How to Make Your Own Suet

Put your kitchen skills to good use for your backyard friends!

By April Overall

As the temperatures plummet, our backyard birds often struggle to find food in the wild. Sure they might be able to find seeds and berries in your neighbourhood, but they’re certainly not as plentiful as they had been during spring and summer. Moreover, they need energy! Many of the birds you find in your backyard may be migratory birds and your backyard might just be a stopover where they can refuel before they head to their southern homes. On the other hand, many birds lose their bright summer plumage and grow more muted feathers of brown and grey. This can take a toll! And they need all the help they can get to keep their energy up and their tummies satiated.

I’m sure you’ve already got your birdfeeder out and fully stocked, and for that I commend you! All your backyard friends will be incredibly grateful. Would you consider adding suet to the mix? Suet offers high-energy food to birds, especially when the cold weather really takes a hold of our Canadian climes. If you’ve ever wondered, suet is usually made up of beef fat, corn meal, fruits, and peanuts. While you might scoff at the idea of feeding animal fat to birds, please don’t worry. It’s easy to digest for our feathered friends and some birds like woodpeckers, tits, chickadees, jays, starlings, nuthatches and warblers adore the stuff! Just place the suet near your other feeders so your backyard birds notice it’s there and can chow down! That said, don’t offer it up in warm weather. This stuff can become rancid. And who wants to eat a meal that’s gone bad?

You can absolutely head to the store and pick up premade suet, or you can make your own! Here’s a recipe we think your backyard birds will gobble up!

PB and Seed Suet

Ingredients:

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup lard

1 cup quick oats

1 cup bird seed mix (have you tried CWF’s birdseed?!)

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup flour

Optional additions: chopped nuts and/or chopped dried fruit

Directions:

1. Combine the dry ingredients (quick oats, birdseed mix, cornmeal, flour and optional additional ingredients – chopped nuts or dried fruits) in a large bowl.
2. Melt the peanut butter and lard in a sauce pan over low heat.
3. Add the melted peanut butter and lard to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
4. Set aside and allow to cool.
5. Once cool, press the mixture into molds (reusable plastic molds are excellent!) and place in the refrigerator until the texture is firm. Feel free to freeze the suet over the course of the winter months and place outdoors for your backyard friends as needed.