First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘suet feeders’

Keeping the squirrels out of your bird feeders is a tough assignment. Today there are many types of squirrel proof feeders on the market, but you will find many of them work by physically blocking the squirrel from the bird food.  Pepper bird suet feeders take a different approach that works surprisingly well.

Wintertime can be the toughest months for many local birds. The normal sources of food for birds are tough to come by. Many bushed have dropped their berry or fruit production long ago, the insects that are a staple of the bird diet are in hiding, and the snow and ice serve to cover what little food is left. To help our birds through the winter months, we look for those types of food that will benefit them the most, and a common selection is suet.

Bird suet is a high energy food that is naturally suited for use in the winter time. Suet is a simple rendering of the fat some some cuts of sheep and cattle, and to attract a variety of birds often it will include other high energy foods like peanuts, which results in a bird food high in energy and easy to eat in winter. The rendered form of natural suet can go bad at warmer temperatures so many people use it only as a food in the winter. These days you can find find artificially rendered suet products that will tolerate the summer heat in many areas, so you can hang a suet feeder almost all year if you like.  You simply put it in a suet bird feeder and the birds love it.

The problem with suet is that many pests like squirrels find it just as attractive as the birds to, and the challenge is keeping them out of the feeder.  There are many types of squirrel proof feeders that are are on the market today, with spinning parts or moving doors that work to keep the squirrel out.

Nature has provided its own ingenious solution. It turns out that over the years, peppers have developed their heat by creating capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the “hotness” of peppers and other capsicums. But it has almost no impact on birds, so they eat it at will. But like most mammals squirrels are really put off by the heat of peppers.

This leads us to a simple solution for keeping the squirrels and other rodents out of our suet feeders, and that is to simply add pepper to the suet mix. With hot pepper suet the birds are unaffected, but the feeder pests can’t tolerate it. No need for swinging feeders, spinning feeders or big ugly baffles to ward off the squirrels.

wild birds

Birds are truly soothing to the soul. Isn’t it just great to relax and listen to birds happily chirping away? When it comes to finding total relaxation, hearing the chirping of birds at home is no doubt totally soothing. But there are some home owners that do not give importance to birds at all, not knowing that providing them with proper bird feeder houses is essential. Finding the right feeders is really not that big of an issue, especially with so many options to choose from. Suet feeders are a very common type.

A suet feeder can attract more wild birds to your backyard, especially when they are strategically placed. Woodpeckers, Tit Mice, Nuthatches, Chickadees and almost all types of birds love suet, yet there are different types of suet bird feeders. You can have something as simple as a wire cage or an old onion sack. Or better yet, try looking for simple logs and then drill holes into them.

Log suet feeders are pleasing to various wild species of birds. Seeing such birds in your very own backyard can be possible provided you have log feeders. These types of bird feeders are actually simple logs with drilled holes and you can buy ready made log feeders if you think you cannot do it on your own. Fill them up with your suet cakes or your favorite homemade recipe. As well, a squirrel proof bird feeder, like a sandwich feeder, is perfect to keep nuisances, such as squirrels and raccoons away. These feeders basically use two pieces of wood that are securely bolted together on both ends. The cake or treat is placed in between the pieces of wood, where Woodpeckers, Chickadees and Nuthatches can easily grasp the treat.

Suet feeders should be cleaned often, as animal fats and some by-products can easily stick to them and can lead to mold and bacterial formation. To clean the suet feeder, simply soak it in a cleaning solution before scrubbing it clean. Oxygen bleach is ideal because it foams and then soaks off the gunk, while sanitizing at the same time. And since oxygen bleach is natural, the residue will not harm birds at all. If you want to see birds right in your very own backyard, then always remember to provide them not only with proper bird houses but also the right bird feeders.