During these long, frigid winter days it’s been important to find some way to keep our flocks of chickens and guinea hens as warm as possible and entertained. One way we can do that is by giving them special treats full of nutrients that rev up their digestion to help warm them up, and can also give them something to do when they’re stuck inside the coop. Pecking at anything that swings is fun for them!
Hanging a cake of homemade suet in the coop is one way we do that, as seen here, and I wanted to share the recipe I use to make it. While you can buy suet for chickens or wild birds, I like to have more control over what goes into mine. Since suet is not that expensive, it’s not necessarily a money saver to make your own, I don’t think, but it’s easy and fun!
I think it’s safe to say that anything that is good for our farm birds is good for the wild birds as well, so you can use this recipe for either one. There’s a lot of flexibility to this too, amounts don’t have to be exact, and you can mix and match ingredients. Many herbs you have in your cabinet are safe and healthy for chickens, so I have also used thyme and cinnamon. Our thyme bed was huge last year, Luke can attest to that, so I had a lot in the freezer. You can use the dried herbs you have in your cabinet, or fresh herbs as well. I usually freeze and dry some herbs in the fall, so that’s what I’ll use. My home grown herbs are organic too, which is not true of many in my cabinet.
One thing I did not include in my suet that you can is dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries, and nuts. I tend to use mostly what I have in the house already, except for the millet seed* which I had to order. I usually have pumpkin seeds (unsalted is better) around because I snack on them, and our Lab mix Luke likes them too; they are good for all of us! Pumpkin seeds can work as a natural de-wormer for both birds and dogs. For sunflower seeds I get what’s made for the wild birds. It was when feeding the wild birds last winter that I found out how much our chickens loved them.
A funny thing happened when I made my latest batch though – all of the sunflower seeds floated to the top, and all the millet settled in the bottom! That’s OK, the birds didn’t mind. I also used both millet and pumpkin seeds in this recipe. I only had oats on hand, but next time I’ll use cracked corn. Pretty much any combination goes!
Last winter when I cooked whole turkeys, I saved the fat and froze it and that’s what I used for this year’s suet. You can do that with any fat, or you can make your suet fresh after cooking meats. I’d like to get more in the habit of doing that, making it right when I have some fresh drippings, and then freezing the whole suet cake. When I make this recipe, I hang one cake in the coop and freeze the other. The one cake usually only lasts them a few days though, they really like it!
I have not tried this for the wild birds yet, so if you do, please let us know what kinds of birds it attracts! I am definitely going to try it when I make my next batch – the chickens and guinea hens weren’t willing to share it last time. 🙂
I don’t want to take full credit for coming up with this recipe, I put it together after reading recipes on two of my favorite blogs for farming/homesteading information: The Prairie Homestead and Fresh Eggs Daily. My own recipe was a combination of both with some of my own additions/ideas.
We usually buy suet but the mom says she’s gonna try to make it now. Thanks for the recipe!
Cool! You’re welcome. Hope the homemade suet brings in some nice Bird TV to your new yard!!
I’m sure it will be well appreciated!
Happy hens lay more eggs; or say they say. It’s a struggle to convince them they’re happy during this long cold winter!
Hmm, I always hate throwing meat drippings away. But I never thought of using them to feed the birds.
While I love them on land, I have a love-hate relationship with them on a boat. As you can imagine, a sailboat gives lots of perching areas. Which means that my deck, canvas, dinghy, etc. end up covered in bird dirt.
Maybe I should make some nice suet and hang it on my neighbor’s boat. 🙂
Ha ha, now that’s an idea! I can imagine birds on your boat can cause some issues. Try to imagine 28 free range birds around the yard….it’s been an adjustment for me, that’s for sure. I’m still struggling with it, especially when trying to walk a dog who thinks bird poop is a delicacy through the yard. LOL
Oh, great, I have been waiting for this recipe, Jan! I am going to try it for my wild birds indeed, since I have no farm ones…and I buy suet, and it’s the one thing that I will get woodpeckers to eat, as they don’t visit the other feeders, but also chickadees and nuthatches seem to love suet, so I will try and let you know which ones love this homemade stuff-which has to be so much better! Thanks, and so glad your farm birds love it!
You’re welcome! I think it’s so great too as a way to re-use leftover grease and fat, instead of just throwing it away.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I used to make suet for the woodpeckers, but I am too lazy now so we buy it.
I imagine your cats keep you quite busy, so you probably deserved a break! 🙂
Wow what fun! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I would put a hole through cabbage and hsngvthem from a string so they could pick at that.
Yes, I’ve heard of the cabbage on a string – I think we tried it once last year. One time I just filled the suet cage with lettuce leaves and they liked that too!
Very creative. Do chickens eat meal worms? You could add those to the suet for a “tasty” protein boost.
What a great idea!! Yes, the chickens LOVE meal worms. We’ve actually started raising our own worms, because they are so expensive.
I think I’d like to hang one on the tree in our front yard this spring. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
You’re welcome! Just be sure to keep it out of the sun, because it could melt it.
We feed the birds too. We love them to pieces.
Have a fabulous day and week. ♥
This is the first year in many that I haven’t fed the wild birds. I miss seeing them, they are so pretty and fun to watch. Our early snow in November made it difficult to get to where I usually hang the feeders, so I just never got around to it. Now I’ve just been too lazy to dig through the snow! LOL
That’s a great idea for most people. Where I live we can’t have suet because something always takes it before the birds get it. We even tried putting it out at night. No luck.
That’s too bad. Around here the birds usually have to share with the squirrels and chipmunks, and it is tough sometimes because they eat too much!
What a cool idea! thanks for sharing. I would love to make something like this for the neighborhood birds but afraid the squirrels would monopolize the feeder. Need to work on a clever squirrel proofing idea.
Those squirrels really are tough to keep out!!
Sounds like an easy-to-use recipe. I’m going to share with my daughter-in-law. The two older grandsons would probably have fun helping her make it.
Oh, I bet they would!!
Those birdies will sure feel super special!!!
We enjoy spoiling them!!
This recipe sounds good enough for me to eat!
Peanut butter, oats, coconut oil, pumpkin seeds….I don’t think all the fat would be good for you though. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Sadly, standing in the kitchen for more than about 10 min leaves my spine in agony so I probably won’t be the first to try it for wild birds. I wish that I could.
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m glad there are at least other activities you are still able to enjoy at least. ♥
Phenny would love that… he is totally agog for this kind of snacks… ;O)))
Hee hee. It’s definitely something kept out of Luke’s reach!!
I’m sure the birds would love it. A lot of people put out suet in the winter here. We stopped feeding birds because it made a huge mess and attracted rodents. We only fed them so the cats had something to watch, but they still find things to see out the windows.
I understand! I used to have bird feeders outside Samantha’s window for her entertainment, but once she could no longer really see, it didn’t seem necessary. If I put them on the other side of the house, they attract the squirrels which drives Luke crazy all day long (and me when he wants to go out to chase them every 5 minutes)!