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Suet Feeders
A Primer on Suet Feeders
Simply put, suet is rendered beef fat that is usually offerred in a square cage called a suet feeder. Because it is so high in calories and protein, it helps provide the energy birds need to make it through the colder temperatures of fall and winter. And although we carry many different suet flavors, the primary ingredients (after the actual suet) in most of them are peanut or peanut butter, combined with insects, fruit, or sunflower meats. For vegetarians (people that is), soy-based suet cakes are also available and have been getting good customer comments.
Most people offer suet because it is particularly attractive to woodpeckers, but suet is also popular with nuthatches, chickadees, and bushtits (those large flocks of tiny, grayish birds that descend into your yard).
Suet can be offered in many different ways, but most often it is presented in wire cages, called suet cages or brackets. The best location for one of these suet cages is attached directly onto the tree trunk where insect-eating birds are foraging up and down. If you want to free hang a suet feeder from a branch, soffit, or shepherd pole, I would recommend a tail-prop suet feeder which has a bottom piece extending from the suet cage. This makes it easier for larger woodpeckers like flickers and pileated woodpeckers to hang onto. If starlings and larger birds are monopolizing your suet, try an upside-down suet feeder which forces birds to cling upside-down to feed. Due to their roof-top design, these suet feeders also keep rain and snow from getting at your suet cakes. Continued below...
If (or should I say when) squirrels are becoming a problem, you can deter them by using a squirrel-proof suet feeder which is basically a suet cage within a larger cage. Small birds and woodpeckers can still access the suet but grey squirrels cannot fit through the 1 ½” openings. Another suggestion is to place a squirrel baffle disk or dome over top of your suet feeder just as you would with other feeders.
Finally, some of the more recent arrivals to our store have been suet feeders made from poly-lumber. Poly-lumber is a state-of-the-art product consisting of post-consumer plastic waste like milk bottles. They are virtually indestructible, will not fade, crack, split, chip or rot like wood, and come with a lifetime guarantee. I particularly like the giant-sized tail prop version which is twenty inches long. This large, heavy feeder is great for pileated woodpeckers.
So, enjoy the show. It may take a few weeks for the birds to find your suet, but when they do, they will visit regularly if it is consistently available. We make it easy to buy suet by offering a free suet cake with purchase of four, and a 20% off case price if you buy twelve. And, feel free to mix up the flavors if you want to serve a suet smorgasbord!
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