Backyard Bird Suet Recipes

A bird feeder is a welcome addition to any backyard, especially for bird-watchers. Suet is a treat that many birds enjoy. It is best for use during the winter months because warm temperatures can cause it to go rancid. You can purchase cakes of suet at a variety of stores, but it's easy to make your own mix using berries, seeds, peanut butter and other nutritious ingredients that will give wild birds energy.

  1. Peanut Butter Mix

    • "Suet" itself is beef kidney fat. Ask for it at the meat counter of your local butcher or grocery store. It is inexpensive and the basis for most bird suet recipes. To make this peanut butter suet mix, you will need 2 lbs. freshly ground suet, 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, shelled sunflower seeds.

      Place the suet in a saucepan and melt it over low heat. Then add the peanut butter and stir the mixture until the peanut butter has melted and is well-combined with the suet. Mix in the sunflower seeds.

      To make the suet cakes, pour this mixture into a greased 13-by-9-inch cake pan. Allow the mixture to cool and then cut the hardened bird suet into cakes that will fit into your suet feeder. Extra cakes may be wrapped in plastic and stored in your freezer until you need them.

    Cracked Corn and Sunflower Mix

    • Not all recipes require the use of beef suet. Lard or shortening are acceptable substitutes because they also have a high fat content. This suet recipe uses shortening and does not require the use of a stove, so children can enjoy it, too. The variety of seeds contained in this mix will attract many different birds to your feeder.

      In a large bowl combine 1 cup crunchy peanut butter, 1 cup shortening, 1 cup flower, 3 cups cornmeal, 1 cup cracked corn, and up to 1 cup sunflower seeds. Stir the mixture well and then pack it into your suet feeder. You may also spread it on tree bark or pack it into pine cones and hang them from branches.

    Cornmeal and Birdseed Mix

    • If you don't own a suet feeder, a mesh onion bag works just as well. Simply toss a suet cake in the bag and hang it from a tree branch or other hanger in your yard. You also can make hanging suet cakes by incorporating a cord before the mixture has hardened. This recipe describes how to do it.

      First, melt 1/2 cup suet in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup peanut butter and stir well to combine. Then stir in 1 cup mixed birdseed and 2 1/2 cups cornmeal. Spoon the hot mixture into 10 greased or lined muffin tins.

      When the bird suet has partially hardened, use an ice pick or other sharp instrument to poke a hold in the middle of the cake. Don't wait until the suet has hardened completely, or this step will be difficult. Then thread 6-inch loops of cord through the hole and tie the ends together to create a hanger. When the cakes have hardened, remove them from the muffin tin and remove the cupcake liners if you used them. The suet cakes are ready to hang in your yard. Wrap any extras in plastic and store them in your freezer.