly thickened, then stir it into the mixture in the bowl.
Mix thoroughly. Pack into pine cones.

Hard Peanut Butter Mix for Suet Feeder

2 lbs. ground suet
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Melt suet in a pan over low heat.
Add peanut butter, stir until melted and well blended.
Stir in the sunflower seeds. Mix thoroughly.
Pour into 9 x 13 cake pan and cool. Cut into cakes that fit suet feeder
Individually wrap the remaining cakes and store in the freezer
For those who can't easily find suet - this is a good recipe using shortening

Soft Peanut butter Pinecone Mixture
- non-animal fat

1 part peanut butter
1 part shortening
1 part flour
3 parts cornmeal
1 part bird seeds

Pack into pinecones and hang from branches in your yard, preferably near a familiar feeding area.

Addtional info:

Bird treat cakes can also be made from bacon fat or from lard - for vegetarian bird treats, and used in the above recipes, as well, with few if any adjustments. i personally don't like the smell of cooking suet ....

Easy measurements:

equal parts of: whatever fat you wish,thick, crunchy peanut butter, any type of flour, and your choice of berries, seeds, nuts,dried fruits. Add three parts of cornmeal and mix together. Put into a square baking pan and cool in the fridge til solidified, then cut into cakes to fit whatever holder you use.

Last edited: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:08 am

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