Your Suet Ball Recipes

Hi Richard,

I've made my own suet cakes and coconut shells for a number of years. The cost during the winter to purchase ready made ones was to much. I was hanging upto four shells a day and using a bucket of suet nibbles a week.

If you can source a local butcher who sells beef fat / dripping in large blocks I pay roughly £10.00 ( can't remember weight) this will make dozens of shells and cakes. The costs per unit is pence rather than pounds.

I make up a varied range of each.

My ingredients.

Suet melted as you have described.

Sunflower Hearts

Four Seasons Wild Bird Seed

Raisin's

Sultana's

Dried Fruit Cake Mix

Peanuts

Nyjer Seed

Mealworms

I make up various mixures, some all Fruit, some with Mealworms and Peanut etc, mix and match.

I use the flat cartons from chinese takeaway meals to make the cakes, you can re-use them over and over. They're the correct depth for the cake holders I have.

Regards Buzzard

Incidentally the full coconuts which the top side cut out (similar to the picture below) make good live mealworm feeders in the spring and earl;y summer, but only when its dry (not raining).

Hi Buzzard

Good idea - I'll ask my butcher if he can supply the suet. The prepacked brand in the supermarkets can be costly.

RIchard

Thank you for your hint and tips everyone

Richard: I will remember what you have said about the suet.

Regards

Kathy and Dave

BTW - Ignore this thread if you purchase your suet balls from the RSPB

Hi Richard your recipe sounds much like mine only I use fresh suet from a local butcher. I was told that packet suet was not good for them as it was processed and contained things which may be adverse. I also add chopped raisins to mine

I've asked this before but does anyone remember Johnny Morris on Animal Magic making suet feed for the birds in a coconut? He called it a really amusing name that I loved when I was little. What was it???

Pipit x

Morning All

when i make my fat balls/cakes i use lard its cheaper than suet, i put every thing in mine, seeds, nuts, raisins, sultanas,chopped cheese, apple& whatever else is available, the birds love them.

                                        val

Hi Richard

When I use packs of Atora suet, I sieve out the flour before using it, but I keep the 'peanut flour' left in the bottoms of bags and boxes from most mixes, and add that to the mix.

You can put anything into the suet, I usually add sunflower hearts, a few raisins and peanut granules (same as kibbled peanuts).

We have had a discussion before about buying beef suet and we established that it's not available at butchers everywhere. It's certainly less available in the South of England than it is in the North. If you can find a butcher who slaughters his own animals then he will be more likely to have beef suet, as slaughterhouses don't send out suet to butchers.

I have tried rendering down pieces of ordinary beef fat, but the cakes or filled coconuts do melt in summer here whereas beef suet (or vegetable suet) doesn't seem to do.

Val, I use lard too but I find sometimes it doesn't stick together that well and all falls apart. Am I doing something wrong do you think?