Fat Ball Recipe - home made
May 22nd, 2008 by Birdy Trish
Fat balls are great food for a variety of garden birds. We used to call them fatball puddings.
We’ve had this fatball recipe written down in our family for about 20 years. I think it came from my parents. Have used it lots of times. It’s just a case of mixing ingredients with melted fat (just melt the fat - does not have to be really hot - just melted)
My kids used to enjoy mixing it all up and then putting them outside in the garden. I made sure to keep them away from the pan when I was melting the lard though! Kids seem to like mixing things up and getting messed up.
You need -
SUET or LARD - 225 g / (8oz) .
FOR THE MIXTURE - 450 g / (1lb) - See below for a list of ingredients you can use.
- cake, (fruitcake especially would be welcome!)
- oatmeal,
- peanuts and other nuts,
- dried fruit
- cooked rice.
- cooked potato,
- oats
Or just use
- Bird seed mixture ( for part of whole of the dry food)
Put all the dry in gredients into a dish, half a coconut shell, small flowerpot or any other suitable container.
Pour the melted fat over the dry ingredients and allow to set. The melted fat need not be hot, just melted.
The bird fatball ‘pudding’ can either be placed on your bird table or left in the container and hung from a branch or table.
So come on give it a go. Feed the birds and recycle your scraps at the same time.
Remember, don’t through away the scraps of food, put them into a fatball pudding. Get the kids to join in and Feed the Garden Birds.
Great choice!!
I have used a shredded vegetable suet from the supermarked. It is soft and can be mixed with seeds etc without having to be melted. You might find this safer with the kids around and they wouldn’t need your help to make a batch of suet balls as there is no melting or heat involved.
Dave
Hi Dave, Am replying here. Thanks a lot for that tip. It’s a good one. I will try the veg suet, will also use the suet that is meat based though, because birds need fat (just the opposite to us ). Melting the lard is always tricky. It’s just always been part and parcel of bird feeding, but easier ways are always welcome.
This is what I like about my blog. I get good ideas sent to me. A lady feeds cool, chopped pasta. You feed suet. Both great ideas that I would never have thought of . I used to have suet in all the time, but don’t now. When I’m next shopping I’ll make sure I get some.
Cheers. Trisha.,
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