Suet is an energy-rich food for wild birds, particularly woodpecker species. It helps them metabolize animal fat more efficiently while providing them with enough calories to fuel their activities.
Making homemade bird seed cakes is an enjoyable activity for kids and families. By using gelatin as the binder, you can combine seeds, peanuts, fruits and nuts into cake-like forms for easy eating!
Contents
Suet
Suet is an ideal winter food source for wild birds, providing essential calories needed to maintain body heat and provide energy. Traditional suet is typically composed of rendered animal fat; however, vegetable-based suet is available for vegetarians and vegans.
Most fats have low melting points, making lard or shortening an ideal choice for suet recipes with cold temperatures. Render your own or purchase it from stores, and cut into cubes that fit easily in an ice cube tray.
Mix together birdseed, oats, and corn meal in a mixing bowl until evenly mixed; you may wish to include dried fruit and peanuts if desired. Pour melted lard over the mixture and stir thoroughly before pressing into molds to be refrigerated until firm. Leave an extension piece of string attached at each cake’s top so it can be used later for hanging it around your garden – this project can even involve children as it provides them with something fun and rewarding!
Seeds
Suet is the binder that keeps nuts, seeds and other bits of bird feed together. Different brands contain different combinations of birdseed, berries, oats, corn and peppers that will attract various wildlife species.
Create homemade wild bird seed cakes is an easy and enjoyable craft project for kids to undertake, using gelatin and cookie cutters as supplies. Not only will this introduce them to feeding birds while creating beautiful decorations for their garden, it will also show them just how fun bird watching can be!
Place one cup of bird seed mix into each mold, followed by adding gelatin. Press down on the mixture until it reaches level with the bottom of each mold before pushing a straw through each shape (you’ll use this later to thread twine through them). Finally, store them in the refrigerator until set – typically within one hour.
Flour
Wild bird seed cakes use just enough flour to provide structure and hold all the ingredients together, as well as prevent their fats from melting too rapidly and turning sticky.
Mix melted lard with cornmeal, black oil sunflower seeds, raisins and peanut butter in a mixing bowl until everything is evenly mixed.
Mix together your gelatin binder mixture until it forms a thick batter, then stir in four cups of birdseed (and any additional ingredients such as nuts, fruits or berries).
Scoop the bird seed cake into greased muffin, bundt or cupcake pans or cut shapes using a cookie cutter, then poke or drill holes using your finger or wooden dowel before setting. Or make holes later using drill bits. Finally, hang these suet cages outdoors to attract cardinals, chickadees, juncos, woodpeckers and other songbirds!
Water
Water in wild bird seed cakes acts as a binder to hold all of the ingredients together and maintain its shape while in a feeder, where moisture or other environmental conditions could cause it to break down or rot.
Gelatin is the go-to binder when creating wild bird seed cakes, though other options are also possible. Gelatin is an odorless and colorless food made from collagen from animals such as cattle, fish and pigs and is sold in grocery store Jell-o aisles.
Substituting wild bird seed cakes for traditional suet feeders allows homeowners to attract birds with less mess. These high-protein treats can be purchased premade at specialty and standard suet feeders or made at home with ingredients like tallow, beef fat and peanut oil – especially popular during the cold months when birds require energy-rich treats to survive the elements.
