You can make a fat feeder in a number of different ways. You can use any solid animal fat such as beef suet or lard and as well as seeds you could add bacon, breadcrumbs, nuts, raisins, grated cheese – in fact anything you think birds would like.
Don’t use whole peanuts as birds can choke on them; break them up with a food processor or chop them finely with a knife.
Supervise young children if they want to make a fat feeder as the melted fat will be hot.
Here are 3 recipes for bird fat feeders.
Tie some strong twine or a ribbon around the top of a pine cone taking care that it is in position and won’t fall off.
Spread some peanut butter or lard around the pine cone. Make sure the peanut butter is not salted as this will harm the birds.
Roll the pine cone in some bird seed, raisins and sunflower hearts, and hang from a tree or a bracket.
Cut a hole in the front of an old plastic bottle or milk carton. Make sure the hole is big enough to let a small bird enter.
Melt down enough solid fat such as lard or suet and mix with wild bird seed or peanuts.
Spoon the mixture into the plastic container and leave to set.
Pierce a few holes in the bottom of the bottle to allow any rainwater to drain out.
If using a milk carton you can hang by its handle; otherwise make two holes in the top of the bottle and make a handle from wire or strong twine.
Hang the feeder from a nail in a post or from the brand of a tree.
You’ll need half an empty coconut shell so you could use an old one saved from a shop bought bird feeder. Otherwise you’ll need to carefully crack in half the shell from a fresh coconut and remove the flesh and milk.
Drill some holes in the coconut for hanging.
Then melt down suet or lard and mix with bird seed, peanuts and fruit. You could also add some pieces of fresh coconut if you have some left.
Spoon the fat mixture into the half coconut shell and when it has hardened hang from the branch of a tree.
You could also make a fat feeder in the same way using an empty half orange.
