Lard or Crisco sub for suet?

Wondering if it's OK to substitute (people food) Lard or Crisco for suet to feed woodpeckers etc. They never seem to like the beef fat that I save from ground beef. Pure suet cakes are kinda overpriced seems to me. And I think I read that seeds in the suet cakes aren't really used by birds on the cakes either.

Hi Sally, I use Lard.

Check out the following link - it uses lard.

http://www.foodfunandfacts.com/birdsuet.htm

Hack

This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 10:15 PM

Thanks, pelletory, Hack.
The recipe says do NOT substitute shortening but doesn't say why. Could be just the melting point temp, maybe.

Shortening is generally vegetable shortening, while lard is animal fat...

Did you try the Martha Sargent's peanut butter suet recipe? I thought I posted a link recently on the MAG forum... it's at the bottom of my Christmas tree bird feeder article, http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/467/

Thanks critter-- I read that. I was still trying to resolve my initial question though. And still wondering if the birds care whether its animal or vegetable fat. I may have to resort to -gasp- googling for the answer myself. LOL
I think I'll go right to Cornell and see if they advise.

This message was edited Dec 20, 2009 5:17 PM

Sally: I use a recipe that is 1:1 crunchy peanut butter and lard/Crisco with corn meal. I've made it both ways and I do not see that the birds care one bit whether it is the Crisco or lard mix. The one advantage to the veg shortening is that I can buy big tubs of it and the mixture doesn't spoil in the container if I leave it by the back door. At room temperature, I find it easier to spread into my log feeder. If I see lard on sale, I will use that instead. The Sialis website lists recipes that list veg. shortening/Crisco as an alternative....so I am assuming that it is safe for birds. I make a lot of this mix in the winter so I try to watch the cost!

After I posted, I found a recipe from Marna on another thread that called for vegetable shortening, peanut butter, and some beef suet... I'm thinking that since PB isn't an animal fat, and they'll go for straight PB no problem, vegetable shortening should be fine to use. Beef suet may be closer to what woodpeckers would get eating bugs, but I'm not sure that's important. Even when they seem to be at the feeder all day long, I think feeder food is generally only a small part of their intake.

I think I can generally find lard cheaper than crisco, but somebody (again on another thread, not sure which one) mentioned that they get generic "shortening" at the store that's a mix of animal and vegetable fats.

Sally, I've used Crisco and pb. Lard might be a better choice for those in less frigid climes. The Crisco was great during very cold weather, but gets soft and slides if the weather warms. I used it with pb. Sadly I had to stop feedings from our third story bedroom deck. I was being awakened at night by visitors...rats.
Laurel

Thanks folks for the reports! I feel comfortably informed now.
Oh, too bad about the night visitors, Laurel!

I hope no one minds my bringing this thread up again. I was poking around looking for information on feeding and making my own suet blocks or logs. I have a book, http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Taming-Wild-Birds-at-Feeder/dp/0911469079 ,that I purchased back in the early '90's and it's full of wonderful information. He says peanut butter is a danger to our little fellows like the titmice and chickadee. He says that it depends on the bird but some will rely on PB alone and when a seed-eating bird feeds entirely o peanut butter, he loses the gravel from his gizzard, and it doesn't function normally, it shrinks and his liver becomes enlarged. The bird is soon very ill or dead.

He says some Chickadees die soon after eating their first meal of peanut butter because after eating they cram their little mouths full of it and carry it away. When they try to deposit the butter in a hiding place it sticks to the roof of their mouths; in the struggle to dislodge it, the butter is packed tighter and the birds choke to death. It also causes them to become egg bound..

It's a great book for anyone interested in our feathered friends.

I'm still looking for information on making a suet block. I saw a great thread here about it, with a recipe, but haven't located it yet. I just wanted to pass on the information about peanut butter and it being a problem for some birds.

edited to add;

I just mention the PB in case there is someone here, like me, that in a pinch might think it a good idea. All the suggestions I've seen here have mixed PB with other things.

This message was edited Dec 29, 2009 8:21 PM

Missed this thread… sorry i'm late.

I found a bunch of suet information at Sialis. Even though many of these are for Bluebirds, they can be adapted for others. There are some recipes in lard and some in vegetable shortening. As others have said before, it's no difference to the birds.

Here is a bit that they say:

Thanks for the link Mrs_Ed. I saw my first blue bird couple this spring. They were looking for a nest site and oh how I wished I had a couple of boxes out for them. I've lived here 30 some odd years and this was the first time I've seen them here. I was thrilled. I seem to be on the boarder of their year round area...I think I'll make some for the Blue Birds as well, in case.

Kjane, as our bluebird expert 2dCousinDave says, be sure to add water to the yard to attract them. I'd love to have some but I'm in town with LOTS of House Sparrows.They'd never make it here.

House Sparrows found my feeder and most of my other birds are pushed off. There are some white throated sparrows, chipping sparrows,juncos, cardinals etc. that hang in but my chickadees and titmice just stop by to see if they are still hogging the place. I made some tastycake for the birds with crisco, whole flour, finch feed, sunflower, diced apple and dried cranberries. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I have no goldfinches and I usually have flocks. They probably have plenty of food in the fields yet.

I've been thinking about getting a heated water dish, anyone have suggestions? If that's what I need for Blue Birds then hey, I'll get one. Besides the pics of the crazy Starlings bathing in freezing weather has me wondering what's up with that?! We have a year round stream that stays clear for the wild life but I can put a water dish on my deck and bring in the birds to watch. I'm entertained by the birds.

Try one of those heated pet bowls. dellrose, are you watching?

Here's her dish…
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/Mrs_Ed_1228759992_971.jpg

OMG..what a beautiful picture.

Looks like a couple of stones in the dish? I'll look for one, Thanks.

Available in feed stores, pet stores, walmart, etc. Yah, I think she has bricks in there. i can't remember if she put a circulating pump in there or not.

How well I remember the first year I used that blue bowl and yes I did put a circulating pump in it just for the sound effect. It really worked great and I also used flat rocks or brick in it.

Jane...thanks for the info on the peanut butter! I had no idea that it was a danger to the Chickadees. I used to spread it on the tree trunks but no longer do that because it attracted too many Starlings. Now I am glad I haven't used it straight for a long time.

I think that the writer of that book was wrong about the peanut butter - he listened to too many old wives tales for which I can find no evidence. The Cornell site had this to say:
Some people worry that birds will
choke on sticky peanut butter.
There’s no evidence that they do, but
you can completely eliminate any
risk by mixing peanut butter with
corn meal or oatmeal
Here is the pdf cited: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/Members/BirdNote01--Winter%20Feeding.pdf

Sorry if there was a misunderstanding here. I've never put out lard, Crisco or pb blocks (or any mix of those products). My recipe came from a birding book long forgotten and was 50/50 melted Crisco and peanut butter with bird seed added until the mix becomes stiff. In other words, it was mostly seed with a Crisco/PB binder. It was then poured into baking pans, chilled and cut into blocks to fit our feeder. We live in the city, but a wooded situation, with year 'round Pileated, Downey and Red Headed Woodpeckers. I'm a birder by default so if I'm doing the wrong thing I'd like to be re-educated.
Laurel

Someone, somewhere, was saying something about jello for summer suet recipes. Anybody know what that is about? Unflavored gelatin ...