DIY Suet Cakes for Hungry Wild Birds & Backyard Chickens (extra protein for winter!)

Wild birds (and chickens) need extra protein and fat in the winter months. Why not help out our feathered friends and treat them to homemade suet cakes which are packed with the extra calories and nutrients their little bodies require during these cold days!
Recipe: This makes a very large batch...recipe may be cut in half or quartered.
4 cups melted animal fat or shortening
2 cups all natural peanut butter
5 cups mixed bird seed (preferably one with sunflower seeds in it)
4 cups quick oats
2 cups cracked corn
2 cups unsalted peanuts
2 cups chopped, dried apples
4 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
Mix together and press into your choice of containers. Freeze until solid, then hang suet out for birds or chickens.
Suet holder ideas:
~make holes in logs and fill with suet
~spread suet in crevices of pinecones
~empty grapefruit rinds make great suet cups
~recycled mesh onion bags work well too
~muffin tins or baking pans
~recycled margarine, mushroom or yogurt containers can be used as well
~empty milk cartons too
...some birds such as doves or sparrows like to forage on the ground, so sprinkle some crumbled suet there too!
#birds #suet #tutorial

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Your little feathered friends will thank you for this winter treat! ❤️

[@mariebooze956]

great idea..going 2 makes these for my amish friends outside of hanover ontario were its pretty cold all winter and the birds love 2 visit🤗

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning Marie! Thank you for watching and for making our little feathered friends some winter treats! That is a great idea to give as gifts for your Amish friends too! Take care and have a lovely New Year!

[@ronaldpatton5906]

Heat your peanut butter and lard together . Makes it easier to mix .

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning! Thank you for that tip...it definitely sounds like it would be easier to mix together! Have a wonderful day! 😊

[@rusticsewingbox4593]

Love this video. I’ve been making suet too. Your ring pans are so fun. Thanks!

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning! Thank you very much for watching and for your lovely message! I love those little rings too...a girl at work gave them to me years ago and I think they are just perfect for making suet "donuts" for the little birds 😄 Have a great day! 🌷

[@kellyhawes9293]

Watching some of your older videos, I was just going to make some suet for my bird feeders ! For Xmas gifts this year I glued tea cups tipped over on their saucers and filled with suet .

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Hi Kelly! What a fabulous idea and a real treat for the birds! The cup and saucer feeder must look beautiful!

[@Outlook535]

I think I got hungry watching this lol

[@kelvingravel8699]

Hi Alana what a wonderful thing to do for the wild birds and chickens 🐔, thank you for sharing another great video, take care and keep safe.

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Hey Kelvin! Thank you so much...those chickens and birds must appreciate my treats as they seem happy flitting around! 😊 Thank you for joining me today and have a wonderful evening!

[@traceyrose6099]

Wow ❤this 👏

[@geri1864]

I can understand why Ottis would want to eat that suet Alana😋 looks delicious. Its cold here too and I feed the birds all year. Thanks for this tutorial I will need to try this! Mom is visiting (Feb 18 ) Bernice for a few weeks . Hope she gets to meet you!!

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning Geri! Haha...Otis will eat anything but I have to admit, the suet did look good enough to eat! Bernice was in to the store yesterday and she is excited to see your Mom...I hope I get to meet her! Have a great day Geri and thank you for watching!

[@bonniecarlstrom6014]

How fun! Thank you for sharing🙂🙂

[@gaylegutierrez3864]

Look great. What do y ou do with the squirrel

[@billyshumate853]

Good morning. One thing about it the chickens love it 😂😂. Take care and have a blessed day and try to stay warm. See you on your next video.

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Hey Billy! Those chickens gobbled it right up...the wild birds seem a little more classy! 😄 Thank you for watching and have a great evening!

[@renewyckoff545]

P.s. a little honey molasses and kelp has many health benefits agape ❤

[@juliekorte5896]

Thanks! I haven’t tried it yet but will and going to see if adding the string into the cake and then freezing will work without breaking apart the cakes.

[@ronaldpatton5906]

Spray your pans with cooking spray . It makes UN molding easier.

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Another great tip...I ran the underside of the pan under hot water for a second but your way seems easier...some of mine fell into the sink! 😄

[@jefferysmith5280]

Super great video...ty for sharing

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning Jeffery! Thank you for watching and for your kind message! Take care!

[@UrbanCountryStyleByJudy]

YUM! I think I would like that for breakfast too 🙃😋

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Haha...me too Judy! I looked pretty good! 😁

[@Joe-lj3ir]

Thanks for sharing! I will try it

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Hi Joe! Thank you very much for watching and for your message! Take care and have a lovely evening!

[@Onewestward]

I will try it!!

[@mlttraywick4543]

Awesome easy process,,, Thank you.

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Hi there! Thank you very much for watching and for your kind message! Take care and have a lovely evening!

[@mlttraywick4543]

@@alanacawker-therusticwife My wife and I already made a batch this evening and put 2 cakes out, Consistency was easy to make the cakes, came out of the freezer solid and smelled delightful, excited to see the morning bird feeding frenzy.

[@juliedoesntdrinkbeers]

Thanks for the video! What are the yellow birds here?

[@jillhansinger4095]

How do you serve frozen cranberries

[@mist4926]

Hi looks great but now I'm wondering about the amount of oatmeal after reading comments. Hmmmm guess ill look it up

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Hi there...thank you very much for watching and for your kind message! There is quite a great article I have read regarding this issue...I can link it below for you if you would like to read it! Thank you again and I hope you have a great evening! bitchinchickens.com/2020/12/07/myth-buster-is-oatmeal-harmful-to-chickens/

[@robertcornelius3514]

If only our kids would eat such healthy food. Ha

[@kathleenmckenzie9500]

Birds are comical to watch when there is plenty. Thanks

[@brainfreeze1925]

Hi. Thanks for the video/ Where can you get good quality but inexpensive bird seed (in Ontario)? I've never seen dried apples, cranberries, and oatmeal used as bird seed. I take it that it works well?

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning! Thank you very much for watching and for your message! The birds really seem to love the dried fruit and rolled oats but I found they leave raisins for some reason! The chickens also love the dried fruit and oats too! I usually get my bird seed at our feed store...the prices are much higher in the last year compared to others but when I buy a larger bag, it saves a bit of money compared to getting smaller ones at the hardware stores or Canadian Tire stores. I hope that helps and that you have a lovely day!

[@brainfreeze1925]

@@alanacawker-therusticwife Hi again. Thanks for your reply. I checked our local feed store and they do have pretty good prices on seed. (BTW, i used your recipe for mincemeat and I received rave reviews on my tarts and turnover. I'm enjoying one right now in fact. Many thanks for that too!!)

[@rongenovese4416]

Those little donuts look good , better keep it away from your husband he’ll think they’re everything bagels lol

[@alanacawker-therusticwife]

Good morning! Haha! They do look delicious, don't they? James would certainly get a surprise biting into one of those "bagels" 😀 Take care and thank you very much for watching!

[@jillhansinger4095]

What is the shelf line of store bought lard if stored in refrigerator

[@renewyckoff545]

Please that's a lot of oats, dear❤. I've done a great deal of research for the care of healthy hens. Please look up ,should I be feeding oats to my chicken.? They can NOT digest it. Their intestines blow up. It can kill them. Yet many say its OK. If just a small amount mixed with other ingredients just as you're doing. Just not 3 cups. There are so many other ingredients to choose from. Flax .teff, and so on 😊. I study chicken care every day, because most have their own way of doing things and we like to share. I do just as you but with 1 half cup of oats, please please do the research, you'll be surprised, I was. Agape love ❤😊