Homemade Suet for Woodpeckers

                                                        Northern Flicker Woodpecker

                                                                  Pileated Woodpecker

With snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures the first weekend in March, I thought I would make some Homemade Suet for Woodpeckers.  I have been very generous feeding my feathered friends everyday as I get great pleasure from watching them come to our deck. I purchase black-oil sunflower seeds, thistle seed, nut and fruit treat bells, and suet cakes regularly.  I also purchase whole corn for the squirrels.  My daughter gave me a book a few years ago that has been very helpful to attract specific birds throughout the seasons.  Recipe Book for Feeding Wild Birds by Deana Jager can be found at:  zosmabooks.com   Since I'm trying to save some money by making my own suet, I modified the recipe with some ingredients that are just as good and much less expensive.  I made Beti's Bird Suet for about $.55 each.  The commercial ones found at WalMart are $1.44 each and $.90 each (by the case) at the local MFA farm store.

Here is the original recipe for the suet and then the one I made with modifications below it:

Wooing Woodpecker Suet (makes 6 cakes)

1 c. rendered suet
1 c. natural peanut butter
1 c. died figs, chopped
1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 c. cracked corn
1 c. peanuts
1 c. pine nuts
1/2 c. died cherries

Melt suet in a saucepan over low heat.  Add peanut butter, stirring until melted and well blended.  Mix together with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Allow the suet-peanut butter to cool until slightly thickened, and then stir it into the mixture in the bowl.  Mix well to achieve a firm consistency that will hold together.  Pour into a greased 9"x5" bread pan and refrigerate until firm, then with a serrated knife, slice a piece off the size to fit in suet cage.  Keep remainder in a bag in the freezer.

Beti's Bird Suet (makes 11 cakes)

2 c. rendered suet (started with 2.5 pounds beef suet; I paid $1.50)
2 c. natural peanut butter
1 c. whole-wheat flour
9 c. seed mix (includes fruit, nuts, seeds, grains for birds available at WalMart for $4.00 bag)
1 c. flax seeds
1 c. millet seeds
1 c. pumpkin seeds

I got the beef suet from my local grocery store butcher but some places may give it away.  I always have natural peanut butter on hand as well as whole wheat flour.  The flax, millet and pumpkin seeds were purchased previously at a whole foods store and I just used what I had on hand as I usually have a variety of whole grains, seeds, and nuts for making granola.  This is where the book especially came in handy to give me an idea of what birds like.  The seed mix was very inexpensive compared to buying the quantity of ingredients separately in the whole food store that is in the original recipe.  I'm sure that is because it is not food-grade for human consumption as is sold for the birds with irregular chips and pieces.

 The suet usually come in pieces with meat that the butcher discards from trimming.  This can also be ground so that it looks like "grubs" that some birds like all alone.  It is heated on low for 2 hours until the meat separates and browns like bacon does for pork.  Let it cool some and then strain into heat-proof container.  I discarded the crisp meat pieces but some people eat what is called "cracklin's."  It would also be a special treat for your dog.  Also, some recipes for suet say to just chop up or crumble the crisp meat right into the suet as some birds like that too.  I have had enough issues with wild critters at my suet cage in the past and don't want to increase the smell to attract raccoons and opossums so I leave it out.

 Here you see the 2 cups of rendered suet in a Pyrex bowl and getting ready to add 2 cups of natural peanut butter.  The whole wheat flour is ready to be added too.  It mixes well and thickens the rendered suet in a short time.  I had prepared an empty Silk soy milk carton by cutting off the top and washing out.  This will be my mold.

The is the bag of mix seed I got at WalMart for $4.00 that makes my recipe less expensive.

I measured in the 12 cups of mix seed in a roaster pan which includes the bag mix and the flax, millet, and pumpkin seeds I had on hand.

I packed the completed mixture into the Silk soy milk carton and I had some left over that went into a plastic storage container.  I did not need to grease anything as the original recipe required.  Maybe if you used a cake pan, it would be necessary for easy removal.  I covered both containers and put them in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, I cut away the carton mold and sliced into the size pieces that fit my suet cage.  The plastic container was very easy to remove the suet by just pushing on the bottom.  I had tried to use a serrated knife like the original recipe called for but it just tore the first cake up.  I then used a bread knife and it worked perfect!  The light-colored suet cake in the lower right corner is one that I had purchased at the MFA farm store individually wrapped for size comparison.  I put my suet cakes in Ziplock freezer bags.

Of course, the first one went directly in the suet cage and before I had my hands washed....the woodpeckers came for their treat!  Most come from dawn to mid-morning but Keith and I enjoyed them all day long as they kept coming back for more!  I have plenty more where that came from, my friends!   It was a very enjoyable Sunday!

                                      Pileated Woodpecker was the first to taste the new suet.

                       Then her mate joins her as well as a Northern Flicker and a little Hairy Woodpecker.

 It looks like the male Pileated Woodpecker  is having a discussion with the female Northern Flicker.

Both the Pileated Wood Peckers and the Northern Flickers hang out and sample the new suet frequently.  Throughout the day, we saw a variety of woodpeckers in addition to the Pileated and Northern Flicker couples.  There were Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers too!

                           I think they have their belly's full by now and are making plans for lunch tomorrow!