wild bird suet

[mendozer]

the local hardware store has a sale on Nature's Nuts suet blocks. i thought about getting these for the upcoming winter months. these are safe for chickens right since they're for wild birds?

They still have their feed, shell, grit, and daily scraps of fruits and veggies.

On a side note, can I make my own suet block, maybe without the fat? or is it good for them? I was thinking of using honey like a giant granola bar of seeds.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm sure they would love them but I would be worried about excessive fat which the suet cakes are more than half.

 

[stargirl]

Yeah... I've given my girls these as a very occasional treat but too many might be a bit fatty.

Definitely make your own, though! I make mine with corn, grit, their usual layers pellets, raisins and any other bits I have in my cupboard to use up. I add just enough lard/animal fat to bind it, so hardly any - melt it all together in a pan and pack it firmly into a hollow log I bought from a pet store (think it was for gerbils or similar to crawl through). Stick it in the fridge to set then let them peck away!

 

[stargirl]

(you could probably pack it into yoghurt pots or halved coconut shells or similar instead. I think putting it in something makes it last longer and means you need less fat )

 

[OR4-hmom]

I have a little pullet that I wanted to get some weight on, I had a suet cake here and decided to give it a try. One peck was all she would take, she didn't like all the fat on her beak. If making them yourself you could fix that though.