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

Пікірлер: 46

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife
    @alanacawker-therusticwife2 жыл бұрын

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

  • @Outlook535
    @Outlook5354 ай бұрын

    I think I got hungry watching this lol

  • @renewyckoff545
    @renewyckoff5454 ай бұрын

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

  • @mariebooze956
    @mariebooze956 Жыл бұрын

    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

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

    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
    @ronaldpatton59062 жыл бұрын

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

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

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

  • @rusticsewingbox4593
    @rusticsewingbox45932 жыл бұрын

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

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

    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
    @kellyhawes9293 Жыл бұрын

    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

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

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

  • @traceyrose6099
    @traceyrose60996 ай бұрын

    Wow ❤this 👏

  • @kelvingravel8699
    @kelvingravel86992 жыл бұрын

    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

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

    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!

  • @bonniecarlstrom6014
    @bonniecarlstrom6014 Жыл бұрын

    How fun! Thank you for sharing🙂🙂

  • @juliekorte5896
    @juliekorte58965 ай бұрын

    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.

  • @geri1864
    @geri18642 жыл бұрын

    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

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

    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!

  • @gaylegutierrez3864
    @gaylegutierrez3864 Жыл бұрын

    Look great. What do y ou do with the squirrel

  • @Onewestward
    @Onewestward Жыл бұрын

    I will try it!!

  • @billyshumate853
    @billyshumate8532 жыл бұрын

    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

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

    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!

  • @Joe-lj3ir
    @Joe-lj3ir Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing! I will try it

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

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

  • @jefferysmith5280
    @jefferysmith5280 Жыл бұрын

    Super great video...ty for sharing

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

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

  • @UrbanCountryStyleByJudy
    @UrbanCountryStyleByJudy2 жыл бұрын

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

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

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

  • @mlttraywick4543
    @mlttraywick4543 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome easy process,,, Thank you.

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

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

  • @mlttraywick4543

    @mlttraywick4543

    Жыл бұрын

    @@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.

  • @ronaldpatton5906
    @ronaldpatton59062 жыл бұрын

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

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    2 жыл бұрын

    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! 😄

  • @robertcornelius3514
    @robertcornelius3514 Жыл бұрын

    If only our kids would eat such healthy food. Ha

  • @jillhansinger4095
    @jillhansinger4095 Жыл бұрын

    How do you serve frozen cranberries

  • @juliedoesntdrinkbeers
    @juliedoesntdrinkbeers Жыл бұрын

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

  • @jillhansinger4095
    @jillhansinger4095 Жыл бұрын

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

  • @brainfreeze1925
    @brainfreeze1925 Жыл бұрын

    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

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

    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

    @brainfreeze1925

    Жыл бұрын

    @@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!!)

  • @mist4926
    @mist49263 ай бұрын

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

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    3 ай бұрын

    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/

  • @kathleenmckenzie9500
    @kathleenmckenzie9500 Жыл бұрын

    Birds are comical to watch when there is plenty. Thanks

  • @rongenovese4416
    @rongenovese4416 Жыл бұрын

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

  • @alanacawker-therusticwife

    @alanacawker-therusticwife

    Жыл бұрын

    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!

  • @renewyckoff545
    @renewyckoff5454 ай бұрын

    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 ❤😊