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

  • From: "Lori Schubring" <wbuwausau@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bettie@xxxxxxxxxx>, <rawshooter@xxxxxxxxx>, <calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 13:40:46 -0600

Raw suet will melt when it gets to be about 40 degrees or above. I tried it 
last year and it made too much of a mess when it got warmer outside and 
surely wasn't safe for the birds. For cold weather it is ok though.
Lori - Wausau, Marathon Cty

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Bettie R. Harriman" <bettie@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 1:23 PM
To: <rawshooter@xxxxxxxxx>; <calocitta8@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [wisb] Re: Warblers, Suet, and paying for nothing

> My husband and I have been providing the birds in
> our woods with raw beef fat (suet) since we moved
> here in 1969 - year round.  "Our" birds would not
> have it any other way.  Some years ago I worked
> for Wild Birds Unlimited when there was such a
> store in Oshkosh and on occasion when raw suet
> was hard to find, we would put out pure rendered
> suet in those cakes made to fit the suet
> cages.  At first our birds would not eat it, but
> eventually - when the "real" suet did not appear
> - they decided it was better than no suet.  When
> we could get raw suet again, we went back to that and the birds did also.
>
> In hot weather, raw suet will melt.  This can
> mess up the feathers on the birds, so if it gets
> hot enough that you see the melted fat on the
> tree trunk or feeder post - stop feeding it until
> it is cooler.  Or if it smells rancid to you,
> stop feeding.  Otherwise, it's fine.
>
> Seeds in the cakes are not bad, but a waste of
> your money.  And often attract squirrels.  The
> squirrels here (and we have many) have no interest in the pure suet.
>
> It has been our choice to feed pure suet, and
> straight seeds (no mixes) over the years - seems to work well here.
>
> Bettie Harriman, watching a very busy yard in all this snow
> north of Oshkosh
> Winnebago County
>
>
> At 12:55 PM 12/9/2009, Brian Hansen wrote:
>>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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>> >
>>
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Lori Schubring
Wild Birds Unlimited
4121 Rib Mountain Drive, Wausau WI 54401
Ph: 715-298-3140
www.wbu.com/wausau 

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