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Rolled oats are a nice addition to any homemade suet cake. Not only does adding oats add calcium, iron and magnesium to your birds suet treat but it also helps to keep your homemade suet cake last longer during warmer weather. The oats will soak up the meat fats and hold the suet cake together better than if there were no oats added. Rolled oats are also a whole grain which is great for the birds to eat in the colder months. Try adding a couple spoonfuls to your next You Do It Suet® and see how your birds like it.

 

 

 

Adding dried mealworms to a homemade suet cake is a great idea! Many birds LOVE to eat mealworms including: bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, wrens, orioles, robins and more! Mealworms are high in protein, 25% fat and are something birds need to keep their energy high during the cold Winter months. Seed eaters and insectivores LOVE mealworms.

 

What are mealworms?

 

They are the larvae of the beetle. The larvae stage tends to last for 10 weeks.

 

Where can you buy mealworms?

 

At SongbirdGarden.com, your local grocery store, pet supply store, garden store and some hardware stores.

 

 

Cracked corn is dried and cracked into bite sized pieces, perfect for little bird mouths. Because cracked corn is a dry ingredient, it can be stored for a long period of time without spoiling. Cracked corn is rich in protein and fiber and is an excellent food source for wild birds. Many types of wild birds will eat cracked corn including: northern bobwhites, spotted towhees, house sparrows, scrub jays and many more.

 

Add some cracked corn to your You Do It Suet® mixture and watch as your neighborhood birds flock to your yard to eat.

 

 

 

During the cold Winter months peanut butter is a nutritious food for wild birds. Crunchy peanut butter is best, as it is less likely to stick to a birds’ mouth, but smooth peanut can be used as well, just add sand or cornmeal to make the texture grittier. Peanut butter is best used when making homemade suet cakes for use in the Winter as to lessen the chances of the peanut butter going rancid from the heat.

 

Peanuts are packed with protein as well as high in calories, making it a high energy treat that is perfect during the cold Winter months. Birds need more energy during the Winter to help them keep warm and to help them forage for water and food.

 

 

 

Walnuts are low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated and mono-saturated fat. They are an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They have zero cholesterol and have a good source of fiber and protein. With this being said, birds LOVE walnuts.

 

Wild birds can be fed walnuts in the shell, on their own, or they can be added to a homemade suet cake after they have been shelled and chopped. Birds that enjoy walnuts include: woodpeckers, sapsuckers, jays, warblers and more.

 

 

 

Peanuts are readily available for purchase in bulk from most every grocery store, hardware store and local market. Making this a very popular addition to making homemade sute cakes. Peanuts that are in the shell can be placed outside on their own and will attract wild birds as well as squirrels.

 

Adding shelled and or un-shelled peanuts to your homemade suet cake will attract a wide variety of wild birds including: crows, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers and jays.

 

 

 

Almonds are a great food source for wild birds. They protein packed and also a natural source of fiber. You can feed wild birds almonds in the shell or out of the shell. If added almonds to a homemade suet cakes, use unshelled almonds. Almonds are going to a pricier ingredient for making homemade suet cakes, but for those who eat nuts regularly, taking a few of them out to add to a suet cake would be a nice treat for your neighborhood birds.

 

Almonds are enjoyed by a variety of wild birds including: magpies, woodpeckers and blue jays.

 

 

 

Birds LOVE raisins. The northern flicker, robins, bluebirds, thrushes, buntlings, thrashers and many more! Add raisins to any homemade suet cake and your neighborhood birds will come back for more.

 

Raisins are a great way for birds to gain some weight during the cold Winter months, in a healthy way. Raisins also have calcium, which is good for bone health in birds.

 

Raisins are also widely available at most every grocery store and local market, making it a very easy ingredient to add to a simple homemade suet cake.

