  
Suet Bird Feeders
Suet bird feeders are a big secret to bringing more birds into your yard. A suet bird
feeder is normally a small wire cage where the suet block is placed. They come in a variety of styles that
range from simple cage feeders that hang from a tree branch, to decorative styles that can be standing in the
garden.
Suet bird feeders are also a form of hanging bird feeders and can be hung from trees or a bird
feeder pole. They provide suet to the wild birds, a very nutritious form of bird seed, usually in the fall and
winter when it is cold and wild birds need more fat and protein. Suet is one of the best forms of bird food for
young birds.
Suet bird feeders are designed for suet cakes. A suet cake is the bird seed with animal fat that has been
processed so that it will not spoil or get soft and melt when it is warm. It is a high energy source of food for
the birds, and can be mixed with other high energy foods. Suet cakes will last for a relatively long time.
Suet comes from raw beef or mutton fat, often made from the fat found around the loins and kidneys and must pass
to a rendering process where the fat is heated and results in the cooking off of the wax like material. Once having
the raw suet, it is prepared in a block similar in shape to a sandwich. Other ingredients can be added like bird
seed and peanuts which are mixed in so they are embedded in the block. This results in a block of high energy food
that will survive well in the wintertime.
Suet attracts many Types of birds, including woodpeckers, goldfinches, juncos, cardinals, thrushes, jays,
bluebirds and wrens. They can be mounted up-side down to reduce starlings from eating from the feeder. Suet feeders
surrounded by cages will repel starlings as well as squirrels.
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