High Energy Suet for Your birds
So why feed birds suet?
.Birds use a lot of energy just to survive.
.The capacity for flight is very demanding in terms of energy.
.We enjoy watching our birds attack our offerings etc.
Plain and simple, they want and need it!
This is also a reason why birds are attracted to high oil content seeds like sunflowers,peanuts and Nyjer.
It is the most concentrated source of energy in a diet, animal fat also provides other nutritional benefits. Fat acts as a carrier for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Isn't it interesting how birds know what they need?
An interesting side bar to feeding suet is this.
Yet, yours is made of rendered beef fat.
Why is that?
Vegetable fats are difficult to solidify and to retain a solid form in warmer weather.
In areas where winter temperatures fall below
Real suet is the white fat that lines the kidneys of cows and sheep. For the sake of arguement, animal fat in general is being used.
Animal fats lack the true values that vegetable fats contain and some scientists are worried that birds may suffer from malnutrition as they will gorge on your suet and ignore vegetable fats offered in seeds.
I for one have not seen my birds hang out all day long at my feeder. Even on the coldest winter day.
Have You?
Cornell Lab of Ornithology actually uses a number of six. If you think you see the same woodpecker, jay, or other bird at your feeders all day, multiply that by six.
That means you are more than likely are seeing six different birds of the same species over the course of a day.
Birds are wild and instinctively still hunt for 75 to 80 percent of their food in the wild.
Please be careful when offering fats.
Soft suet can get on a birds feathers and reek havoc.
Your bird may loose the ability to fly if its feathers are all gummed up with fats.
That is sure to spell doom for your birds.
Make sure you are offering no melt cakes like I do and use a feeder where your birds aren't at risk of a lube job they don't want or need.
Put your cakes in the freezer and when it is time to refill your feeder they pop out of the plastic case and into your feeder with little or no mess.
You can also cut your fat treats into little cubes and offer it on platform feeders or even on the ground.
Smearing fats and peanut butter on trees is also an option for you.
Yes, you can make your own, but it is messy and time consuming. Plus they will melt in warmer weather.
I'm too lazy to make my own and Karen wouldn't allow it in her kitchen.
Be sure to place your fat filled treats near protection.
If nuisance birds like starlings or critters like squirrels or racoons become a problem look into specialized feeders and baffles.
Removing and relocating your feeder is another option.
Use your imagination or see what kind of feeder is available to you.
Suet feeders and the choice is yours.
Be sure to sign up for your FREE newsletter.
|