 

 

Wild bird seed is widely available at most every grocery store, hardware store and local market. It is the most popular of all bird seeds because it attracts a variety of wild birds and because it is very cost effective. Wild bird seed mixtures generally include: white millet, black oil sunflower seeds and cracked corn.

 

Wild bird seed attracts a variety of wild birds including: finches, sparrows, jays, doves, juncos and many more.

 

 

 

Cornmeal is a course ground form of dried corn. It offers a fine constancy and is a great addition to any homemade suet cake. Small wild birds have small beaks and mouths and they need small foods to eat.

 

Cornmeal adds a gritty texture to any homemade suet cake. When making a suet cake with creamy peanut butter, add a couple spoonfuls of cornmeal for a grittier texture that birds enjoy. Cornmeal also has some fat and some vitamins, which are a great nutritional source for wild birds, especially during the colder months.

 

 

 

The Worlds healthiest food. Sunflower seeds have vitamin E, copper, vitamin B1, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B3. These seeds are an excellent food source for birds and humans alike.

 

Black oil sunflower seeds have a thin shell, making them very easy for wild birds to open and eat. Although sunflower seeds are the more expensive of the seeds available, they are loved by most every bird and are guaranteed to get birds flocking to your yard during every season.

 

 

Thistle Seed (Nyjer Seed) is a very popular backyard bird treat. Thistle seed is a small, black seed that comes from the African yellow daisy. Thistle seeds are high in oil and are a very nutritious source of energy for wild birds. It is also one of the most popular of the wild bird seeds available on the market today.

 

Thistle seed is a more expensive seed, but many backyard birds prefer it to other seeds. You can often find the thistle seed in wild bird seed mixes, making seed mixes a more budget friendly option.

 

Birds that enjoy the thistle seed typically have pointed bills and can easily manipulate a tiny seed. The most popular wild birds who enjoy feasting upon the thistle seed include: finches, buntings, sparrows, redpoles, doves and many more.

 

 

Apples can be a great addition to homemade suet cakes. Because apples are eaten year round, they are readily available around the World.

 

When cutting up an apple for snack, set aside the scraps for the birds.

 

When peeling apples for a pie, set aside the scraps to feed the birds.

 

When you have apples that are too bruised for you to eat, feed them to the birds.

 

Add chopped apples to your homemade You Do It Suet® cakes.

 

Birds that are attracted to apples are: Wrens, orioles, robins, bluebirds, thrushes, cardinals, waxwings and many other wild birds.

 

 

 

Fall is the most popular time of year to carve pumpkins and the best time of year to gather up pumpkin seeds to feed the birds. Fall is also a great time of year to start feeding your neighborhood birds homemade suet cakes. Making this the perfect match of weather and food.

 

Spread pumpkin seeds on a baking pan and either let them dry, or bake them (no salt). After your pumpkin seeds are dry, they need to be chopped, this can be done by hand, food processor or a blender. Once your seeds are chopped, you can add them to your homemade suet cakes.

 

Pumpkin seeds will attract a variety of wild birds including: Northern cardinals and sparrows.

 

 

 

Are you looking for something to do with the stale bread on your counter? Make breadcrumbs! Your neighborhood birds will love this added natural ingredient in a homemade suet cake. Breadcrumbs are suitable in small quantities, think about adding a few tablespoons to your suet cake recipe. You can also use pre-made breadcrumbs, widely available at most every grocery store, and most likely in your kitchen already. Think of breadcrumbs as a TREAT for the birds. Use sparingly.

 

Wild birds that enjoy breadcrumbs include: wren, magpie, redpole, robin, bluebird, titmouse and many more.

 

 

 

Save your eggshells! Eggshells contain calcium and both young and adult birds need Calcium in their diet. If there is a lack of calcium in an adult birds diet, it can cause weak bones.

 

Only use sterilized eggshells when feeding the birds. This can be done by using hard boiled eggshells or by baking eggshells before crushing and adding to a homemade suet cake. You can also sprinkle eggshells in the backyard.