Fat balls and mess (1 Viewer)

[seedyrom]

I am new to this so please bear with me!

Our fat balls are very popular but we are getting a lot of mess both on the soil and on the paths which means we have all sorts of undesirables growing and a horrible greasy surface which is smelly, slippy and unhygienic. At first we hung the balls up in their nets but the RSPB say not to do that as it is dangerous so we bought some fat ball holders. This is when our problems started! We cannot find suitable holders with trays underneath and cannot think of another way round the problem. There must be one. Help! :frog:

 

[KC Foggin]

Hi seedyrom and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum.

Are you making your own fatballs? If so, I have read that rendering them several times will decrease the melting factor in the warm weather if that is what is causing the mess. This time of year, I pretty much use the store bought, no melt variety for just the reasons you have posted.

 

[Katy Penland]

Hi, Seedyrom (great handle! :t, another welcome to you from BirdForum!

Even though I live at 7,000 ft and only a couple-three weeks of the summer are hot, I don't offer fat balls/suet cakes at all except during cold weather for the exact reasons you've cited. I only smear chunky peanut butter on a small section of the bark of one tree throughout the summer and retire my suet "box" until the days turn cool. All the commercial suet cakes I can get contain the same seeds I offer at the feeders anyway, so the birds aren't missing out on anything but that rancid grease. Ick!

 

[Talon 1]

Hi seedyrom (love the name)

I make my own. There are plenty of recipies, i bought a book called 'Feed the Birds' by Helen and Dick witty .ISBN 1-56305-085-4 its got great recipies in it but also questions many Myths one of which is 'Suet is not suitable for birds in the summer'.
Its an American book and the writers live in Long Island and live right on the Atlantic Flyway (maybe they visit on here?) i found the book packed full of money saving recipies from cake, biscuit, suet etc etc for different climates.
I have made three recipies now and all have gone down well. I estimated for the price of one shop bought Fat Ball or Suet cake i can make 20!
Some of their views i question but not many as they are obviously bird lovers.
The Peanut suet recipie is Exellent and i have now tended to stick with that as its simple quick very nutricious but i restrict it in the summer to cooler periods (we have had plenty of those ask any Brit) and it stays in shape no problem. I find a Suet holder in a cage the best rather than hanging. I have a hanging peanut feeder for that.

Anyway good luck B

 

[Katy Penland]

While I'm sure the above wasn't in answer to my previous post, I just wanted to clarify that I didn't intend to imply that offering fat-based cakes in the summer wasn't "suitable," but it really does make a difference where (latitudinally speaking ) the suets/fatballs are being used. Consistently warmer/hotter climates will turn fat almost as quickly as it turns the nectar in hummingbird feeders, and care should always be taken to keep any food offered to wild birds as fresh as possible and the feeders/suet "cages" clean.

I make my own suet cakes, too, and render the fat myself that I get from a couple of local butchers. I'd actually prefer to use the raw kidney fat (true suet), which would undoubtedly be better for the birds, but I can't get it where I live. There's also so much insect life during breeding season and the summer that the same suet cake that would be gone in a couple of days in fall/winter/spring takes literally weeks to be consumed in warmer weather.

 

[Talon 1]

Katy,
I did not mean to deplete your message if it came across that way i apologise, sometimes its difficult while posting if you do not see the other person face to face.

I would be interested in some of your recipies as the weather in Arizona i can only imagine is extremely hot/cold.
I am always interested in recipies as i love cooking for people and find cooking for anything or anyone rewarding.
Suet in England is not cheap in my view £1 for 500mg where as Lard is 30p but i know its not as good. i have searched many a butcher over here but there is just no demand for it like there used to be (perhaps somebody knows one in the S.E i can buy in Bulk?).

I am interested in these Fat Balls that you can Buy. To get the recipe to one would be a great advantage as they are quite hardy in changable climates.
As i speak i put out a slab of peanut in the suet feeder but we have just had a huge thunder storm and the rain has literally wasted it half away.
I like the book stated above but in it it says you can substitute Lard for suet but that i find is un-true as its nowhere near as good.

Anyway i would appreciate a recipe by PM but if you don't have the time its OK i never no how much time people have Nowadays.

Take care in arizona (a place to visit one day before i hit the Box)

Regards

 

[florall]

I like the book stated above but in it it says you can substitute Lard for suet but that i find is un-true as its nowhere near as good.

I agree wholeheartedly with you Free. I also use one of those cage type hanging things to put my fatcake in (I only do this in the winter). The one time I used lard rather than suet, it seemed quite solid, but once I'd put it into the cage, it all just melted and fell through to the ground. Suet, at least in cold weather, stays firm.

 

[snowyowl]

I don't have any suet out at the moment but when I do I use ones that I buy. I get the square ones, about 5"x5", that I buy for about $5.99 for three. They come in various recipes -peanut butter, fruit and seed etc. I used to make my own but in my opinion it simply isn't worth the hassle and by the time I buy suet rend it etc I'm not sure that it's any cheaper.

 

[Mary Evelyn]

I use fatballs all year round and they never melt(probably our N.E. weather) but the birds do love them.I also crumble them onto the table and they go like magic.I do make them in Winter, but in Summer, I buy them and have never had a problem.

 

[pauco]

Hi seedyrom, welcome to BirdForum.
Never had a problem with them, we hang them in the hedge, and any that falls to the lawn is soon eaten by Robins & Dunnocks, & Blackie if he's quick enough.

 

[seedyrom]

Hi seedyrom and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum.

Are you making your own fatballs? If so, I have read that rendering them several times will decrease the melting factor in the warm weather if that is what is causing the mess. This time of year, I pretty much use the store bought, no melt variety for just the reasons you have posted.

I have not tried making my own fat balls yet. I buy them. The problem wasn't too bad until it rained and it wasn't so easy to clean up every day. The fat hasn't melted but the birds are messy eaters and seem to throw stuff all over the place! At the moment we only have sparrows and starlings coming but are hopeful that the word will spread amongst the local bird population that there are lots of goodies to be had in our garden!! Don't want rats or to spread bird diseases though. It would be a shame to have to replace the balls with seed feeders as the birds really love them. We have tried putting them in peanut cages (2 designs) but they don't seem to be able to get at them. They aren't right keen on broken-up fat ball on the bird table either. :frog:

 

[Talon 1]

I was looking at the ingredients of a package bought insect treat .

They are as follows.

vegetable oil,
Roasted peanuts,
Dehydrated insects,
corn and oats.

The birds love em.

Now , Not a mention of Suet anywhere?
Or are we to imagine? B

If its not to be then its got to be cheaper than suet?