By Karen Rice | Official Kids Mag
During the winter, a lot less is happening in the garden.
There are no flowers or insects buzzing around them.
That means many of the things birds normally eat are
gone too. When the weather is cold, many birds rely on
fat to help them survive freezing. But you can help them by
making them a cake—a suet cake! A suet cake is the perfect
bird food for the winter months, because it uses fat along
with other things birds love.
Suet is a favorite treat of most birds that love to munch on
insects, including nuthatches, woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees
and cardinals.
Make a cake
for the
birds!
• A microwave-safe mixing bowl,
or saucepan if done on the stove
• Mixing spoon or ladle
• Containers, molds, plastic wrap,
or foil
• Twine for making hanging
feeders
IngreDIents:
• 1 cup of fat that is solid at room
temperature
For the fat, you can use:
- Rendered suet, tallow, or
animal fat
- Lard or shortening
- Recycled bacon or pork/beef
roast drippings
- Coconut oil
- Unsalted butter
- Unsalted peanut butter
plus:
• 2 cups of filler: seeds or other
goodies to mix with the suet
For the filler, you can use:
- Bird seed or other seeds such
as black sunflower, hemp,
millet, or linseed
- Chopped up apples or other
fruit
- Berries such as cranberries or
blueberries
- Dried unsweetened fruit
- Unsalted, raw chopped nuts
- Whole-wheat flour, oatmeal or
cornmeal
- Pieces of bread, or cooked,
unsalted rice
What is a suet cake?
A suet cake is a solidified
mix of fats and grains, which
birds eat to stay warm.
Best of all, it's easy and fun
to make suet cakes for your
backyard birds!
You can use almost any
seed or grain, mixed with
beef fat or lard. For a fancier
suet, add natural peanut
butter to the mix. Birds also
like dried fruits, so you
can add raisins, currants
or apricots. Experiment
and see what your
feathered friends like best!
to make a suet feeder, you will need:
photo source:
www.acultivatednest.com
6 • January 2021 • www.officialKidsMag.com
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