You will need to mix approximately 1 part fat with 2 parts of the dry mixture. Promise!). Made of animal fat—usually the excess fat that butchers trim off of the beef carcass—suet is an important winter food for insectivorous birds; it provides the fat and energy they need to survive the cold weather. All content of this site is copyrighted Nancie Waterman 2013-2020 unless credited to someone else (who probably then has copyright on it.) 4.5 out of 5 stars 480. Your email address will not be published. Hi Dan, I’ve used hot pepper suet too. Capable of holding a single suet cake, this feeder features ½” x 1″ plastic coated metal wire mesh and a hinged front that makes filling it simple. Pros: This feeder got visited mostly by Downy Woodpeckers and Carolina Wrens and the occasional squirrel. I love watching birds introducing their young to feeders. $9.99 $ 9. So that might be part of it. While I can’t offer a suggestion from my own personal experience, this is a post from another blog about feeding suet to Pileateds and it makes sense to me: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/best-suet-feeder-for-pileated-woodpeckers/. I hang a block feeder on a hook outside my home office window, birds all year round here in northern NJ. No matter what I do the squirrels get into everything, The ones I use are made by Erva. . Or you should be able to attach it to a tree trunk by the hanger with a nail or hook. There is a homemade birdbath in this area and a Squirrel Buster Plus Feeder hanging from a tree about thirty feet away. : ) Nancie. Cons: Unfortunately, squirrels loved it too. Hi Sandra, Very cool! Hi Brian, I think in general, suet feeders ought to work under a house overhang. And again, the birds on the suet feeders get disturbed. In my experience, it can take a while for birds to discover a new feeder but once you get one bird, you’ll often soon get a second and then more. Nancie, Your email address will not be published. Not a single bird visited either a regular cage suet feeder or this house-like feeder hung here. I only use these links for products I’ve used myself unless specifically noted otherwise. No squirrels! You just have to keep an eye on it and you’ll get a feel for how much to put out. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which … The birds seemed to realize that they were no danger behind the glass and ignored the cats. The feeder she uses looks like a Bird’s Choice brand feeder. The plastic can also keep the suet drier. Keep in mind, a covered feeder is best, as it lets the birds take a small break from the elements. Required fields are marked *. I see you leave the plastic tray on tbe suet blocks? I’d be really cautious about that. The Double Suet Wild Bird Feeder is simple to install and easy to use. The suet feeder hangs from a short length of plastic coated cable I used an 18" length of 3/16" diameter plastic coated cable to hang the feeder. Too much activity on the other feeder made it an unappealing place for quieter suet eating birds to dine. … Cons: It was the least used of the suet feeders, probably partially because it was located by a busy doorway and partially because of its hidden suet access . Pros: Suet here appealed to Downy Woodpeckers, Carolina Wrens and Tufted Titmouses all year round and the occasional Red-Bellied Woodpecker. The woodpeckers and nuthatches really like this quite a lot, but unfortunately so do squirrels. . Please always respect copyrights. I know myself how hard it is to be patient when you are waiting for birds to discover a feeder! This makes it a popular spot with birds in the yard. I played around with placement for quite a while, searching for just the right spots on a large tree’s branches. I moved it around on the bush to find the branch and chain length that made it the hardest for a squirrel so they didn’t get on it a lot. It sounds like your yard has trees so that would help with attracting birds of all kinds. Thank you for the good info. I invested in two dual-shepherd’s hook poles with barrel raccoon baffles to deter both squirrels and raccoons. This one has two suet feeders on it. I’m brand new to this and put out my first suet feeder last evening (here in Southern California – I’m in Burbank, just outside of Los Angeles). VERY IMPORTANT: If you protect a feeder with a hanging baffle, it is important to get the placement of the feeder and the baffle right. I have employed much of your tips, and subsequently reduced feeding issues. Your woodpecker sounds fun. Its not sturdy enough for them to cling on to and drap down to the feeder. Add our Perky-Pet® Transparent Squirrel Baffler over the bird feeder to prevent squirrels from climbing down the wire used to hang