Seed cakes are an easy way to attract birds during the coldest months of the year. These calorie-dense foods are especially beneficial for birds who require additional energy during this period.
Suet is a high-fat and protein food that helps birds stay warm in cold weather. It may also serve as an effective substitute for bird seed.
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Suet or lard
Birds often enjoy suet, which is a natural fat-rich food. Suet provides them with essential calories in wintertime to stay warm and healthy.
Suet is typically made with rendered beef tallow (raw fat from around the loins and kidneys), though lard can also be used. You can usually purchase this delicious delicacy at your local butcher shop or supermarket.
Suet should be made during the colder months to prevent it from going rancid quickly in hot weather. To ensure your birds remain fed year-round, store any unused suet in galvanized steel containers or empty cat litter buckets with lids for storage.
Making homemade suet cakes is an excellent way to attract birds to your yard. Unlike birdseed, which can easily get dumped out or spilled, suet stays put where you put it.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is an indispensable and popular ingredient in homemade bird seed cakes, providing birds with healthy, tasty treats that are high in protein and essential nutrients.
Peanut butter is also packed with antioxidants and omega-6 fatty acids that may reduce the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, it’s relatively unprocessed with little added sugar or trans fats.
Many people make their own peanut butter at home, but this can be costly and time-consuming. Instead, opt for a high quality brand of peanut butter that contains no added sugar or hydrogenated oils. This will guarantee you are getting the optimal nutritional value from your peanut butter.
Egg whites
Seed cakes can be customized with a variety of ingredients to attract various wild birds. Some popular options include dried bread crumbs, cereals, raisins and nuts or other fruit.
Egg whites make an ideal binder for bird seed cakes, as their thick consistency helps hold the seeds together. Although not as firm as gelatin mixtures, egg whites remain malleable enough to be shaped and molded by hand with ease.
Make bird seed bells by mixing two beaten egg whites per cup of birdseed and packing into miniature terra cotta pots. Thread a stick through the center hole in each pot and tie it securely to its outside bottom.
You can save a lot of money by using cooked eggshells to fill your suet block molds instead of buying store-bought suet blocks that come in square plastic containers. This simple trick will allow you to save a substantial amount on supplies.
Other animal or vegetable ingredients
Wild birds enjoy a variety of foods, and seed cakes are an ideal way to attract them. Simply mix together seeds, grains, fruits and insects for different flavors that your feathered guests will enjoy.
For successful recipes, use only natural, safe ingredients free of artificial additives and preservatives. For instance, never put chocolate or nut butter on wild bird seed mixes; both are highly toxic to birds.
Avoid providing bread, which offers little nutritional value and can become moldy quickly. Instead, offer peanut butter (available at most grocery stores for less than $1 per pound), or another source of fats and proteins like lard or suet that has been melted and mixed with the other ingredients to form your seed cake. This is especially useful during cold winter months when it can provide vital energy to your wild birds.
