Bird suet cake recipe, fat ball recipe, wild bird food
wildlife gardening

DIY wild bird fat balls recipe

Emma Kate Farley

My recipe for making your own homemade wild bird fat balls. It’s great fun and really quick – around 10 minutes.

You can also use this mix in my homemade woodpecker feeding station – go with the insect mix if you use it for woodpeckers.

IMG_2783.JPGYou will need the following equipment:

  • Mixing bowl
  • Saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Containers for your mix. I like to reuse strung coconut husks from bird feeders I have previously purchased. You can read more about using old yoghurt pots here.

You will need the following ingredients:

  • Blocks of suet or lard. If you would like to make a vegetarian version, you can use flutter butter (special low salt peanut butter for birds) mixed with vegetarian suet instead.

Dried mix using any of the following at a ratio of 1:2 suet/lard (or vegetarian option) to dried mix (twice as much dried mix as suet).

  • Any dried fruits. I like raisins, sultanas and cranberries.
  • Sunflower hearts or other small seeds
  • Any muesli mix or crushed porridge oats
  • Insect mix (optional)
  • A few spoonfuls of peanut butter (optional)

Recipe – homemade bird fat balls:

Chop up the suet/lard/vegetarian suet and slowly melt it in the saucepan. Add your flutter butter if you are using this in your recipe or are using it to replace some of the lard.

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The dried mix in the mixing bowl
  • Mix up your dried ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Add your dried mix into the warmed suet/lard in the saucepan.
  • Stir with a wooden spoon and ensure all the dried mix is coated.
  • Pour it into your moulds.
  • Place in the fridge to set overnight.
IMG_2800
The bird fat ball recipe in the saucepan with the dried mix being coated
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The finished bird feeders, ready to set hard in the fridge overnight.

Using the ratio of 1:2 suet:dried mix, one block of suet will fill approximately 3 coconut husks.

Please don’t use normal peanut butter instead of Flutter Butter because it is high in salt which is toxic to birds. Flutter Butter has no salt.

About me

I am currently transforming an acre of land in the Yorkshire Wolds into a wildlife haven. If you’ve found this recipe inspiring, please consider making a donation to help me continue my awareness work. You might also like my handmade wildlife jewellery which comes with information about helping wildlife. I even make bird and woodpecker designs.

British wildlife jewellery