the bird feeder. Quite a few of them like to nest and/or shelter in the holes of trees. Suet Cages Cage feeders are the most popular type of suet feeder, and are typically made of coated wire for strength and easy cleaning. I’m glad the hot pepper cakes are working for you and you’ve found a place where you can enjoy them while you work! Suet is a quick source of heat and energy for birds, who's metabolisms are set on fast forward. Thanx, Hi John, One possibility is to hang the suet cages from a pole. I used to do this and the woodpeckers and nuthatches in my yard liked it a lot. (Note: See my Birds Choice Upside Down Suet Feeder post to learn how I helped birds find the suet in this type of feeder.). Cages may be made to hang independently or may be attached to hopper feeders that will hold seed as well. The blog’s focus is on backyard bird watching, especially solutions for problems that come up with feeding backyard birds. You should be fine moving the suet feeder if you think it’s not in a spot that will entice birds. My area is notoriously hot and humid in the summer. Then you can fill the pan with birdseed or suet. But it was still far enough from the house that the danger of window strikes was lessened. The squirrels are arcrobats indeed. Hung that way, the tree trunk would be support for their tail. It also looks like most of the feeders are “wedged” between branches as opposed to swinging. Thanks again. Any suggestions? So this one-time expense is saving me money over time and the birds seem quite happy. Note: If you have trouble with birds hitting your windows, be sure to check out my post on Reducing Bird Strikes: DIY BirdSavers Zen Wind Curtains. . I hope you find it helpful in your yard. Eye hook on roof top allows you to hang this feeder anywhere, from a tree branch, shepherd hook, off a deck hanger, or bird feeding station pole in your yard. Hang like u said over a tall tree if you have one… Mine hand about 15 feet down from a large tree… You can get creative, on feeders with a hook, simply tie a knot and toss, on the suet, do a criss cross X and toss. This post looks in depth at what suet strategies didn’t work in my yard, which ones partially worked and what worked well. For hanging, wrap twine around a tennis ball or block of wood, place it under the pan and bring the two ends of twine up through the center hole. Because this type of feeder has a prop for the bird’s tail, it ought to work hung from a tree branch or pole. Here is a more general page of Erva products on Amazon where you can also find the disk type that can be used for hanging feeders:https://amzn.to/2NDx2mP . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It is also easy to clean and weather resistant. I’ve noticed that I haven’t needed to re-fill my suet feeders here in Maryland quite as often so far this winter and we haven’t really had any serious snow or extended cold yet. In my yard, the Cardinals love safflower seed in platform or hopper style feeders. Everycritter is welcome. See my post: Keep Squirrels Off Branch Hung Suet for tips on how to do this. Amen. There are many ways to hang suet feeders. The small fees they provide help cover my site costs. I don’t think you are overthinking it. I’ve successfully placed them under the edge of my back porch overhang and have hung them on the backside of a cypress bush that is just a few feet from the house and birds have used them. It just works. No cactus or trees close enough to use. Where to Put Bird Feeders: Spread Them Out! Drop in a suet cake, and hang where birds can easily find it. Here too, one of our cats could sit on the other side of the window, bird watching. $19.99 $ 19. Nancie, I tried my suet feeders on the underside of the house over hangs with no luck yet…I am hoping the lack of snow and warmer temperatures in central NY have given the birds more than normal food sources but once the snow comes and stays, I am hoping more traffic will ensue….are overhangs good for the suet or are they too close to the house…I also have a multiple bird feeder with seed in middle and suet on side…squirrels were trying to get on it but I coated pole with tack cement to deter this and also ordered some Tanglefoot to even further scare away the persistent rodents…I am thinking of moving suets to a evergreen type tree and using tanglefoot to keep squirrels of but I won’t be able to see birds as well as off the edge of the house..do you think the lack of snow is keeping birds away from feeders or are they just in bad spots….other regular seed feeder is hanging off fence post near some pine trees…it is supposed to attract cardinals and blue jays but nothing yet…thanks. 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