[wisb] Re: Warblers, Suet, and paying for nothing

  • From: Brian Hansen <rawshooter@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:55:33 -0600

Good post Jesse!
I remember my dad always bought (or was given) plain beef suet at our local
butcher shop.  He had a home made platform with a stainless nail sticking up
about 3 inches from that center located near our feeders.  He would just
chop off a chunk of the raw suet and slap it on the nail and the birds would
go crazy for it.

I've been thinking about making my own for last couple of years but was put
off by the rendering.  When I read recipes about how to make home made suet
I would think of my dad just putting the raw stuff out and figured maybe raw
suet was bad for the birds.  Your post explains why people render it.   I
frankly buy the store bought cakes because I didn't want to stink up my
house rendering fat but if I could just put raw suet out I would definitely
do that as opposed to the cakes.  That did lead to another questions
though.  If the temps rise above freezing, how long will unrendered suet
last and is it hazardous to the birds if it out there too long in above
freezing temps?

Thanks,
Brian Hansen
Milwaukee - east side

On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 12:21 PM, Jesse Ellis <calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hey all-
> The several warblers reported attending suet feeders over the past month
> make a useful segue for something I've wanted to throw out on the list for
> a
> few months now. If you want to feed suet, esp. for lingerers like this, go
> for real suet. Find a butcher and buy some. Render it if you like. If you
> can find a local place, it's often dirt cheap (a buck a pound or so, even
> for "grass-fed" beef suet).
>
> Two reasons, in my mind. If anyone else differs on this, I'd appreciate
> hearing - I may well be wrong.
>
> 1) Birds come to suet for the fat. The fat, the fat, the fat. They are
> there
> for the calories. When you buy suet shot with millet and corn, you're only
> putting that stuff in the way of the birds that actually just want the fat.
> When you buy ORANGE-FLAVORED or BERRY-FLAVORED suet, you're doing nothing
> for the birds. I can't even believe those product exist.
>
> 2) When you buy premade suet cakes shot with corn and millet, you're
> ripping
> yourself off. Corn can be bought for 6 bucks a bushel (that's a price
> farmers LIKE, I think). (Google is telling me it's going for ¢381 a bushel
> right now...). Millet is cheap too. If you want to feed birds corn and
> millet, buy them separately and spread them out on the ground or on a
> platform feeder. Then go to your butcher and buy some suet and offer it
> separately. For $1.29 you get 8 oz of a mix of beef fat, corn and millet.
> For even more (>$2.00) you can add your berry flavor. All for a product
> that
> most birds would rather not eat as presented. (Peanuts, however, added to
> suet may be a different matter. Peanuts are high in fat and protein and
> birds who prefer suet would probably also eat peanuts - although I suspect
> warblers wouldn't). For a few bucks you can get a huge bag of corn, a pound
> of suet, and a bag of millet, a lot more than in a few of those suet cakes.
>
> How do you render suet? Chop it into little (littler seems to be better)
> bits and melt it in a pan. I've seen references that suggest rendering
> twice, pouring off the fat as it melts, and other things. Rendering is
> helpful insofar as you can shape the suet a bit, and that it will last
> longer in warm weather without going off. However, you can just cut a slice
> of the stuff and stick it in your suet feeder for most of a Wisconsin
> winter
> without worrying about it.
>
> Who eats suet? Species that are primarily or substantially insectivorous
> are
> the classic suet consumers. Nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers are the
> winter standards, and none of them like corn or millet. Most sparrows and
> other granivorous birds don't care for suet, although I've seen Juncos and
> House Sparrows visiting suet feeders on occasion. Other winter lingerers
> that eat lots of insects can benefit from pure suet, as well. Wrens, mimic
> thrushes, and of course the warblers that kicked this off will all take
> suet
> in dire conditions. Ever seen a wren or warbler eating corn? No? Me
> neither.
> Shouldn't be in the suet if you want help out these lingerers.
>
> Why am I up on my soapbox about this? Mostly for the birds. I think
> standard
> capitalism and a bit of miseducation have lead people to think that the
> more
> complex the suet the better. This mostly seems to be an opportunity for
> companies to take cheap ingredients and mark everything way up (aka add
> value - but in this case it's not really of value to the organisms that
> matter, the birds). None of this benefits the birds that consumers are
> trying to help. I also don't like people with good intentions being ripped
> off.
>
> If anyone disagrees with my opinions or facts, please let me know. If there
> are truly good reasons for berry-flavored suet to be on the market, I'd
> like
> to know about it.
>
> Good feeder-birding today in the snow, everyone.
>
> Dr. Jesse Ellis
> Dept. of Zoology
> University of Wisconsin - Madison
> Dane County
>
> --
> Jesse Ellis
> Madison, Dane Co, WI
>
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