Once the weather turns cold, it's time to put out suet in your feeders. Learn proven ways for feeding suet to birds with tips from readers.
Once the weather turns cold, it’s time to put out suet for your backyard birds. Suet is a great food for the winter months as it is a high energy food that is very valuable when temperatures drop. Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks for feeding suet to your birds this winter.
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Add Fruit and Nuts to Suet
Offer suet with peanuts or dried fruit mixed in. These foods will provide additional nutritional value, and the birds will love the extra treat!
Here’s more homemade suet recipes for feeding birds.
Give Woodpeckers Some Support
The larger woodpeckers need a place to put their tail when perched on a feeder and will be much more comfortable on a suet feeder with a tail prop. This will make them likely to spent more time on your feeder.
Discourage Bully Birds
If you are having issues with too many European starlings at your suet, try using an upside down suet feeder. Woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and many others have no problem hanging upside down, but the starlings have much more trouble doing it. It won’t completely stop the starlings, but it will decrease the amount of suet they are eating.
Keep Suet Away From Windows
“Keep your suet feeder a few feet from a window. Our avian guests are messy eaters and flick bits of suet all over. It’s fun seeing them close up until your window is spotted with suet. And take it from me, it’s hard getting suet off a window!” says Birds & Blooms reader Mary Ward of Sea Girt, New Jersey.
Use a Seed Catcher for Easy Cleanup
“In the fall, I hang suet from the top of hanging planters to catch extra seeds that fall from the suet,” says reader Shari Howard of Vancouver, Washington.
Try Hot Pepper Suet to Deter Squirrels
“Buy suet made with hot pepper. It’s the only bird food that my squirrels won’t touch,” says reader Jerri Harris of Roswell, Georgia.
Fill Tree Cavities With Suet
“My husband drilled holes in part of a dead tree and filled them with suet. He also places suet in the open top of the tree, and covers it with netting to keep squirrels out,” says reader Judy Roberts of Graytown, Ohio.
Offer Suet Nuggets For Bluebirds
“I recently discovered suet nuggets. Bluebirds love them! Since the bluebirds have a hard time with suet cages, I put the nuggets out on trays,” says reader Anne Marie Heyes of Barre, Massachusetts.
Feeding Birds a Suet Holiday Treat
“As a special treat, I decorate a tree with gingerbread men made of homemade suet, a stocking full of seeds and a string of popcorn,” says reader Teri Arthur of Strongsville, Ohio.
