How do you make fat balls for birds?

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68493497 RSPB Suet Ball 6pk e1569842757817

How do you make fat balls for birds?

During the winter months, birds need to lay down an extra layer of fat to protect them from the cold, and food can be scarce, particularly in frozen conditions. Worms and bugs stay below ground, the earth itself is too hard for birds’ beaks to penetrate, and a covering of snow often means that opportunities to hunt for food are limited.

Providing visiting birds with a ready-made, easily accessible source of fat is a fantastic way to help our feathered friends.

What kind of fat do birds need?

Birds are constantly moving and require elevated levels of nutrients to keep them going. Flight and foraging for food are demanding work and they specifically need saturated fats in their diet. Unsaturated fats, particularly liquid vegetable oils used for cooking, can be harmful to birds as they cannot metabolise them. Lard and suet (beef fat) and solid vegetable oil are the only fats you should feed to birds, as they can be easily digested and are free from any harmful chemicals.

How to make fat balls

You only need two ingredients: your choice of solid suet, lard or solid vegetable oil, and mixed bird seed. The most important feature of the fat is that it must remain solid when unrefrigerated. Bird seed mixes are widely available, although you may wish to make your own. The most helpful ingredients are millet, sunflower seeds, and peanuts, but you can also add oats, wheat, and canary seed.

Combine one part fat with two parts of bird seed mix in a pan and heat gently until the fat has melted and the ingredients have fully combined. The next step is to form your mixture into balls. You can use your hands for this or make life easier by using an ice cream scoop. Space the fat balls well apart on a baking tray and refrigerate. Once your fat balls are cool, they should be nice and solid, and hold their shape well. If they are too soft, you can always add more bird seed and reform the balls.

Where to put your fat balls

Fat balls are hugely attractive to birds, so they tend to attract many birds at once, and this can lead to a messy outcome. The obvious place to put the fat balls is on the highest, flattest platform of your bird table. This will allow space for multiple birds to feed at once, and any crumbs that fall will soon be hoovered up by smaller birds.

Hanging fat balls in trees is also a highly effective way of feeding birds. Thread your fat balls onto a looped string and hang on a strong tree branch; the higher the better as this allows birds to stay safe from domestic cats and dogs who might try to chase them away. Do be aware that squirrels will find the fat balls extremely attractive too, though!

Making your own fat balls is simple, but satisfying. Once you’ve put them out in the garden, take a seat by a window to enjoy watching how quickly the birds come and how enthusiastically they feed. It’s a delight!

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