When you’re looking to feed the birds something other than sunflower seeds, you probably have thought about diversifying into other seed types. Maybe you’ve added safflower, thistle, and millet. However, if you want to see the full gamut of bird types in your area, you’re going to have to add something else. This is where suet balls are a handy addition to your bird feeding enterprise.
What Are Suet Balls Made Of?
Suet balls are made of (you guessed it!) suet. They are rolled up with seeds to give the birds something to pick off the outside. Suet is the hard fat on cows, sheep, and goats. This hard fat lines the kidney area, and is a low value product for slaughterhouses. Birds however, love to chow down on some animal fat.
Why Do Birds Enjoy Suet Balls?
If you think about it, when a large animal dies in the forest, there are the typical scavengers which show up. But every animal in the ecosystem has their specific preference. Small birds prefer to take nibbles of the easy to break apart fats. This gives them nutrients they won’t get anywhere else, and thus is part of a bird balanced diet.
Also, in winter you’ll find certain birds prefer the suet more than others. Woodpeckers and sap suckers especially like suet. However blue jays and cardinals have been known to partake from time to time. In colder weather you’ll find the suet most popular as the birds are burning massive amounts of energy (relatively speaking), to keep warm. Chickadees, starlings, titmice and more will take a nibble here and there.
If you just place a chunk of suet in a cage and hang it up, you’ll certainly attract the birds who want just the suet. But if you set out a suet ball, you’ll get any bird who wants either suet or the seed. This is what makes the suet balls so popular with bird lovers.
There’s literally something for everyone in the bird world in suet balls. Also, given suet balls smaller size, there’s more chance the birds will completely devour the suet ball faster than they’ll go through a chunk of suet. This means you can keep the cycle going as the weather warms up and not worry so much about the suet getting rancid in the sun if it’s only out there a few days.
Best Suet Ball 2023 Reviews
What To Look For In A Suet Ball
When comparing suet balls you’ll notice the major difference between them is what is on the outside. If you have done some tests in your area of different seed types, this should give you an idea of what suet balls might be most popular. The same suet ball in Texas may not work as well in Vermont. Different birds prefer different foods. These preferences re often related to what they have available naturally, and how their palate is shaped by the natural environment.
When Do Birds Eat Suet Balls?
You can always buy a few different kinds of suet balls and see what happens. The best time of the year to test out suet balls is the middle of winter. This is when the birds are far more dependent on you and your bird feeder. They will eat whatever you put out given enough time. Just make sure you keep the suet ball in a place the squirrel cannot get ahold of it.
Suet Balls Summary
As a part of a balanced bird diet, suet balls can help you make the life of a bird just a little bit easier. Think about the struggles facing birds on a day to day basis. They need to watch out for their biggest predator, house cats on a constant basis. Also, they need to keep an eye out for raptors like eagles and hawks. These threats become even more severe when birds are injured. Knowing how to or what to feed an injured bird can be difficult. If they can have an easy to find and delicious food source and provide you with bird based entertainment at the same time, everybody wins.
